Nothing is more frustrating than a dog that will not learn to 'go' outside. It seems so simple, other people's dogs go outside to potty, why can't mine? Actually, it's not hard to potty train a dog, if you know a few secrets and are able to be consistent in your training. This article will reveal secrets to dog potty training that will get you going in the right direction and have your dog potty trained in no time.

A puppy under twelve weeks old cannot control himself for more than a couple of hours. Thus, you must never be harsh with him when he makes mistakes. Your job is simply to accustom him to the proper place to go while at the same time preventing accidents in the wrong place.

One of the most common methods of potty training a dog involves the use of newspapers. For the paper training method to work, you will need to confine your dog to a small area or utilize a crate for training. Consistency is the key to ensuring paper training is successful.

You must take your dog outside as often as possible. Ideally, first thing in the morning, fifteen minutes after every meal, whenever he wakes up from a long nap, whenever you see him circling or sniffing the floor, last thing at night and in general, every couple of hours. The more associations you can make between going to the bathroom outdoors and the praise he gets for doing so, the faster he will learn. If at any time he is indoors and goes on his papers, neither praise him nor punish him. That's what the papers are for, simply to catch what you haven't gotten him outside in time to do.

If at any time he is indoors and goes on the floor, do the following: If it was your fault, because you weren't paying close enough attention, simply put him outside while you clean up. If you do catch him 'in the act', but can't get to him in time, say mildly "No" as he is doing it. Right after, lead him outside to his bathroom spot, and say, "you go here" and leave him while you go back in and clean up. Never let your dog watch you clean up his mess and always use an odor neutralizer so that he won't be attracted to the same spot again.

Every two weeks reduce the amount of paper by half and continue to be diligent in your training. As your dog becomes older, especially older than twelve weeks, you can become more firm in your correction of accidents off the paper, By the time you have removed all the papers your dog should be close to being house broken and you will be a successful dog trainer.

Remember, the key to successfully potty training a dog is consistency. If you are consistent in your training your dog will learn that much more quickly and will learn to respect you as his master and pack leader.

Have you tried J.K. Fitterman's FREE audio training lessons? Go to http://www.you-can-learn.com/about/dogs/ and download your first lesson for FREE. In this FREE lesson, J.K. gives you straight shooting tips that will have your puppy completely potty trained in as little as twelve weeks.

Article Source: http://www.EzineArticles.com

Next article: Potty Training An Older Dog - 7 Practical Tips