As a new dog owner you must be aware that your new puppy has no idea what is right and wrong at this point. They are not mentally capable of reading your mind. In fact, since a puppy is just like a baby they actually don't have the mental capacity to see a sequence of events. They don't know about punishment yet. To up your odds of having an easy time training a puppy it's best not to take them from their mom or litter mates until they are 8 weeks old. If that's not possible it is still possible to train your puppy, and even an adult dog. They just need a little direction. You must also keep in mind that during the training process they will have accidents. Be patient. They'll pick it up.

Here are some ideas for a basic methodology to help you potty train the dog.

The dog MUST be taken outdoors regularly for this purpose, so set a regimen for yourself. The recommended times to take the dog outside are as follows:

1. As soon as your puppy wakes up in the morning. (Even if you are not up yet)

2. Immediately after naps.

3. Immediately after ALL meals of any substance.

4. If you decide to crate train your puppy. Make sure you take them out before and after crating them. This will eliminate accidents in the crate as well.

5. After a large snack.

6. Before you and puppy go to bed at night.

7. If your puppy gets up and whines at night.

While taking them out it is crucial that you praise them. Give them lots of praise. Puppies like to please their owners. As soon as you tell them they are good puppies, it more likely that they'll want to do it again.

Now you will want to control the intake of the dog (food and water) to a certain degree. So they should only be fed or given water when you are available to get them outside right afterwards. NEVER leave a dog with a bowl of food and then go out for several hours. This will produce an accident and give the dog the impression that it is OK if you are not there to use your beautiful carpet for a toilet!

On those occasions that they do have an accident, do the cleanup quietly and calmly. It is not a good idea to punish a puppy for these mistakes. Simply ignore them and clean it up.

It is recommended that you train your dog to stay by your side. This improves their loyalty for you. The way to do this is by leashing them and keeping them close by you for the first few weeks you have them. Then there can be no unsupervised time for accidents or any other trouble they may cause. After these few weeks pass, they will stay by your side out of habit and the leash can be removed.

NOTE: While crate training, PLEASE keep the puppy in the crate as little as possible! This will reduce anxiety, excessive barking, and lack of attention.

Keep in mind that you are performing a dual job during potty training. First, you want the dog to respect your furniture, carpeting and general household by NOT using it as a toilet. Second, you are building a relationship with the dog.

Remember that your words mean nothing to a dog, but the way you say them does. They will read your actions better than reacting to your words. Dogs that are trained to sit, heel and roll over are trained to do those things on a cue. That cue is a word BUT it doesn't mean that they understand English.

Use patience and love during potty training and you will have a loving dog to show for it.