House training a dog can be an important beginning to a great relationship or a frustration
for both owner and pet, if it’s not done properly. One must always remember that dogs respond best to rewards as opposed to punishment, and that a tiny puppy has a small bladder that may not be able to adhere to your schedule.
First off you may want to invest in some pee pads so that you can start training your pet to go in a certain place. You can place them near the door so he starts to get the message to head out to the door when he gets the urge. The pads are specially formulated to attract him and will contain the liquid so cleanup is easy.
When house training a puppy, it is important to remember that he may not be able to “hold it” for long periods of time.
It’s best if you do the training to his schedule as opposed to yours and if you work for long periods of time it may be unrealistic to expect him to hold it for 10 hours. When you can, watch for indications that he is heading towards the pee pad (or his favorite area to go) and immediately take him outside. Gradually you will remove the pee pad althogether once he has enough control so that there are no accidents.
Rewards are an important piece to the success of house training a dog. Always reward him when he alerts you that he has to go and goes where he is supposed to. Don&’t punish him when he has an accident, he won’t understand what he has done so it will not help you towards our goal. Positive reinforcement is best and much more pleasant for both of you!