Written by Alain Courchesne, founder of Doggy Bathroom, designer of the original indoor potty system for small dogs.

Quick Takeaways

• A clicker marks the exact moment, which is faster and more precise than praise alone.
• A second dog changes the picture. An established dog's scent, habits, and reactions all affect how a new dog learns.
• Train separately before training together. Group sessions work best once each dog has the basics down solo.

This post assumes you've already got the fundamentals in place. If you haven't, start with our 7-day potty training plan or 3-day indoor plan for small dogs, then come back here for these two techniques.

Clicker Training for Potty Training

Why a Clicker Helps

Praise and treats work, but there's a gap between the moment your dog goes and the moment you can react, and reward-fumbling in that gap can end up rewarding the wrong instant, like your dog walking away from the spot rather than the act of going itself. A clicker closes that gap. The click happens the instant it's earned, so your dog learns to associate the exact behavior with the reward, not whatever they happened to be doing a few seconds later.

Getting Your Dog to Know What the Click Means

Before you use the clicker for potty training, your dog needs to learn that a click always means a treat is coming.

1. Click once, then immediately give a treat. Repeat 10–15 times in a calm, low-distraction moment.
2. Do this a few times over a day or two, unrelated to potty breaks.
3. You'll know it's clicked (sorry) when your dog perks up or looks for a treat as soon as they hear the sound.

Using It at the Potty Spot

Once your dog understands the clicker, bring it into your normal potty routine:

1. Take your dog to the spot as usual, on your regular schedule.
2. The instant they finish going, not as they're walking away, click once.
3. Follow immediately with a treat.
4. Skip the click if they don't go. No click just means no reward this time, not a punishment.

Common Clicker Mistakes

• Clicking too late. If the click comes after your dog has already moved on, you're rewarding the wrong moment. Timing matters more than treat size.
• Clicking more than once per success. One click, one behavior. Multiple clicks blur what's being rewarded.
• Using the clicker inconsistently. If you only click sometimes, it stops being a clear signal. Stick with it through the full training period, then fade to praise once the habit is solid.
• Skipping the treat. The click predicts a reward, it isn't a reward itself. If treats stop following clicks, the clicker loses its meaning.

Potty Training in a Multi-Pet Household

Adding a new dog or puppy when you already have one trained changes the training dynamics. A few problems come up specifically because of the second dog:

The Existing Dog's Scent Confuses the New One

Puppies and new dogs are drawn to existing potty spots by scent, which can work for you or against you depending on setup. If both dogs will share one spot, this can actually speed up training, the new dog picks up on where to go faster. But if you're setting up a second spot for the new dog, residual scent from the first dog elsewhere in the house can pull them toward the wrong areas. Keep the new dog's early training area distinct and clean until the habit is set.

Jealousy Over Treats and Attention

Multi-dog households often see one dog react to another getting rewarded. This can show up as pushing in front of the dog being trained, barking, or even trying to "steal" the potty spot to get the treat themselves.

• Train the two dogs separately at first, especially early on, so the treats and attention go to one dog at a time without competition.
• If one dog is already reliable, don't stop rewarding them just because they're trained. Suddenly ending their rewards while the new dog gets treats can create resentment or confusion.

One Dog's Accidents Can Set Off the Other

An established dog who sees a puppy having accidents (or getting extra attention because of them) can sometimes regress themselves. If your trained dog starts having accidents again after a new dog joins the house, treat it as a response to the change, not a training failure, and go back to reinforcing their routine for a week or two.

Moving to Joint Sessions

Once each dog is solid on their own:

1. Take both dogs to the potty area together, but reward each individually as they go.
2. Watch for one dog influencing the other, in both directions. A trained dog going first often prompts a puppy to follow suit.
3. If either dog gets distracted by the other instead of going, split back into separate sessions for a while longer.

A Note on Timing

Two dogs rarely need to go at the exact same time, especially early on. Plan for two sets of breaks rather than assuming one trip covers both dogs, and adjust as you learn each dog's actual schedule.

When to Bring in a Trainer

Clicker training and multi-pet households both get easier with time, but if you're seeing persistent regression, one dog blocking the other from the spot, or a puppy who won't respond to the clicker after a couple of weeks, a certified trainer can spot what's happening in person in a way that's hard to diagnose from a guide. That's not a sign you've failed, it just means the situation needs eyes on it.

For more helpful insights and information, check out our related blog posts here:

Mastering Housetraining with Dog Potty Solutions

Avoid Mistakes in Small Dog House Training