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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 a few tips to make the process of training your puppy that much easier:

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. First thing in the morning as soon as they are awake (even if you aren't!).

2. As soon as your puppy wakes up from a nap.

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. Just prior to going to bed for the 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.

It's important to know that your dog does not understand English. Most of the time they are reacting to your tone and hand gestures rather than the word itself. They can sense your mood and know from there what you want from them. So don't automatically assume your dog knows what you are trying to tell them with your words all the time.

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

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