Training should be seen as a series of steps in which one step must be completed before moving on to the next step. It's important that you not proceed too fast and that you not move on if your dog hasn't thoroughly mastered what you're working on. This is one of the most common mistakes that people make and you're likely to make the mistake yourself. Just make sure that if your dog is having trouble, you go back a step and start again.

There are two things you can do to set your dog up for successful house training. First, establish your dog's living area (we will call it his 'den' from here out) in a small confined space such as a bathroom, part of the kitchen or garage. Please note that a den is not a crate.

Try to spend as much time as possible with your dog in his den. It is important to play with him in this area as well as to let him eat and sleep here. Give your dog a special bed; this can be anything from an open crate to a large cardboard box to a beach towel. In the beginning, he may eliminate in here but once he realizes that this is his special den, he will try to avoid soiling it.

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