25 Dog Breeds That Can Be Harder to Potty Train

Some breeds really can be harder to potty train – but I don’t mean they’re somehow “bad” at toileting. Potty training is still training. Breed tendencies that affect how quickly a dog learns a pattern, how distractible they are, how motivated they are to work with us, and even something as basic as bladder size can absolutely change how easy the process feels.

A Chihuahua puppy and a Boxer puppy can both be tricky, for completely different reasons. With the Chihuahua, you’ve got the tiny-bladder crew: there simply isn’t much margin for error. With a Boxer or an excitable spaniel, I expect more of the “OH! A LEAF!” problem. Huskies and Beagles can be more independent, and the terrier-y little dogs tend to bring their own opinions to the process.

These are tendencies, not destiny. A well-managed Chihuahua can toilet train beautifully, and a supposedly “easy” breed can struggle if the learning history isn’t there. What I don’t want you to take from this list is that any of these dogs need you to be firmer with them. Being firmer doesn’t make a dog learn faster. If the pattern isn’t sticking, we make the pattern clearer, reinforce it better and give the dog more successful repetitions.

What Actually Makes a Dog Harder to Potty Train?

• Tiny bladders: Chihuahuas, Yorkies, Pomeranians, Maltese and other very small puppies have less physical margin for us being late with a toilet trip.
• Excitability and distraction: Boxers and spaniel-y puppies can absolutely know what they’re doing and still get outside and immediately become much more interested in everything happening around them.
• Independence: Huskies, Beagles, Afghan Hounds and similar dogs are perfectly capable learners, but they may be less interested in doing something simply because we’d quite like them to.
• Terrier brain: terriers and terrier-ish dogs can be persistent, independent little things. They’re trainable – the reinforcement just needs to make sense to them.
• Weather and environment: some dogs would really rather not stand in freezing rain waiting to pee, while scent-driven dogs can turn a toilet trip into an investigation of every blade of grass.
• The human learning curve: we often loosen the routine and stop rewarding long before the dog has the history needed to make outdoor toileting the default.
• Health: urinary or digestive problems can make a perfectly good training plan look like it’s failing.

25 Dog Breeds That Can Be Tricky to Potty Train

The ranking below is intentionally approximate. I care much more about why a particular puppy is struggling than whether their breed appears at #4 or #14.

1. Dalmatian 

Dalmatians aren’t inherently bad at toilet training, but a busy, highly active puppy can be easy to misread: they may rush outside, get distracted, come back in and then pee five minutes later. Keep toilet trips boring until the job is done, reward immediately, and save play for afterwards.

2. Afghan Hound

Afghan Hounds are often described as independent, but that doesn’t mean they need tougher training. The practical issue is usually motivation and consistency: make outdoor toileting predictable and worthwhile, reward it immediately, and don’t turn toilet breaks into long negotiations.

3. Beagle

Beagles can be incredibly scent-focused, which is the part I’d actually plan around. A toilet trip can turn into a sniffing expedition very quickly. Use a consistent toilet spot, keep the trip low-key until they’ve gone, reward immediately, and then let the sniffing happen afterwards.

4. Basenji

Basenjis are clever, independent dogs, but that doesn’t make them immune to ordinary toilet-training principles. Keep the schedule tight, reward outdoor toileting immediately, and don’t assume a few accident-free days means they’re ready for unrestricted freedom indoors.

5. Boxer

With Boxers, I’d worry less about breed mythology and more about excitement. A playful puppy may treat every trip outside as playtime. Keep the toilet trip calm and boring until they’ve gone, reward immediately, then release them to play.

6. Bulldog 

Bulldogs can be reluctant in bad weather and may not be enthusiastic about long outdoor waits. Make toilet trips frequent and efficient, use a sheltered spot if weather is the sticking point, and reward the moment they finish outside.

7. Chihuahua

Chihuahuas are a good example of where size matters more than attitude. Tiny puppies need frequent toilet opportunities, and accidents are easy to miss because the puddles are small. Keep the schedule tighter than you think you need and supervise closely indoors.

8. Cocker Spaniel:

Cocker Spaniels aren’t harder to toilet train because they’re sensitive. If anything, sensitivity is a reason to avoid punishment. Keep the routine predictable, reward success generously and make sure excitement or worry isn’t being mistaken for a training problem.

