There are a few tips for potty training your dog that you can go by when teaching your dog the rights and wrongs of the household.  As a puppy, they will not know the difference from inside and outside, therefore, they are generally going to simply go when they need to go.  There are a few things that you can do to help aid in the process of teaching and animal to go outside or use a potty pad.  Consistency is key in any situation, and in this particular situation, can really reduce the time that it takes to “housebreak” your dog.

The first mistake that many people take is that they punish a dog for using the bathroom inside, well after the time when the dog did it.  In this case, the dog is not going to understand why he or she is being punished and doubtfully will realize that it is for using the bathroom inside or in the improper area.  Therefore, if you do not catch the dog doing it, do not punish the dog.  It is very tempting indeed, but you may be working against yourself if you do.  Also, when you catch a dog going in the proper place, whether it is on a potty pad or outside, you should praise the dog to let them know that they are doing well.  If you only yell “NO” at the dog, they will only respond to the negative commands, making it a much less desirable task.  Dogs are eager to please their owners so when you praise them, they will remember that and try to mimic is again.

When housebreaking a dog, you may want to start with a potty pad and once the dog has gotten familiar with using it, then is when you should start to move it closer to the door.  During this training, you should still allow the dog outside to use the bathroom, but using the potty pad is okay as well.  Eventually you will be able to remove the potty pad completely and the dog will alert when they need to go outside.  This doesn’t have to take a long time to achieve, but when you do, you will definitely be proud of your housebroken dog.