Whether you call it housebreaking, house training or even potty training - teaching your dog where and when to do its 'business' is the most important training lesson...

House breaking dogs is the most important lesson of your dog's life, because, let's be honest...if your dog makes messes in the house, your life is miserable.

Housebreaking your new puppy is a series of lessons that should begin as soon as your bring your new puppy home.

But how to do it?

I'm going to turn you over to an expert - who has written a book all about the subject:

"The Quick and Easy Foolproof Dog Potty Training Guide" by Sharda Baker ..Click Here!.

Even so, they sometimes have accidents, and that's part of life as a dog owner. If this upsets you too much, do not get a dog.

My sister's dog is not only house trained, the dog will "go" on command. And this is very convenient, because the dog is a city dog, and late at night, you want the dog to get her business done quickly.

The command, Watson, "Pee Wee" --- and Watson, the dog, will immediately take care of business.

"Watson, go potty", and if Watson needs to go, she does. If Watson doesn't go, it's because she really doesn't have to".

Housetraining does not have to be a "military" as it is with my sister, and her dog Watson. But housetraining does need to be taken seriously, and just like having children, you MUST get your dog(s) on a schedule of eating and drinking water that matches your own schedule.

For example, in my house, dogs are given NO WATER after 7 PM. Bedtime is between 10 - 11, for all of us, dogs included, and the dogs are let out to "do business" just one more time, each night, before it's time to go to bed.

Back-in-the-day when I was first raising dogs, we believed that dogs needed to have a full water dish ALL THE TIME. Now, we know better.

Do yourself a favor, if you are housebreaking your dog, and thereafter, and give water throughout the day at intervals that suit your schedule. If in doubt, please discuss with a qualified dog trainer, or your vet, exactly how much water you should offer your dog, and when.

Good luck with house training. You'll be so glad when your dog finally "gets it", until then, get good advice, and be consistent with the training...

One more thing - some dogs "mark" - which is a polite way of saying they pee on objects inside the home...

When a relative visits with her Bichon, the boy dog lifts his leg and pees on furniture, carpets, walls, etc., you get the idea.

We all "put up with this" until one day we got the bright idea to make the dog wear a diaper. (He was acting like a baby, so it seemed logical to treat him like he was a baby).

Well, the diaper "fixed" the problem. It's called a "belly band" and it holds a pad you buy at the pet supply - or we use a sanitary napkin.

The dog doesn't seem to mind wearing his belly band, and we no longer have to put up with his anti-social behavior. If you try this, just make sure you take it off of him before you take him outside to do his business. (You don't want to force him to pee into the pad).