Your dog resides indoors, someone is usually at home and you wish to train your dog to eliminate outdoors, either actively (while walking on lead) or passively (you simply let your dog roam free in your yard.)

Your dog resides indoors, there is no one at home for more than four (4) hours each day, and you wish to train your dog to eliminate outdoors, either actively or passively.

Your dog resides outdoors and you wish to train your dog to passively eliminate outdoors in an appropriate area selected by you.

1. When you awake, remove your dog from his crate and immediately take him outside to eliminate. Remember to say the stimulus command words for urination and defecation. When he finishes, immediately reward him with praise, a treat and a walk.
2. Give your dog food & water the dog for 15 minutes only! DO NOT LEAVE FOOD AND WATER OUT ALL DAY! At the end of this time, take the food & water dishes away, whether he is finished eating or not.
3. Lead your dog into his crate using the "Kennel" command. Leave him in there for around 15 to 20 minutes in order to digest. You will learn how soon he needs to go out after some time.
4. At the end of the crating period, take your dog outside again to eliminate and follow the routine once again.
5. If your dog urinates and defecates, bring him inside. He can now be allowed to play outside of his crate for an hour or two while supervised.
6. Repeat this routine after every meal. Be sure to walk the dog one last time before bedtime.

1. When you awake, remove your dog from his crate and immediately take him outside to eliminate. Remember to say the stimulus command words for urination and defecation. When he finishes, immediately reward him with praise, a treat and a short walk.
2. Give your dog food & water the dog for 15 minutes only! DO NOT LEAVE FOOD AND WATER OUT ALL DAY! At the end of this time, take the food & water dishes away, whether he is finished eating or not.
3. Lead your dog into his crate using the "Kennel" command. Leave him there for around 15 to 20 minutes. At the end of the crating period, take your dog outside again to eliminate and follow the routine once again.
4. When your dog urinates and defecates, bring him inside. Lead him to his crate using the "Kennel" command. Give him his "Bye-Bye" Bone, close the crate and leave immediately.
5. Upon returning home, immediately walk your dog using the routine.
6. After urinating and defecating, take him inside and allow him to play while supervised.

Paper training your dog, that is, teaching your dog to eliminate on newspapers that can easily be gathered up and thrown away, is an acceptable alternative to house training for people who live in hi-rise apartments, for senior citizens or those owners with a tiny dog that eliminates very little. The main reason why we choose newspaper is because it is readily available, costs very little and it will absorb the urine, making it easy to dispose of.

Pick an area of the house where it would be convenient to place paper on the floor. A kitchen corner or laundry room is often chosen because it has a tile floor that will resist the seepage of urine should this occur. Place the dogs crate or bed in a corner and place paper on the floor around it. The area should be a few feet by a few feet, depending upon the size of the dog. Construct a barrier around the perimeter of the area in order to confine the dog to the papered area only. Since the dog will not wish to soil the place where he sleeps, he will eventually wander onto the papered area to eliminate. After about a week, begin to narrow the amount of space you have covered with newspaper until after several days there remains only as much newspaper as the dog needs to confine the waste. Since dogs want to eliminate in the same spot each time, this will make the whole task easier.

After several weeks of eliminating on paper the dog should get used to this habit. You can then attempt to remove the barrier and let him have access to a larger area of the house when you can watch him. If he makes a mistake, tell him in a stern voice, "On the paper.... on the paper..." and place him on the newspaper. When you see him eliminate on the newspaper, always praise him and sometimes give him a treat immediately. Remember, if reinforcement is not given within a few seconds of a desirable behavior, the dog will not make the connection. As with the other programs, food and water should be given for scheduled periods of time and then taken away. Use an odor neutralizer to eliminate the scent when the dog makes a mistake. If your dog makes a mistake, never the punish the dog after the fact. This does absolutely no good. Only correct him with an instruction ("On the paper...") if you catch him in the act.

If your dog lives outdoors, it is best to crate train the dog indoors as described earlier. It never hurts to have a crate trained dog. When it is time for him to eliminate, take him to the area in which you wish him to eliminate on a leash. Give the elimination commands and give a food treat when he does eliminate. The dog will soon learn to eliminate outside in that specific area. Once he is reliably house trained and trained to eliminate in your special spot, he can begin to live outdoors and may be expected to eliminate in his designated spot.

Some Basic Concepts for You to Understand

• Dogs develop elimination habits during their first few months of life.
• Dogs do not want to eliminate where they rest.
• Being creatures of habit, dogs will return to their "usual spot" whenever it is convenient.
• Dogs can be conditioned (trained) to react to a conditioned stimulus in a certain way. (they can be taught to eliminate when you say a word over and over).
• A behavior is likely to be repeated if it is positively reinforced. (You will therefore be using food treats and praise to reinforce elimination at the proper time, in the proper place

Eliminate Outdoors (On Command if You Like)

Eliminate Indoors on Paper (or those famous Wee-Wee Pads)