When you start your puppy house training early, it sets up good habits as far as toilet and eating schedules are concerned. Puppies learn quickly and that means they learn bad habits just as easily as good ones. Teach good habits from the beginning and you and your puppy will both be much happier in future! It helps establish a solid relationship between you and your puppy, and helps to teach him or her who's in charge.

When you first bring your puppy home it’s a good idea to set up a comfortable, confined space for him to sleep in. A towel-lined box or crate works well to start, moving up to a playpen and kennel as your puppy grows. Instinctively animals don’t want to make a mess where they sleep. Then, set your alarm to wake you up every two hours or so and take your puppy outside at those intervals. Praise him well when he “goes." Soon he will start letting you know when he has to go outside.

You can also set up a larger containment area in your house or apartment, for your puppy to stay in at times when he or she's indoors but not with you. A room, or part of a room, with hard flooring is recommended for ease of cleaning compared to carpeted areas. Your puppy can stay here when you're occupied or out of the house. We recommend that you give young puppies the opportunity to "go" every two or three hours. Like toddlers, they simply don't have the capacity to hold it for much longer than that! If you can't be there to take your puppy out, make arrangements to have someone do it for you.

If your puppy makes a mess in the house, don’t be afraid to let her know that she’s done something wrong. If you catch her in the act, take her outside right away but don’t scold her – let her finish and praise her as usual. Next, take her back inside. Hit the ground right beside her mess and say something like, “What’s this? Bad mess!" Look at the mess while you do so – not your puppy. Eventually she will get curious and come over to investigate. When she does, swat her nose or rear end with one hand – but not hard! She will understand.

Watch your puppy’s behavior carefully and note how he's progressing in his training. The more you get to know his personality and habits, the better and more quickly you can establish a strong relationship with him. As you progress with puppy house training you’ll find that your puppy will need to go out at night less. In several months, if not sooner, he should be sleeping through the night – and so will you!

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