9. Dachshund 

Dachshunds often get labelled “stubborn,” but the more practical challenges are small size, weather reluctance and a tendency to disappear out of sight indoors. Frequent trips, close supervision and a dry, convenient toilet spot in bad weather can make a big difference.

10. Pug

Pugs are another small breed where frequent toilet trips matter. Heat and weather can also affect how willing they are to stay outside, so keep sessions short, comfortable and predictable rather than waiting them out for ages.

11. Jack Russell Terrier

Jack Russell Terriers are fast, busy little dogs, so distraction is often the challenge rather than understanding. Take them out on a predictable schedule, wait for the toilet first, reinforce it, then let the environment become the reward.

12. Lhasa Apso

Lhasa Apsos are small dogs, and that alone can make the schedule less forgiving. Don’t blame independence or coat type; focus on frequent opportunities, supervision and reinforcing the correct toilet location every time.

13. Maltese

For Maltese puppies, the useful issue is small size—not a “regal demeanor.” They may need more frequent trips than owners expect, and tiny accidents are easy to overlook. Tight management and immediate reinforcement usually matter most.

14. Pekingese

Pekingese can be independent, but I wouldn’t treat that as the explanation for accidents. Small size and weather reluctance are more useful things to plan for. Keep trips frequent, use a convenient toilet area and reward success immediately.

15. Pit Bull Terrier

Pit bull-type dogs don’t need a “firm” toilet-training style. Use the same clear, reward-based process you would with any puppy: frequent trips, close supervision, immediate reinforcement and gradually increasing indoor freedom as reliability improves.

16. Pomeranian 

Pomeranians are another tiny breed where bladder capacity and missed signals can make the process look harder than it is. Take them out often, don’t wait for an obvious signal every time, and reward the correct spot consistently.

17. American Foxhound

American Foxhounds can be very scent-driven, so outdoor distraction is the practical challenge I’d expect. Give them a predictable toilet area, wait for the job first, reward it, then let the sniffing begin.

18. Bichon Frise

Bichon Frises can be challenging mostly because they’re small and accidents can become established habits before owners notice a pattern. Keep the schedule frequent and predictable, and clean mistakes thoroughly with an enzymatic cleaner.

19. Shih Tzu 

Shih Tzus are small dogs, so frequent toilet opportunities matter more than any stereotype about independence. If your puppy is regularly having accidents, shorten the interval between trips before changing the training method.

20. Siberian Husky

Siberian Huskies are often called strong-willed, but toilet training usually isn’t about winning a battle of wills. Keep the routine clear, reward outdoor toileting and don’t give a young Husky more unsupervised indoor freedom than they’ve earned.

21. Boston Terrier

Boston Terriers are playful and compact, so the challenge can be a mix of small bladder capacity and excitement outdoors. Keep trips frequent and low-key until they’ve toileted, then reward and move on.

22. French Bulldog 

French Bulldogs can take a little longer, but I’d plan around practical issues like small size, weather sensitivity and consistency rather than calling them stubborn. Frequent trips and immediate reinforcement are still the core of the process.

23. Miniature Pinscher

Miniature Pinschers are small, active dogs, so frequent toilet trips and close supervision matter. You don’t need an “assertive” approach—just a clear routine, good timing and reinforcement for getting it right.

24. Cavalier King Charles Spaniel

Cavalier King Charles Spaniels aren’t difficult because they’re affectionate. If a Cavalier puppy is struggling, I’d look first at schedule, supervision, excitement and whether trips are frequent enough for their age and size.

25. Yorkshire Terrier

Yorkshire Terriers are tiny dogs, and that is the most useful thing to remember here. Small puppies need frequent opportunities, their accidents can be easy to miss, and bad weather can make outdoor toileting less appealing. Tight management beats blaming a “feisty” personality.

The Bit Where Owners Usually Get Caught Out

In my experience, one of the most common potty-training problems doesn’t actually happen at the beginning. It happens when things have been going well.

We humans love a checklist. Puppy hasn’t peed indoors for a while? Great. Potty training: done! So the treats disappear, we stop going outside with them, supervision relaxes and the puppy gets more freedom.

