First of all, know that your puppy is going to drive you crazy at times, but it's a fun crazy if you're patient.
Your pup does not speak English and does not know sign language.
There are two main rules you need to set down first BEFORE we go over the tips on how to make toilet training run smoothly.
Rule #1: If you don't catch him, don't punish him - This is probably the most important rule.
If your puppy pees on the floor but you don't see it, you can NOT punish him for it.
He will have no idea why you're angry! Rule #2: Praising - Make sure you praise your puppy.
This means praising him when he does potty outside and not just saying "no" all the time when he has an accident in the house.
He needs to know it's a good thing to go potty in the "right" place.
Three Ways to Smooth Toilet Training Paper Training - You can do this by using papers or pretreated pads.
(the pads are scented with a chemical that actually attracts your pup to use them) The first pattern of any puppy is when they start walking around and sniffing the floor.
This is the first sign of "I have to go potty".
Very gently pick him up and put him on the paper (or puppy pads) and when he goes potty, make sure you praise him, praise him, praise him! When he is used to going on the papers, start moving them closer to the door and eventually put them outside.
He will get used to finally going outdoors and you can remove the papers permanently.
This is not hard, but paper training may take a little longer since you are first training them to potty indoors.
The most important thing for you is to be patient.
Don't YELL him! You don't want him to be scared of you.
Crate Training - If you have a crate, this is a very popular way to toilet train your puppy.
When dogs are placed in their crate which is only big enough for their bed, they do not want to soil where they sleep.
Even puppies will control their bladder longer in these situations.
But please don't ever leave your puppy in a crate for hours on end.
When the time comes where you cannot watch your puppy for a little while, place him in the crate.
Examples of this are when you are cooking, maybe reading a book to your kids or even while running to the store for groceries.
Before doing your chores, take your puppy outside so he can do his business.
Praise him and then bring him in and put him in the crate.
Don't put any food or water in the crate if you will only be gone about one or two hours.
Just put a blanket and maybe a nice chew toy so he can entertain himself while you're gone.
When you are finished with your chores, let him out of his crate and set him outside to potty.
You will be amazed at how fast you can train your puppy with this method.
Also, this will teach your puppy that when he has the urge to potty, he CAN hold it for a while.
Puppies will relieve themselves when they feel like it, so crate training will teach them control which is what you want when housebreaking.
This is the main reason that crate training creates a puppy that has fewer mistakes later on.
Just make sure you get a crate that "fits" the size of your pup.
You need to buy crates that your puppy can grow into.
Constant Supervision: This methods involves no pads, papers or crates.
You just choose to spend all your time with Fido.
This is great if you work from home.
This also means you need a constant eye on your pup.
As soon as he starts sniffing around, take him outside.
There will not be room for error, so as soon as he is finished going potty, praise him and then bring him right back in the house.
This shows him the purpose for going outside, which is to go potty.
Always use a word, "potty" or "outside" (use what works for you) so your pup understands what is going on.
Put your pup on a feeding schedule to help with the housebreaking.
Puppies will need to go out within 30-40 minutes after they eat and as soon as they wake up from a nap.
If you feed them at the same time every day, you will be a much happier dog owner.
Be consistent and be patient.
Remember, puppies turn into your best friend.