It all depends on YOU!

Puppies are infants and need to relieve themselves after eating, after playing, after waking, after just about everything.  Your puppy won't have total bladder or bowel control until he's eight or nine months old.  He should not be crated for more than 3-4 hours at a time.  A rule of thumb in determining how long a puppy can be expected to go without eliminating is to add one to the number of months of the puppy’s age, e.g., a three-month-old puppy should not be expected to go longer than four hours.  At night, when the puppy is sleeping, his metabolism slows down and he may be able to go all night without eliminating.  Do not let your puppy get accustomed to eliminating in his crate.

Keys to successful house training are:

1. confinement when not monitored

2. immediate reinforcement

3. consistency

When you're away from home or work outside the home...If you can’t possibly use a pen, confine the puppy to one small puppy-proofed room with adequate light.  Layer a 6 x 6 foot section of the floor with newspapers.  Locate this "relief area" where he can see it from anywhere in the room and can get to it quickly.  Expect the puppy to be eight or nine months old before you come home to clean newspapers.  Every waking moment you are home, follow the steps outlined below.

When you're home...Use the puppy's crate as a holding place when you can't watch him every second.  He should avoid soiling it at all costs.  Keep it in a convenient place.  Put him in it whenever you leave the room even for a minute or can't keep an eye on him every moment! 

When it's "time," e.g., after he's been sleeping or within 15 minutes after he has eaten, carry him from the crate directly to the area of the yard where you want him to eliminate.  If he relieves himself, praise him lavishly and bring him back in immediately.  Do not stay outside and play with him; during this training period, he must learn that the yard is the bathroom and he must tend to business first.  If you want to play with him outdoors, wait a few minutes, then take him back outside.

If he does not relieve himself and you know he needs to eliminate, put him back in the crate for 15 or 20 minutes and try again.  Repeat until he does and praise him big-time.

If you catch him having an accident, express surprise, pick him up and take him directly outside.  Do not scold, strike, shake or yell at him.  If you do, he will think you’re scolding him merely for eliminating and will make every effort to hide from you when he does it again.  At this point he won’t understand that you are scolding him for WHERE he is eliminating.  Again, express surprise, take him outside and if finishes outside, praise him lavishly and bring him in for a play session.

It is easier to teach a puppy what you expect of them by helping them succeed than by punishing him for failing.  If you follow this procedure, you're making it difficult for the puppy to make a mistake.  The more committed to this regimen and these theories you are, the faster and more permanent the results will be.  If you follow this routine religiously, you'll be rewarded with a happy, reliable companion.