Important: Always praise your dog after it eliminates in the appropriate place.

Crate Training: Before you start the process of crate training, please be aware: a puppy that is left in a crate all day long, gets let out in the evening after work for a few hours and is put back in the crate for the night can become neurotic, destructive, unhappy and noisy. If you work all day, it is recommended that you find someone who can take your puppy out for a long walk in the afternoon. If this is not possible only use the crate at night. If you must leave your puppy all day long every day and you have nobody to let it out during the day, you should find a room without a rug, put down housebreaking pads, food, water and toys. You should set up the room so that the bed and food are at one end and the pee pads at the other. Spread the toys in the center of the room. Puppies are not fish and they need something to occupy their mind, so give your pup plenty of toys. It is said that dogs are den animals and like the crate, but even a den animal would go crazy if it was locked up all day long. You must be willing to invest time and energy for just a few short weeks in housetraining. The effort you put in now will last for the rest of your pet's life.

The crate training method is as follows: Buy a crate and for the first 3 to 4 weeks keep your puppy in it when you do not have him under direct supervision. Make sure the crate is not too big. It should be large enough for the puppy's bed, but no larger. Dogs do not want to soil their bed and the use of a crate teaches them to control their urge to eliminate. You must maintain an eagle eye at all times. As soon as you see him pacing, sniffing around, and turning in circles, immediately take him outside. He is telling you "I am going to go urinate somewhere, and this looks like as good a place as any." NO, you do not have time to put on your shoes, just go. Be patient and do not rush the puppy once outside. It may have to go several times in one "pit stop". Give him about 10 minutes before taking him back inside. Do not play with him while you are on this mission. Let your pup know this is a business trip. Make sure you take the puppy out after every meal and play session BEFORE you put it back in its crate. Be consistent and establish a schedule. Pay attention to your puppy's behavior so you can develop a schedule that works for you and the pup. For example: When does your puppy naturally defecate? In the morning? 10 minutes after eating? Around bedtime? You may have to make some compromises. Be fair to your puppy. They cannot be expected to stay alone in their crates for endless hours and not eliminate. Make sure everyone who is involved in the housebreaking process is using the same spot in the yard and the same word. Everyone should agree on the place they will take the puppy. The odor from the previous visits will cause the puppy to want to go in that spot. Use a simple word like "outside" when taking your puppy to the chosen spot. Use this word consistently and later this word will help build communication between the family and the dog. When you notice him going toward the door and you say "outside" he can say "Yup, that’s where I need to go," or, "Forget it. I am going back to bed for some shut eye." Until your puppy is about 5 months old you will need to take him out frequently and keep that eagle eye on him. But before you know it, you are going to be able to trust and communicate with your new pet. And it will learn that when it pleases you by going out to do his business, there will be more freedom in the house.

Paper or Potty Pad Training: If your puppy is a breed that stays small and it is going to be an indoor pet, you may want to try paper training. Place layered newspaper or commercial puppy pads in the corner away from the feeding and water dishes. After meals take the puppy to the paper and wait for him to go "potty". Each time the puppy eliminates, change the top layer of newspaper and leave the bottom layer. Puppies like to go where they smell urine and feces and will start to prefer the newspaper over any other spot.

Very Important: Remain consistent. Do not allow your puppy to do something one day and not the next. This will confuse him. Never leave an untrained puppy unattended in the house. Make your dog understands what is expected of him. Dogs want to please. Always praise your dog for good behavior. No form of physical punishment is as effective as PRAISE and ENCOURAGEMENT. Remember, owning a pet is a journey and only gets better with time.