Best tips for house training a puppy

[AskingForAnEnemy]

What are your best tips for house training a puppy?

I have a 12 week old GSD.

There are a few ways of doing this but generally you need to take them outside after every meal, drink, play, sleep and frequently inbetween.

Stay out with them so when they go you can praise them. Also start to say a phrase or word when they pee or poo so they start to associate that command which is useful later on when you want them to pee to command.

Clean up every accident indoors with special cleaner so they don't smell it which encourages them to go there again. You need to try to minimise accidents inside in favour of outside so each accident is a missed opportunity for praising outside which reinforces outside is good.

Don't worry if you get setbacks or if it takes weeks as it is not unusual (just look at the puppy survival threads to see how long it can take puppies to be dry).

For nighttime some puppies last through the night but mine didn't so I used to set an alarm to take him out when he was young.

During the night we used to take ours out whenever she cried but when we came down there was no fussing or excitement, it was just straight outside where she would go if she needed to and then back to bed. That way she learned that if she wanted to go out that was fine but nighttime isn't a time for playing or fussing

Well I've put a puppy pad under the shelter in our back yard, it has a little bit of her pee on it, just took her out and stayed out with her for about 15 mins, she eventually sniffed the pad and then had a pee next to it, so she was given lots of praise and a treat. Just trying to get her uses to peeing outside.

Last night was her first night here, I stayed down stairs to be close incase she cried but she was settled all night, no crying, won't sleep in her dog bed, prefers to sleep on the floor by the door then eventually went and fell asleep on a puppy pad

She has had the hiccups twice since last night, is this normal?

Taking them out at least hourly and as soon as they wake up, after food, praising for doing their stuff outside, no telling off for doing stuff inside, I found putting them on a lead and taking them outside helpful as it focused their mind on going to the loo rather than playing. and once they had wee'd or pooped then I would let them off and let them play.

BiteyShark gives great advice. Also, take puppy to the area where he has been before & leave some "big business" in the garden I know it's gross especially in this heat... But when you take puppy out to the spot it will be recognised as toilet area. I
have a 10 week puppy and we keep all doors open during the day. He has started looking for his spots in the garden when he needs to go!

She has had the hiccups twice since last night, is this normal?

Battendog had hiccups all the time as a puppy. He grew out of them.

Mine has lots of hiccups and still has his bouts of them. I find just giving him a tiny bit of food (a training treat) settles them just lije food does for me when I have hiccups.

We took our 9 week old pup home on Saturday, and just took her outside every half an hour. It took almost the whole day for her to stop peeing in the house and actually pee outside. When she went outside, we made a fuss, gave her some bits of chicken. We just cleaned up the pee inside with that stuff that has enzymes in it and didn't acknowledge her going inside.

Set an alarm overnight and took her out as well. The next morning, she peed inside but that was the last time. Ever since then, she walks over to the door and sits in front of it and we let her out. She pees straight away and comes back in. Apparently we will have to keep letting her out during the night for a few weeks yet.

Just be consistent and have some treats to hand!