- 1). Set a schedule. The obvious times for taking your dog outside are in the morning, mid-morning, afternoon, early evening and right before bed. Place your dog in his crate when you are not home to monitor him, but a strict schedule helps him practice holding it for small periods of time. You cannot reasonably expect a young dog to hold it for more than two or three hours. If he is having accidents in the crate, increase his scheduled breaks until he can consistently stay on schedule.
- 2). Be consistent. Praise him every single time he eliminates outside. This will communicate that he has done something positive. If you catch him eliminating in the house, clap your hands to startle him, drop what you're doing and immediately take him outside to finish his business. Taking him outside immediately establishes a connection between the behavior and being outside. Do not punish your dog by rubbing his nose in the mess, yelling or hitting him.
- 3). Restrict his access. Start by keeping him in the kitchen and slowly increasing his access as he becomes more reliable. You will also be spending a lot of time in the kitchen with him so that your dog becomes socialized with people and learns good manners. Put up baby gates to block off the areas where you don't want accidents occurring.
- 4). Clean up his accidents using enzymatic cleaner. Enzymatic cleaners break down the odor-causing compounds in dog urine. Urine odors invite future accidents because the scent makes an attractive target for your dog to re-mark. You can purchase enzymatic cleaner from any pet supply store.
- 5). Be proactive. The best training is prevention. Monitor your dog's behavior to recognize when he's about to have an accident and take him outside before it happens. Signs to look for include sniffing, pacing or whimpering. Take him out immediately when you return from work or errands -- not after you settle in and have a snack or check your mail.
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