Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

This approach worked for our puppy (a Lab) as well. It's based on a few simple ideas, one of which is the puppy's idea of its "den", which it will scrupulously avoid soiling. It's you, the owner, who needs to understand what constitutes the puppy's notion of its den and use that to your advantage. Dogs, like most people, are creatures of habit, so that can be used too. Set up a watering schedule that will contribute to success. Also don't try to housebreak a puppy before it's old enough to have adequate bladder control. Still, you can make it to that point without too many accidents. The book details all this. Finally, remember Pavlov's dog. Dogs respond directly - they don't understand abstract thoughts. Start by repeating a word like "potty" over and over quietly while your puppy is relieving herself, then praise her. This will associate the word with the feeling of relief. DON'T USE THE WORD ABSTRACTLY like asking "do you want to go out and potty?" when you're in the house! (You can say "do you want to go outside?"). After "programming" your puppy about 100 times, she will pee on command when she hears the word. This will really pay off later when you're travelling, etc. The important thing is to understand that dogs take everything literally and directly and really only understand a few key words, your tone of voice, and your body language. Try to think like a dog - it will change your whole view of the world!