Supervise your puppy by having it in a confined area, or on a fairly long lead. This way you can help the puppy learn how and what to play with, and where and when it can go to the toilet. Puppies will go to the toilet after waking up and after eating. Take your puppy to the place where you would like it to go to the toilet, such as on newspaper in a corner, or outside and use a command such as ‘Empty’, or ‘Hurry Up’. Providing a reward in the form of a special food treat or lavish praise will give the puppy incentive to repeat this behaviour. This is called positive reinforcement.

If your puppy shows signs of going to the toilet such as circling or squatting, take it to its toilet place without reprimand, give your command, and then praise when the puppy goes to the toilet. Even if he or she makes a mistake, never punish, as it will make the matter worse (probably because the dog can become anxious and it will try to wait to go to the toilet when the owner is away). Rubbing the dog’s nose in the urine or faeces is notoriously ineffective at housetraining. If a reprimand is needed, a loud ‘no’ is sufficient to distract the puppy so that you can then redirect him to the correct area. When cleaning up mistakes, use an odour neutralising agent.

When you cannot supervise your puppy, such as during the night, confine him to a secure area that contains his bed and toys and an area covered with paper for his toilet. Young puppies will require this as they need to eliminate every 3 to 4 hours, but this period lengthens as the puppy grows. Give your puppy an opportunity to go to the toilet before bedtime and then as soon as you get up, with the system of rewards and positive reinforcement, and your puppy will soon make it through the night. Remember to accompany your puppy outside so that you can immediately reward him.

This secure area in which to confine your puppy when you go out, or overnight, should be the kitchen or bedroom, and not isolated areas like the laundry. If you only need to leave the puppy for a couple of hours, a crate or cage can be used.