(Believe it or not, it is not that difficult to house train a puppy)
The key to good house habits is consistency by the owner. The puppy should, if he must be left alone, be in the yard ((with shelter and water) or in an area where he is not expected to refrain from relieving himself. When the puppy is in the main part of the house, the owner should be present. When the puppy wakes from a nap, he should go outside and be praised when he relieves himself. Watch the puppy for sniffing and circling in the house, this probably means he is looking for a place to go. Take him outside or to a place that he is allowed to potty. Soon the puppy will go to the door and "ask" to be let out. Praise the puppy for this action. A crate is a handy tool for housebreaking. Most dogs do not like to relieve them selves where they sleep and this teaches some control. Do remember that a puppy does not have a great deal of control and use the crate only for short periods of time. When he comes out of the crate, he should be immediately let outside and after he relieves himself, allowed to play in the house.
Some helpful hints for housebreaking:
* Keep your puppy up on a "consistent" housebreaking schedule. Feed at same time every day.
* Designate one area outside as a "potty" area.
* Take your puppy out every 2 hours to the "potty" area, whether it has eaten or not.
* The times that a puppy will most likely want to eliminate are after eating or drinking, napping and exercise.
* Puppies do not want to eliminate where they rest.
* Puppies can be conditioned (trained) to react to a conditioned stimulus in a certain way.
* A behavior is likely to be repeated if it is positively reinforced. Praise for good behavior.
