To successfully housebreak your puppy, you must commit time, have patience, and give consistent, clear communications.

Puppies, like people, learn new skills at different rates. Some can become distracted, confused, or frightened more easily than others.

First of all, puppies need to urinate and defecate frequently, sometimes as often as once an hour. There will be many accidents, especially at first. Never lose your temper at the pup, and always use simple, consistent one- or two-word commands. Otherwise, your pup could become frightened and confused about what you expect of him.

Learn to notice the clues that your puppy needs to go. These include restlessness, sniffing the floor, or returning to a previously soiled spot. Also, your pup will need to go after eating, sleeping or playing. When you take him outside to go, take him to the same spot each time, and don't play with him at that time. You want him to focus on one thing only--going in the right area. As soon as he goes, praise and reward him enthusiastically and bring him back inside.

If you catch him in the act of going in the house, correct him with a firm "no" and immediately take him to the proper toilet area. Don't spank a pup for his accidents while he's going through this learning phase. And never punish a puppy after the fact. Remember, any time you correct a dog, he will think he is being punished for whatever he is doing at the time you correct him. That's why you can only correct him when you catch him in the act. Also, never try to rub a puppy's nose in his accidents; that will only frighten him and may encourage him to eat his droppings.

When you discover a soiled area, don't show it to your puppy or scold him for it. Merely clean it up promptly, using a product designed to eliminate pet stains and odors.

New pups should be confined to smaller areas of the house at first. A house seems large and overwhelming to a pup, and makes it harder for him to differentiate between indoors and outdoors. At night or when you are gone, your pup should be confined to a small space that contains his bed but is free of rugs. Dogs are less likely to soil their den area, and this helps with their training.

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