Housetraining your puppy is something all new puppy owners must do. Although daunting at first, if you stick to a routine, it becomes simple over time and can facilitate a happy, healthy relationship with your pup. There are several common methods of training: constant supervision, crate training, and paper training—choosing one can be by preference, but is usually influenced by your personal and/or work schedule.
Constant supervision: Constant supervision is the most effective and humane way to housetrain your puppy. Watching him at all times, you will see when he starts to sniff the ground or walk in a circle when he is ready to eliminate. At this moment, grab your pup and take him outside. Say a word to indicate the act, such as “go potty,” and reward your pup immediately after (NOT during) he completes his business. If you catch your pup in the act (say you've turned away to pour a glass of juice), say a negative word (such as “No”) and pick him up and take him outside to a consistent spot. If he finishes outside, reward the good behavior. Any method of training, including constant supervision, is best facilitated by maintaining not only this routine but a routine of feeding high-quality food (say, every four hours for example) and removing your pup's water in the evening. Your new lassie will eliminate more-or-less on schedule that you will be able to predict, and his stool/urine will be regular.
Crate training: A crate can be an immensely helpful tool when housetraining your new puppy. It should be used in conjunction with constant supervision. When you are out, busy, or sleeping, you must confine your pup for safety as well as to cut down on household accidents. Dogs are den animals, so don't feel bad for putting them in a crate. However, it must be done the right way and NEVER used as a form of punishment.
Start by choosing a crate just big enough for your pup to sleep in and have a toy. He should only have enough room to stand up, turn around and lie down.
Use a single command, such as 'bed', for your dog to enter the crate and throw in a yummy treat. Praise him when he enters and close the crate door. Gradually increase the time that he spends in the crate before you let him out. Remember to be very patient, you want him to love the crate and see it as his 'den'. And don't forget, your dog still needs time to play and eliminate.
Maintain a regular schedule of trips outdoors. As a general guide, your puppy can stay in his crate comfortably for several hours, depending on his age: take his age in months, add 1 and you have the number of hours (up to 8 hours) that your pup should be comfortable in his crate. For example, a 3 month old puppy should not be confined for more than 4 hours.
A common mistake in crate training is providing a crate that is way too large. Dogs DO NOT pee where they sleep, but an oversize crate will allow your pup to eliminate in one corner and sleep in the other. Always take him to his dedicated elimination spot before prolonged periods in his crate and praise him with a treat when his business is done. Your pup will soon learn the routine of going outside to relieve himself.
Paper training: Though this method is employed quite often in our world of apartments and 9-5 office hours, paper training can elongate the process of housetraining by first teaching your pup to go potty in your home. However, it can be effective if transitioned to outside properly. Start by setting up a confined space for your puppy when you are not home. It can be a play pen, or a room gated off. In either case, make sure this space has room for the pup to sleep, play and go to the bathroom. In his bathroom spot, put a wee-wee pad or a sod box—all products that can be found at your local petstore. When you are home, watch him in his room and pick him up and place him on the pad or in the box when he signals a need to relieve himself. Once your pup learns to go on his particular spot indoors, you can slowly move these toward the door and finally, outside. After your pup recognizes he must go outside to relieve himself, you can eliminate the papers and your housetraining is complete.
Outside of these methods, there are a few rules you must follow to succeed in housetraining. First, always stick to a routine. Your puppy does not understand moments in the past (scolding, etc.) but he will understand repetition over time—this includes taking the dog outside, using verbal cues and feeding on a schedule. Second, do not punish your puppy for past accidents. Simply put, if you did not catch him in the act—don't punish him for it! Clean up the mess with an ammonia-free product such as Nature's Miracle, or more economically, but as effective, plain old white vinegar to eliminate odors from accidents. Smelling any eliminatory substance can trigger your pup to have another accident in the house—in that same spot. In addition, don't punish your puppy for spontaneous urination that happens when he gets excited. He cannot control when said piddles happen and will not understand punishment. Finally, always reward your pup for a job well done! Take a note from classic psychologist Pavel—reinforcement is the best way to insure continued good-dog behavior.
