While you may think that puppies are nothing more than miniature dogs, you would be much more accurate to think of them more as babies then little dogs. Successfully house training puppies require much more patience, and a little more effort than with an older or adolescent dog.

The flipside to this however is that a puppy has not developed any bad habits or behaviors that need to be untrained first.

Here's A Few Pointers and Tips
about Puppies and Successful House Training

1. Puppies are babies and not little dogs.
This means that puppies do not have the well developed control mechanisms to hold their urine or fecal matter.

2. Puppies have small bladders
While you can start house training a puppy as young as eight weeks, be aware that they need to go about every two hours. Once they reach 10 to 12 weeks of age, you can expect a four hour urination cycle. After about 12 weeks your pup can usually hold their urine for about 6-8 hours depending on when and how much he's allowed to drink and eat.

3. House training puppies is exciting!
Puppies, especially when they're awake, love to explore. Realize that everything is new and exciting to a new puppy. Don't be surprised if they get distracted on their way to the door to be let outside.

Simply pick them up and carry them directly to the door, put them down, give them lots of praise for being such a good puppy and being at the door, then let them out.

4. Go outside with your puppy
Dogs and especially puppies love to be with their owners and people. By going outside with your pet, you can make certain that she's done all of her business. Allow your puppy to have the time needed to both urinate and defecate when it's that time of the day.

Not doing this increases the risk of having proved accidents in your home. If your intent is not allowing bad habits to develop, stay outside with your puppy until he's finished.

5. Lots of praise goes a long way
Once your puppy has completed his bathroom duties, it's important that you take some time to pet, praise and otherwise reward your dog for a job well done. This establishes the positive action of pleasing you with doing their bathroom duties outside.

BONUS!

Have Patience. Remember your dog doesn't speak people and you're dog dialect isn't so great either. While your puppie wants to please you, it's up to YOU to communicate to him in a way he understands. The answer to how long does it take to house train a puppy really depends on how long it takes for you to explain to your pet what you want done in a way he understands it.

So there you have it. Some important tips to successfully house train your puppy. With consistency and patience on your part, you will be well on your way to having a fully house trained companion pet that will be your best friend for years to come.