Housebreaking a new puppy can be one of the most frustrating things that dog owners ever have to get through. You cannot really get angry when Fido Jr has an accident indoors because he simply does not know any better, but it can still be very hard to deal with.

Some dogs get the hang of the whole “potty training’ thing far more quickly than others, but the key to housebreaking any puppy is consistence and patience. There are several different ways to potty train your puppy and it seems no one method is the “best”. Simply, some puppies respond better to certain methods than others.

Potty training puppies has to begin inside. You can lay “wee wee “ pads on the floor and encourage the puppy to do his business there. These pads, readily available at pet supply stores – are pretreated with a chemical that gives of a scent designed to draw your pup to them. As the puppy learns, the papers are moved closer and closer to the door, until he gets the message and begins to understand that his bathroom is outside, not inside.

The problem with paper training is that it allows a puppy to go to the bathroom in the house at all, a habit that it may be hard to break. Some people find that crate training is far more effective.

Puppy is placed in a crate that is just large enough to be his bed. Dogs are loathe to soil their own beds because even a puppy realizes that he will have to lie in that mess afterwards. Proponents of crate training say that this teaches puppies to regulate their bowels and bladder more quickly, to learn that they can “hold it” if they want to. To be most effective the puppy has to be taken out of his crate at regular times for walks, and gradually be allowed to move around the rest of the house.

Some people use neither of these methods and opt for simple vigilance. Puppies have a “pre potty” pattern that is fairly easy to recognize and if you have the time to watch puppy all day, he can simply be hustled straight out of the back door whenever he goes into his routine.