Housebreaking your new puppy is actually easier than most people think. Some people take the approach that a puppy needs to be scolded when an accident happens. This is not necessarily the case. Sure there will be times when, even after taking your new puppy outside, that he/she will have an uncontrollable urge to urinate on the floor, but this usually happens after the puppy has gotten excited by playing soon after coming back into the house. But scolding your puppy is not necessarily the best way to prevent this from occurring.

I have found that the best way to train your puppy to stop having accidents in the house is to crate train them from the very first day that your puppy arrives home, and not scolding them for having an accident in the house, but using a calm voice, yet a firm tone, letting the puppy know "verbally" that this was bad. Don't over scold the puppy. He is young and is still very much in a learning stage.

I have used the MidWest® iCrate Double Door Dog Crate which can be found on their website. It is a very sturdy well made crate that comes in various sizes. There are several version with multiple doors and most come with a divider that you can use to "cut housetraining time in half by separating the sleeping area from the elimination area".(Quoted from Midwest)

When your puppy first arrives at its new home, he should be introduced to his crate. Don't just place your puppy inside the crate and close the door, that is very confusing to the puppy, not to mention he is probably scared at his new surroundings. Place him in the crate and leave the door open. Place toys for him to play with and a small water bowl.

Make sure you purchase a crate large enough to accommodate your puppy as it matures. He will make this his home for at a minimum of several weeks, depending on how fast he learns to control his need to go until he gets outside. But by no means only take your puppy out when he needs to go to the bathroom. Take him out to play too. But watch carefully, when he gets excited, he will probably have accidents for a while in the beginning. Take him outside to use the bathroom first.

The placement of his crate is of little significance. Whether you place his crate in a bedroom, living room, den, etc., remember to make a conscious choice in this placement and leave the crate in that spot. No need to confuse him more than he already is. Keep water in the crate at all time, and a small amount of food for when he is hungry. But you should gradually move the food bowl out of the crate to a place where you intend for your puppy to eat. At the very least always keep water in his crate until he is housetrained and has free roam of his surroundings.

I have had several Jack Russell Terriers and only one has used the crate as his sleeping area on a regular basis, most of the others sleep in the bed with me. (Spoiled haha)

Do not completely line his crate with a blanket or other sleeping material. Place a small blanket, or folded towel or some other form of bedding material. (This will depend on the size and breed of your puppy. A Jack Russell, (as I have) needs far less sleeping room than would a larger breed such as a German Shepard). Realize that this bedding material will not always be where you left it in the crate. As the puppy plays in his crate and moves around, so will the bedding material. And of course there is the chance that it will also become soiled with urine and feces in the first week or so, until your puppy learns that it is better to go to the bathroom outside than it is to sleep in it.

Once your puppy has become somewhat used to his new home, place him in his crate again and close the door. Don't leave just yet. Sit with your new puppy for a few minutes. Let him know that everything is okay and he has done nothing wrong. After a few minutes, walk away from the crate and let your puppy be alone for a few minutes to up to a half hour or so. Yes, he is probably going to whine and cry, but you will have to get used to this, at least for the first few days.

Under no circumstance should you use the crate as a punishment area. If your puppy has an accident in the house, DO NOT put him back in his crate as punishment. He will not learn from this, he will only become scared of the crate and will most likely become more apt to continue the behavior and not waiting until he goes outside to use the bathroom.

Crate training your puppy has two purposes. Not only does it get you faster to the overall goal of housebreaking your puppy, but it also provides your puppy with what he considers to be his "safe" place. He looks at his crate as HIS home.

So now that you have endured, (and survived), the first hour or so of your puppy becoming accustomed to his crate, remove him from the crate and "carry" him outside. At this point, and for some time to come, you should ALWAYS carry your puppy from the crate to the outside. If you simply let him out of his crate, he will almost try to urinate as soon as he leaves his bed. So I should stress that for the first week or so, carry your puppy to the outside. I know this may seem ridiculous, but trust be, it is a good method and it has worked well for me in the past.

There will still be accidents along the way though, so don't get discouraged. Rome wasn't built in a day and it will take a little longer than that to housetrain your puppy.

After he has done his business outside, praise him for going. Keep your puppy outside for how ever long you feel is necessary for him to go. He may have to go several times, so be patient. Remember he is still a puppy and he is still learning how to control his bladder.

Don't just take your puppy outside to use the bathroom. Take him out to play as well. Remembering that he is a puppy and you should be wary of other dogs and animals in the area. (If you live in the country as I do, and you have a small breed puppy such as Chihuahua, Toy Poodle, Jack Russell, you should also be aware of airborne predators as well).

Also be very cognizant of the temperature outside. If it is a hot sunny day, don't keep your puppy out too long or he may become dehydrated. Dehydration can rapidly turn your happy healthy puppy into a very sick little boy. If he does become dehydrated, do not let him drink large amounts of water in one sitting. Let him drink a little, give him a few minute and then offer him more water.

After the first week you can then open the door and coax your puppy to follow you to the door to go outside. But if he starts to have an accident, gently, and again with a firm but calm voice, tell him no! and pick him up and carry him to the door. As I said before, there will be accidents, but they will become fewer and fewer. After about 2 weeks you should be able to allow your puppy free run of the house without constantly having to watch him the eintire time, but you do need to still watch for any sign that he may have an accident. He should by this time not always go to the door when he has to use the bathroom, but he is much more likely to hold his urge until he can go out.

By now you and your puppy should be getting along great. You have probably by this point allowed him to stay out of his crate longer and longer. If you have followed the simple suggestions above, then you have probably also noticed that your puppy has done very little in the house and without you realizing it, you have just trainined your puppy to go outside to the bathroom. I would guess you are probably at the 12 week stage of your puppy's life.

Congratulations! You should be very proud of yourself and of your puppy. You still have no gray hairs from the experience and your puppy is happier than ever. You have taken the first steps in having a long and wonderful life with your new puppy and will enjoy many years of relaxing playful times. But don't be mistaken, it's not over. There will be times, because of different circumstances that there may still be an accident or two. But remember, a firm but calm voice, (no swatting with folded newspapers), and taking your puppy outside and reminding him that inside is not the place for a bathroom break will do more for your puppys understanding than yelling and/or becoming angry at him.

Remember he is your companion for a very long time. All he wants to do is make you happy and he will offer you unconditional love each and every moment of every day. He will be the first one to greet you when you come home and shower you with kisses for no reason at all. Treat him with the respect and love and compasion that he also deserves. He is always there for you......be there for him.

I hope these little words of advice will help in house training your new puppy. It has worked for me several times over, and all of my pups were completely trained by 12 weeks of age.

Good Luck and thanks for giving us a look.