House-training your puppy requires vigilance, patience, plenty of commitment and above all, consistency.

Puppies do best on a regular schedule, just like a baby.  The schedule teaches him/her that there are times to eat, times to play and times to potty.

As a rule, a puppy can control his/her bladder 1 hour for every month of age.  So if your puppy is 2 months old, he/she can hold it for about 2 hours.  Don’t go longer than this between bathroom breaks or he’s/she’s guaranteed to have an accident.

Take your puppy outside frequently – at least every 2 hours – and immediately after he/she wakes up, during and after playing, and after eating or drinking.

Pike a bathroom spot outside – always take your puppy (on a leash) to that spot.  While your puppy is eliminating, use a word or phrase, like “go potty”, that you can eventually use before he/she eliminates to remind him/her what to do.  Take him/her out for a longer walk or some playtime only after he/she has eliminated.

Reward your puppy every time he/she eliminates outdoors.  Praise him/her or give him/her a treat – but remember to do so immediately after he’s/she’s eliminating, not after he/she comes back inside the house.  Puppies are easily distracted so if you praise him/her too soon, he/she may forget to finish until he’s/she’s back in the house.

Put your puppy on a regular feeding schedule.  What goes into a puppy on a schedule, comes out of a puppy on a schedule.  Depending on their age, puppies usually need to be fed three or four times a day.  Feeding your puppy at the same times each day will make is more likely that he’ll/she’ll eliminate at consistent times as well.  Depending on what type of food the puppy eats (dry or canned), the amount of food eaten, and the amount of fiber in the diet will dictate how frequently the puppy will need to defecate.  Typically, you can expect your puppy need to defecate anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour after he/she has eaten.

Pick up your puppy’s water dish about 2 ½ hours before bedtime to reduce the likelihood that he’ll/she’ll need to potty during the night.  Most puppies can sleep for approximately 7 hours without having to eliminate.  If your puppy does wake you up in the night to go potty, don’t make a big deal about it; otherwise he/she will think it’s time to play and won’t want to go back to sleep.  Turn on as few lights as possible, don’t talk to or play with your puppy; take him/her out to do his/her business and return him/her to his bed.

Supervise your Puppy

Don’t give your puppy an opportunity to eliminate in the house; keep an eye on him/her whenever he’s/she’s indoors.

Tether your puppy to your or a nearby piece of furniture with a 6 foot leash if you are not actively training or playing with your puppy.  Watch for signs that you puppy needs to eliminate; barking or scratching at the door, squatting, restlessness, sniffing around or circling. When you see any of these signs, immediately grab the leash and take your puppy outside to his/her bathroom spot. If he/she eliminates, praise lavishly and reward with a treat.  While house-training your puppy, your yard should be treated like any other room in your house so keep your puppy on a leash while they are in your yard.

Confine your puppy when you can’t supervise

When you’re unable to watch your puppy at all times, confine your puppy to an area small enough that he/she won’t want to eliminate there.  The space should be just big enough for him/her to comfortably stand, lie down and turn around.  You can use a portion of a bathroom/laundry room blocked off with baby gates or crate train your puppy.

Mistakes Happen

Expect your puppy to have a few accidents in the house; it’s a normal part of house-training.  Here’s what to do when an accident happens:

• Interrupt your puppy when you catch them in the act of eliminating in the house.  Make a startling noise (be careful not to scare him/her) or say “OUTSIDE!” immediately and take him/her to his/her bathroom spot.  If he/she finishes eliminating outside, praise and give a treat.
• Don’t punish your puppy for eliminating in the house.  If you find a soiled area, it’s too late to administer a correction; just clean it up.  Rubbing your puppy’s nose in it, taking them to the spot and scolding, or any other punishment will only make him/her afraid of your or afraid to eliminate in your presence. 
• Clean the soiled area with a product designed specifically to clean pet urine/feces.
  

Crate training uses a dog’s natural instincts as a den animal.  A wild dog’s den is his/her home; a place to sleep, hide from danger, and raise a family.  The crates becomes your dog’s den, an ideal spot to snooze or take refuge during a thunderstorm.

The primary use for a crate is for house-training; dogs don’t like to soil their dens.  A crate can also limit the access to the rest of the house while he/she learns other rules, like not to chew furniture.  Crates are also a safe way to transport your dog in a vehicle.

Crates come in different sizes and can be purchased at most pet supply stores or big box stores with pet departments.
A dog’s crate should be just large enough for him/her to stand up and turn around in.  If your dog is still growing, choose a crate size that will accommodate his/her adult size.  Block off the excess crate space so your dog can’t eliminate at one end and retreat to the other using a divider panel.

Types of crates:

• Plastic (often called “flight kennels” or “travel kennels”)
• Fabric on a collapsible, rigid frame
• Collapsible, metal crates

The time it will take to crate your dog depending on your dog’s age, temperament and past experiences.  Keep the following two things in mind while crate training:

• The crate should always be associated with something pleasant.
  
• Training should take place in a series of small steps; Do Not go too fast.

Whining

If your dog whines or cries while in the crate at night, it may be difficult to decide whether he's/she’s whining to be let out of the crate, or whether he/she needs to be let outside to eliminate. If you've followed the training procedures outlined above, then your dog hasn't been rewarded for whining in the past by being released from his/her crate. If that is the case, try to ignore the whining. If your dog is just testing you, he'll/she’ll probably stop whining soon. Yelling at him/her or pounding on the crate will only make things worse.

If the whining continues after you've ignored him/her for several minutes, use the phrase he/she associates with going outside to eliminate. If he responds and becomes excited, take him/her outside. This should be a trip with a purpose, not play time. If you're convinced that your dog doesn't need to eliminate, the best response is to ignore him/her until the stops whining. Don't give in; if you do, you'll teach your dog to whine loud and long to get what he/she wants. If you've progressed gradually through the training steps and haven't done too much too fast, you'll be less likely to encounter this problem. If the problem becomes unmanageable, you may need to start the crate training process over again.
 
Separation anxiety

Attempting to use the crate as a remedy for separation anxiety won't solve the problem. A crate may prevent your dog from being destructive, but he/she may injure himself in an attempt to escape from the crate. Separation anxiety problems can only be resolved with counter-conditioning and desensitization procedures. You may want to consult your veterinarian and/or trainer for help.