When you are potty training puppies, there is practically no limit to how much you can reward your dog for eliminating outside. Follow him around the yard, and once he goes, shower him with congratulations of "Good Doggie," pet him profusely, and maybe even give him a small treat. After all, there is hardly a lesson more important for a dog and your family than learning where to eliminate. He needs to know it is very, very good of him to eliminate outside.

Using Newspaper When Potty Training Puppies
Since you are probably not home 24 hours a day, you'll have to minimize the damage your puppy does when you are not there. Otherwise, you'll be finding feces in unexpected places for weeks. Set aside one portion of your home where your puppy will stay when you are out. You may need to purchase gates to enclose the area. Keep the puppy crate in this area, but leave it open when you are not there. A puppy should not be locked in his crate for more than six hours at the absolute maximum, aside from when he sleeps at night. You want your puppy to consider his crate a refuge, not a prison.

When you first bring your puppy home, his area should be padded with newspaper. This way, your puppy can go to the bathroom without ruining your floor. Continually change the newspaper each day, but leave a single soiled sheet there every time. This will let the puppy know it is okay to go on the newspaper. Once the puppy recognizes the newspaper as an acceptable place to eliminate, you can use soiled newspaper to show him where he should go.

Over time, you want to gradually decrease the area that is covered with newspaper. As the puppy ages, it will learn to only eliminate on the newspaper--at least most of the time. After approximately six months, your puppy should be near completely potty trained, and you no longer need newspaper. The lack of newspaper should signify to your dog that there is no acceptable place to eliminate in the house.

To signify that outside is the appropriate place to do his business, bring a piece of soiled newspaper outside to the place where you want him to eliminate for the rest of his life. However, be sure to place the paper exactly where you want the puppy to eliminate--usually somewhere around the perimeter of the yard as opposed to the middle of the flower bed or the children's sand box.