#1. Don't let your puppy have access to food and water all day long. They don't need it anytime they want, they're just like us, they can go short periods of time without it. Feeding/watering 3-4 times a day is plenty with puppies older than 8 weeks. A crate is a good way to train .. but letting them pee/poop in the crate just teaches them another bad habit .. you have GOT to take them out each time they are fed/watered to teach them to go outside to potty.
Note: Those puppy pads .. are a BAD IDEA .. that does nothing more than teach them to go potty in your house .. so unless you want to clean up after them for the rest of their lives .. I suggest NOT using those at all. Because you will either have to clean up after them constantly or you'll have to re-train them later .. and it's best to train them once .. the right way.
#2. 10-15 min after your pup finshes his food an/or water take them out to potty. Don't come back in until the dog goes potty. Don't just stand there waiting for them to go either, walk the pup around. Walking helps things move along faster and they will go to the bathroom quicker.
Note: this may take more/less than 10-15 min. The 10-15 min rule is just a base to work off of. Some dogs take longer, some don't need that long. Wait 10-15 min, go outside, and keep track of how long you've been outside .. so that the next time you feed/water you'll know if you need to wait a little longer to go outside or go sooner.
Dogs would much rather do their business in grass than your floor .. but they will go when it hits them (as puppies) as they cannot hold it (just like a baby except a puppy doesn't have the comfort of being able to wear diapers) .. so never hit your dog and don't rub their nose in it .. because it's YOUR fault if they wet/poop your floor .. not theirs! You are in control of the situation not them .. they are at your mercy.
#3. Praise your dog when they go to the bathroom outside (a small portion of a treat works, but petting and belly rubbing works even better). Also, try to go to the same area each time you take them out. Their scent will linger and it will help trigger a response to go sooner/quicker. Dogs respond to positive reinforcement as opposed to negative. All negative does with dogs is teach them to fear you .. and you do NOT want a fearful dog. Once a dog learns to fear you and not respect you (dont' ever confuse the 2) you can develope a bigger problem. Fearful dogs can easily turn into biters or destructive (spiteful). As a dog cannot tell you to stop .. instead, they will learn to use their teeth to get their point across.
#4. Watch your pup and see how many times they go. Some dogs go once, wait 5 min and go again . so don't rush right back in after they go once. Wait a bit and see if they go again, or they will go in the house (again, they can't really help it .. you are actually training their bladder during this process .. not just them!).
#5. This is also a good time to leash train your pup. So you can kill 2 birds with one stone
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Hope this helps
