1.  First thing in the morning take the dog outside and give him a “go potty” cue.  At American Canine Training, we say “hurry up” but you can use what ever phrase you want to use as long as you do it consistently.  Doggie will probably have to eliminate as he should have been holding it over night, which means he’ll probably go to the bathroom while your giving him the cue and you’ll get the chance to reward him.  The more times you get to reward the dog, the more ingrained the behavior will become as dogs repeat rewarded behaviors.

GO OUTSIDE with the dog and if necessary put him on a leash so he’s not roaming all over the yard playing or sniffing or sulking by the door to come back in.  You also need to go outside with him so that you can praise him when he goes.

2.  A) If he pees and poops bring him in and feed him.

     B) Play with him, or walk him, and repeat the process in about 2 hours if he can hold it that long.  You will be able to tell how long he can hold it pretty quickly and you can then lengthen or shorten the amount of time between bathroom visits as needed.

3.   If he pees but does not poop remember you’ll have to watch him like a hawk or put him in his crate so that he does not have an accident inside.  Take him back out 10 minutes later and try again.  If he does not poop after 20 minutes of being out of his crate feed him if you have not already done so.  Eating stimulates the entire digestive process and will sometimes induce elimination.  Keep taking him out and keep watching him if he’s not in his crate until he poops.  When he does see step 2-B.

4.  Learn to recognize your dogs signs of pending elimination so you can get him outside.  Look for squatting, sniffing, circling, and scurrying, sitting or whining at the door.  These could be cues that your dog has to potty.   Usher him outside immediately.

5.    Don’t scold him if you catch him in the act.  Simply interrupt the behavior and try to get him to finish inthe correct spot.  Scolding him will make him not want to potty in front of you as he won’t understand that you’re mad because he’s going to the bathroom on the floor.  He’ll just think that you mad because he’s going to the bathroom.   You want him to potty in front of you so that you can praise him and if you scold him for accidents, he’ll go under cover with them.  

 6). If Doggie does have an accident on the floor and you don't catch him in the act, just clean it up using an enzymatic cleaner designed to eliminate urine odor.  Removing the odor will help reinforce that a particular spot is NOT the toilet.  Don't use amonia!

Also, if Doggie has an accident and you don’t catch him in the act, ask yourself what you were doing while he was having the accident and in the future, be more vigilant.

7). Stimulate him physically and mentally.  Remember, “A tired dog is a good dog”.  Tired dogs sleep...  If you stimulate your dog and get him tired, you can take him to the bathroom and then guiltlessly put him in his “den” so he can sleep.