If you have recently brought a new puppy into your home then you are embarking upon a relationship with your dog which should prove to be an enjoyable and rewarding experience for you both. There can be no question that the first few weeks will be the hardest and most important weeks in establishing your relationship and setting out the ground rules. Top of the list will be the task of housetraining your puppy which must begin as soon as you bring him home.

The keys to successful housetraining are time and patience. Your puppy will require almost constant supervision and when accidents happen, which they will, you must not shout at or punish him. Shouting at or punishing your puppy when he goes to the toilet in the wrong place will only teach him that by going to the toilet he makes you angry. As a result he will try to hold his bowels and bladder to avoid making you angry again and when he can really hold himself no longer he will find a place to hide and go to the toilet which will make housetraining much more difficult.

With the above key points in mind you will first need to decide which part of your garden or yard you would like your puppy to use as his toilet. Once you have chosen it you must stick to it and always take your puppy to that same spot to go to the toilet.

During the first few weeks your puppy will require almost constant supervision. Establish a daily routine for him which incorporates set toilet times. These should be at least every 2 to 3 hours including first thing in the morning when he wakes up, after every meal, after every play time and before he goes to bed in the evening. At each of the designated toilet times in the daily routine take your puppy to the chosen spot outside your house whilst giving him the ?outside? command. Once there if he goes to the toilet say the command ?toilet? as he does it and when he has finished praise and reward him. In this way he will learn to associate the ?toilet? command with doing his business and in time you will be able to train your puppy to go to toilet on command.

If between set toilet times you catch your puppy doing his business in the house do not get cross with him. Instead, firmly issue the ?outside? command and take him to his outside toilet spot as quickly as possible to finish his business while you say the ?toilet? command.

Try to reduce the risk of accidents by keeping a watchful eye on your puppy at all times whilst in the house. Look out for the tell tale signs of circling and sniffing the floor which normally mean he needs to go to the toilet. If you spot this behaviour issue the ?outside? command and quickly take him to his outside toilet spot. If he goes when you are there issue the ?toilet? command and praise and reward him when he has finished.

On the occasions when your puppy does have an accident in the house, including those you do not find out about until some time later, do not shout at or punish him. Simply clear any mess up without a fuss and if possible without him seeing you do it. Make sure you have a supply of deodorising spray or solution which you can apply to the area once you have cleaned it so that all traces of any smell are completely removed. If you do not it is likely that your puppy will find, and use, the same spot again the next time he feels the need to go to the toilet whilst in the house and you are not watching him.

Time and patience with your puppy in the first few weeks are essential. A daily routine and the issuing of repetitive commands which your puppy can learn to associate with actions, coupled with plenty of praise and reward when he gets things right, should enable you to housetrain him both quickly and effectively.