Tips to Housebreak a Puppy

Perhaps the first and most important thing any puppy owner wants to do is to housebreak their new puppy. This cannot only be a very positive learning experience for the puppy, but also for the owner, particularly for first time dog owners.
When preparing to train your puppy to do what comes naturally outside, rather than inside, it's very important to understand that dog's are habit animals. Everything they do as they grow older is born from habit, the choice the dog owner has is whether the puppy is going to create it's own habits or if the habits are going to be taught.
Another important factor to keep in mind that until after three months of age a puppy cannot physically control the muscles needed to keep from going, it just happens. To overcome this in the early months, take the puppy out often or confine your puppy to an area of the house where it's easy to clean up any messes. Be sure to keep the area the puppy stays in clean; it can be very difficult to train a puppy to go outside if he or she can smell the scent of urine inside.
Once the puppy is old enough to start the housebreaking process, it is vitally important to remember one of the major keys to training a puppy is promptness. When you display your disapproval for an action the puppy has taken, the puppy relates that disapproval to whatever it is doing at that exact moment.
For instance, if you come by a few minutes after the puppy has done it's duty on the floor and do your scolding, the puppy will not relate the scolding to the duty but to either the mess itself or whatever he or she is doing when you come along. Thus, all that will happen is your puppy will become scared and not learn a thing about the housebreaking you are trying to teach.
The easiest way to handle this process is to actually catch the puppy in the act of going inside. Yes, the way is easy but doing it can be quite difficult because there is no set timing or pattern to when a puppy my have to go.
At the times you are able to catch your puppy in the act of relieving him or herself in a place you don't want this to happen, scold the puppy appropriately and take him or her to where you would like them to go. Wait there with the puppy until nature takes hold again then be prompt and very passionate with your praise.
To housebreak a puppy will take time and patience on the part of the owner. With that being said, with proper timing of the scolding and the praising it will indeed happen. ( By Matt Ryan )