Meanwhile the puppy can quite reasonably be thinking: “Where did the treats go? Going outside used to pay. Now I’m left to go out there by myself, and peeing indoors is way easier.” The reinforcement history wasn’t actually strong enough yet; we just removed the scaffolding because it looked finished from our end.

When do I consider a puppy actually potty trained?

Later than a lot of owners do. An accident-free puppy isn’t necessarily a toilet-trained puppy if the only reason they’re accident-free is because you’re taking them out on a perfect schedule, watching them constantly and using a crate or playpen whenever you can’t supervise.

I want to see a puppy reliably holding it and choosing the correct place even when I’m absent and without a crate, playpen or constant human management providing the guideline. That’s when I start feeling confident that the dog has actually learned the rule rather than us simply being very good at preventing mistakes.

Factors That Influence Potty Training Difficulty

The most useful breed-related factor is often size. A very small puppy may simply need more frequent toilet trips than a large puppy of the same age. Temperament matters too: an excitable dog can get distracted, an independent dog may need a stronger reinforcement history, and some dogs are much less enthusiastic about rain, cold or wet grass. None of that means the dog needs a firmer training style – it means the plan needs to account for the dog in front of you.

Management helps because it prevents repeated mistakes while the habit is still forming. That might mean close supervision, baby gates, a puppy pen, tethering to you when appropriate, or a crate your puppy has been positively introduced to. A predictable puppy routine matters more than the specific management tool.

And puppy pads? I avoid them when I reasonably can. If the end goal is exclusively toileting outside, I’d rather teach that rule from the start than teach an indoor toilet location and then change the rule later. But I’m not absolutist about it. If your living situation makes getting a puppy outdoors quickly genuinely impractical, pads can be the sensible option. Training has to work in the home the dog actually lives in.

Intelligence doesn’t automatically make toilet training easy, either. A clever puppy can still be distracted, under-supervised or given too much freedom too soon. The boring basics win: frequent outdoor trips, reinforcement immediately after toileting in the right place, close supervision indoors, and gradually increasing freedom only after the habit is reliable.

If toilet training suddenly gets worse, or your dog is urinating unusually often, straining, leaking while asleep, drinking much more than normal or seems uncomfortable, stop treating it as a training issue and speak to your veterinarian. Breed doesn’t explain a sudden medical change.

How to Potty Train a Dog Who’s Finding It Difficult

1. Take them out more often than you think you need to. After waking, eating, drinking, play and excitement are the obvious times.
2. Go to the same toilet area. This reduces distraction and makes the task clearer.
3. Reward immediately. Don’t wait until you’re back inside; reinforce the outdoor pee or poop while your dog still knows what earned it.
4. Supervise indoors. If you can’t watch them, use humane management such as gates, a pen or a positively trained crate.
5. Clean accidents properly. An enzymatic cleaner helps remove residual scent that can draw a dog back to the same spot.
6. Increase freedom slowly. A few good days don’t mean the habit is finished. Add space gradually and tighten things back up if accidents return.
7. Don’t punish accidents. Punishment can make dogs hide where they toilet without teaching them where you actually want them to go.

If your puppy was doing well and has suddenly started having accidents again, read why puppies start peeing in the house again. For the full training process, use my puppy toilet-training do’s and don’ts.

So, What Is the Hardest Dog to Potty Train?

There isn’t one breed I can honestly crown as the hardest dog to potty train. Small dogs often have a less forgiving schedule, scent-driven dogs can be easier to distract outdoors, and some individuals hate bad weather—but none of those things make a dog incapable of learning.

If you’re struggling, don’t get firmer. A dog who’s taking longer to learn the pattern doesn’t need more pressure; they need a clearer pattern. Shorten the time between toilet trips, go outside with them, make the reinforcement worth earning, supervise more closely and reduce freedom temporarily.

And if your puppy was doing brilliantly before the accidents started again, look at what changed on the human end too. Did you stop rewarding? Stop accompanying them outside? Give them the run of the house? We very often call that a regression when, really, we decided the training was finished before the puppy did.

Need a reset? Start with my puppy toilet-training guide.