The information on this page is also courtesy of my mentor, Donna Conroy. Thanks Donna.

DIET

Feed a high quality puppy food...no coat supplements, no extra oil in diet, no dairy products, no extra vitamins. Feed 3 times daily up to 4 months and twice a day after 4 months.


TIME SCHEDULE

Allow puppy a chance to relieve himself after eating, playing, and sleeping. Be patient, don't rush him. When he performs, praise.

Don't allow puppy to be loose in the house without close supervision. Confine him to a crate if you are busy.

Always take the pup to the same place to go, whether outside or on paper. If you are paper training, put the paper in one place only...not throughout the house.

Don't expect the pup to hold himself for long periods of time before 6 months of age.

To avoid accidents at night, give puppy his last meal around 4 pm and take up water at around 8:30 pm.

It can be some months before puppy lets you know when he must be let out. Anticipate his needs...if he has an accident, ask yourself 'just whose fault is it?'


EARNING ROOMS

Once puppy is 4 months of age, you can try leaving him unsupervised in ONE room for varying periods of time. After 7 consecutive days of no accidents, allow access to a second room. Again, after one full accident-free week, allow him the freedom of a third room and so on. Continue doing this until he has access to the entire house. Anytime the pup has an accident, he goes back to the previous room for a full 7 days. Do not try this until you are sure the pup understands where he is to relieve himself and he is not having accidents when he is being supervised.

If your pup has an accident in your presence or you find evidence after the fact, do not yell at him. In a low tone of voice, tell him how displeased you are, take him to where he should have gone and leave him there while you clean up his mess. Confine him away from you for 1/2 hour.

You may wish to try the umbilical cord method...tie puppy to your belt loop by his leash, go about your day and pretty much ignore the pup, allowing him access to his bathroom area several times a day. Because of being so close to you, he will be reluctant to have an accident. This also teaches him patience, as he will learn to lie at your side until you are ready to pay attention to him.

Never clean up accidents in puppy's presence. Use 1/2 water and 1/2 vinegar to rinse the area and rid it of the ammonia odor. This is especially true when using household cleaners, most of which have an ammonia base which will continue to attract the pup to the same spot.

Never rub puppy's nose in his mess or shove his face close to it. He will not understand what you are trying to do and may very well think you are encouraging him to eat it. Such pups frequently end up as chronic stool eaters.

Letting puppy know when you are pleased, because he went in the right place, rather than scolding him for going in the wrong spot will bring quicker, and longer lasting results. Give him a food treat as well as praise.