While there is no fool proof method for house training a puppy, crate training has proven successful for many. There is nothing more fun than bringing home a new puppy; for everyone except the person responsible for cleaning up after it! This process effectively teaches the puppy to 'hold it' until given the opportunity to relieve himself somewhere more suitable. However, this method is not an excuse to 'shelve' you new puppy for long periods of time. This method of house training a puppy is based on the premise that puppies would rather not mess up their living area if they don't have to.

Puppies should NOT be left in the crate for too long. If your puppy goes to the bathroom in the crate because he could no longer hold it, the training process will be drastically compromised. How do I handle house training a puppy in this manner? If no one is in your home during the day, you should put the puppy in a bathroom or another small, uncarpeted area in your home that can be closed off. House training a puppy should take place only when you are at home. When you arrive home, take the pup out on a leash.

After you play with him for a while put him in the crate. Wait an hour or so and then take him out again. If he relieves himself, shower him with praise. If he doesn't, put him back in the crate and try again about 45 minutes later.

This process should be repeated until he is successful. After he goes to the bathroom he should be allowed to play free in the house. Some people find it helpful to keep a diary of the times their puppy goes. While this may seem bizarre, it helps you to determine your puppy's habits enabling you to decrease the time he has to spend in the crate.

The most important thing to remember with house training a puppy is to be consistent and offer an enormous amount of praise. The process may take a while and it is important to understand that if the puppy has an accident during the training it is OK, you should just increase the frequency of trips outside. If the puppy has an accident after his training has stopped, don't punish him, just revert back to the training process temporarily and you will be back on track in no time.

Mike Long runs a dog training website that focuses on educating people about the different ways of training your dog or puppy. If you would like to learn more, including additional articles, and training tips, tricks, and ideas, check out his site at http://dogtraininginfo.wordpress.com.