Puppy potty training takes patience and consistency. Don't give up! Keep in mind that puppies are unable to completely control their bowels until they are about four to six months old.  You will have some success during the early months; however, you should expect accidents. To avoid difficult clean-ups, keep puppies supervised at all times, or keep them on an easy-to-clean surface such as tile when they are unsupervised, until you are certain that your pup is housebroken. Once you allow your pup to urinate in the house, he is likely to return to the same spot the next time he has to relieve himself.

Housebreaking a puppy requires that you let him outside often to potty. If you cannot let him outside, or if you don't have a yard, a Porch Potty indoor / outdoor dog potty is a great alternative, as it will attract your dog to go in his own special place and make training easier.

We recommend that, at first, you let your pup outside or bring him to his potty every hour, if possible. If you are using belly bands with your dog, remove the band before bringing him to his indoor or outdoor dog potty. Your puppy should always be encouraged to potty just before you retire for the night. Likewise, as soon as he wakes up in the morning, the first thing your pup will need to do is relieve himself. You should waste no time in taking him outside or to his Porch Potty as soon as he awakes. When your pup hears you get up in the morning, it will be his signal to wake, so attend to him before going about your morning routine. Some pups may cry that they need to potty at the first sign of light, and if you want a dry floor or crate, it is usually necessary to immediately respond to their needs.

Your pup will also have to relieve himself shortly after a meal, and will need to urinate more often during the summer when his water intake is higher. As soon as your pup finishes dinner, take him to his indoor or outdoor place to potty for several minutes until he relieves himself. At other times, you may notice your pup sniffing the floor for a suitable place to go. He may whimper or start to squat. Scoop him up immediately and place him outside or take him to his indoor dog potty.                            

As with adult dog marking, the key to training your puppy not to wet in the house is to prevent him from leaving his urine scent in the house. Dogs, being creatures of habit, are enticed to mark in these same spots by the urine odor. 

If your puppy does wet in the house, clean any areas where your dog has urinated with a product made specifically to clean and deodorize dog urine. Products such as baking soda or club soda simply won't break down the urine and thoroughly remove it from your carpets and furniture. Unless the urine is completely removed, your dog will recognize even the smallest scent that you can't notice, and he will be drawn to wet in the same area. 

Another important part of puppy housetraining is to be proactive and prevent your dog's opportunities to wet in the house. This will take time, effort, and patience on your part, but it will make the puppy housebreaking process move along much quicker and will pay in the long run. 

When housebreaking your puppy, the most important thing to remember is that your dog should be loose in the house only when you can watch him at all times. This means that if you are busy, your puppy should not be allowed to go into any room where you cannot watch him carefully, even for a few seconds. Puppies can wet quickly and without notice, and a few unsupervised "seconds" can lead to urine spots that you might not immediately notice. Each time your dog successfully marks in the house, it reinforces this behavior and his desire to do so.

If your puppy does have an accident in the house, scold him only if you catch him in the act. If you scold him even a minute or two after he has made a mess it will confuse him because he will not know why he is being scolded. If, however, you catch him in the act of relieving himself in the house, pick him up and say "No" in a firm voice. Do not yell. Immediately take him to the outside area where you want him to relieve himself or to his indoor dog potty. Never rub his nose in the mess or hit him; this will cause him to fear you and will make future obedience training more difficult. Be sure to clean the soiled area with a product intended for housebreaking accidents.

Many puppy owners who can't watch their dogs every minute use belly bands as a housebreaking aid to help control urine messes and train their dogs not to wet in the house. Belly bands comfortably wrap around your dog's belly and a sanitary maxi pad is placed in the bottom of the band. When the dog tries to wet in the house, urine is absorbed by the maxi pad and carpet and furniture remain clean. Dogs cannot leave their urine and scent, thus eliminating soiled areas that would attract them to re-wet in the future. The bands also serve as a constant reminder to your dog not to wet in the house. Belly bands do not take the place of normal puppy housebreaking, and should be used with puppies for those times when you are busy and cannot keep a constant eye on your pup. Many dogs are reliably housebroken with the extra help of belly bands , keeping homes fresh, clean and urine-free..

If you are away from home during the day, your puppy should not be allowed to have unsupervised run of the house. If your pup is unsupervised and allowed to wet on carpet and furniture while you are away, it will be virtually impossible to reliably housebreak him. Ideally, when you are not home, you should keep your puppy in one room that has an easy-to-clean flooring such as tile. Child gates or puppy gates can be used to block off the entrance to the rest of the house and keep your pup confined to the one room. If you have a doggy door, keep your puppy confined to a small area around the doggy door.