Is your puppy peeing and pooping all over the house?  Every dog owner has been there.

The most important thing to know in any kind of training is that praise works and punishment doesn't.  Praising your dog for going potty outside will do wonders for ensuring that it happens again.  You might feel foolish, but when your dog goes potty outside, you need to jump around and squeal with joy as if you just won the lottery.  Make sure your dog knows just how happy you are!  Punishment just makes your dog afraid.  If you do catch your dog in the act, give it a stern, “No!”  That's really all you can do.  The best way to correct the behavior is to prevent it from happening again.

How you decide to housetrain your puppy is largely dependent on where you live.  If your situation permits, I highly recommend installing a doggie door that leads to a fenced in yard.  With this setup, you don't need to teach a dog to “ask” to go outside.  However, I know that for many reasons, for many people, this setup is impossible.  Fortunately, there are alternative ways to do things.  

So, how to teach a dog to “ask”?  First of all (as difficult as it may be) try to avoid the situation which would require the puppy needing to ask.  Let it outside frequently to do its business.  A young puppy will need an outside break every two hours or so, unless it is sleeping in which case it will need to go outside the minute it wakes up.  Puppies also need potty breaks after playing and after eating.  

Many people get frustrated because they will let their dogs out and the dogs won't go.  Try to avoid playing with the dog or having any fun until after the dog has pooped and peed.  That way, the playing is the reward for taking care of business.

But even when you let a puppy out frequently, it will still have accidents inside.  That is just what puppies do, especially young ones.  For this reason it is crucial that you keep your puppy by your side at all times.  It is far more unlikely to pee and poop in front of you.  Some people even choose to keep a puppy on a leash inside.  I recommend using toddler gates to trap them in a room with you.  Then if they start getting antsy and acting like they need to go out (traveling in circles, or sniffing the floor more than usual) you will notice the behavior and respond.

If a puppy can recognize by smell a spot that it has gone to the bathroom before it will return to that spot, so it is important to thoroughly clean up after an accident.  Unfortunately, soap and water is often not enough.  There are a ton of products on the market that take away the smell better than cleaning agents.  Look for them in pet stores.

It is imperative to crate a dog when you are unable to supervise it.  Ninety-nine percent of dogs will not poop or pee in their own crates.  Just remember that when you let it out of its crate, you must let it outdoors immediately.

In short: 

  • Keep vigilant (watch over your puppy). 
  • Crate it when you are unable to stand watch. 
  • Let it out frequently. 
  • Clean up thoroughly after accidents. 
  • Be patient. 
  • Be consistent. 
  • Use lots and lots of praise.  
Contrary to how it may seem in those first weeks, your puppy does want to please you.