If you are lucky enough to get a 7-week-old puppy, there is no excuse for any bad habits to develop over his lifetime. Puppies learn INSTANTLY when they are that young, and if you use the proper training methods, gentle but consistent, he will behave like an angel his whole life through.

The most important training, of course, is housebreaking. Boys are easier than girls because exploring outside is their favorite thing. They just cannot get enough of all the new smells out there!

The main key to housebreaking is watching. Watch your puppy AND the clock. Once every hour is not too often on a day he is active and the weather is good. The younger the pup, the more often he needs to go out, mostly because he is growing so fast. He must drink more water to fuel his metabolism than he does as an adult. Also, since he eats three or four times a day, you know what that means.

Watch him for subtle changes. If he is happily chewing his toy, and gets up suddenly with his nose to the floor, move quickly! He is ready to squat! If he has had a nice nap, get him out of his crate and outside right away. If he has just had a good grooming, it stimulates his circulation and guess what? Time to go out again. And of course after a meal, watch him extra close.

Things to remember:

—Do not punish him for mistakes. They are YOUR fault. Every time you take him out he will go, and praise praise and praise! Happy face, laughter, happy noises! He loves your happy face. When he makes a mistake, your frown and your face turned away from him is all the punishment he needs. He will get the point.

—He is learning English, you must use the same phrases over and over. Good go potty! Hafta go potty? Wanna go potty? He can learn in one afternoon that go potty means a jaunt outside and your happy face. Whatever phrase you choose, stick with it.

—I cannot recommend strongly enough getting a crate. They truly help with all phases of his training. They make him more secure, provide him with his very own private space and a place for him to hide his favorite toys and chewies. This is even more important if you have other adult dogs in the house.

—Be consistent, always be kind and gentle, and be patient as he learns your language, and your puppy will always look forward to his training sessions. Dogs love to work!

D. Witt has shown, bred and trained standard poodles for 25 years. Vets and groomers of her pups send word back of how wonderfully happy and easy to handle they are. Gentle and consistent techniques produce a dog that is well-adjusted, happy and obedient his whole life through. For more on her training techniques, visit http://www.DogTraining15MinsADay.com

House training your puppy is one of the most important tasks you can take on and is vital to harmonious living with your pet.

Every dog can learn to do his business outside and it is up to the owner to learn how to properly train his dog. It is best to start the training at as early an age as possible and remember to always treat your pet with kindness – yelling at him and rubbing his nose in his accidents will only make him afraid of you. These tips can help you get a perfectly house trained puppy in no time!

1. Establish a toilet area and make sure the puppy has unrestricted access to that area at all times.

2. When you are at home, take the puppy to the toilet area every 45 minutes.

3. When you are not at home or cannot supervise the puppy, its important to make sure they puppy cannot have an accident. This means confining him to a small area that is puppy proofed and has a toilet area.

4. Make sure the toilet area does not resemble anything in your home. Training the puppy to eliminate on concrete, blacktop, grass or dirt is a good idea. The puppy should never be encouraged to eliminate on anything that resembles the hardwood flooring, tile or carpet he may encounter in a home.

5. Keep your puppy on a consistent feeding schedule. Feeding him at the same time every day will help to get him to eliminate at the same time.

6. Try using a crate. Since puppies will not want to soil their bed area, you can try using the crate to keep him on schedule.

7. Make sure you reward your puppy and give him lots of praise when he does use the toilet area. He will repeat the behavior if he starts to associate using the toilet area with good things, like treats, toys and praise from his owner.

8. Do not punish or yell at your puppy when he has an accident. This will only make him afraid of you and will not get you any closer to your goal.

9. Dont give your puppy the run of the house until he is thouroughly house trained. Keep him confined in his crate or secluded in an area.

10. Be patient and persitent and your puppy will learn to do his business outside in no time!.

Lee Dobbins writes for Train The Dog where you can read more dog training articles.

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