HOUSE TRAINING TIPS FOR YOUR PUPPY Mastering House Training -- The two P’s: Patience and Praise. House training rarely is a problem with akita puppies. A puppy raised with its mother for seven weeks will have learned to move away from his sleeping area to relieve himself. Puppies want to be clean, and very few puppies will want to foul their sleeping area if given a choice. A young puppy has to be given the opportunity to relieve himself often as he has a small bladder and bowel. This gives you, the puppy’s care taker, plenty of chances to praise your puppy for performing in the right area. Do not punish your puppy if he makes a mistake. It is your responsibility to be sure you take him to the chosen potty area as often as he needs to go. This includes when he wakes up, after every meal, after playing excitedly, and at one to two hour intervals when not sleeping. This is not the time to play, just stand patiently with him, take your puppy outside to the selected spot, and WAIT WITH HIM until he potties. If you just set your puppy outside the door and leave him, he may be sitting until you come back to let him inside, and then an accident will occur in your house. Once he potties in the chosen area, give him a treat and lots of verbal praise. This needs to be done immediately after he performs, so stay with him. By rewarding your puppy each time he uses the area prescribed, outdoors, he will be anxious to go to the same area every time nature calls him. Young puppies will have accidents. Like young children, they sometimes do not allow themselves enough time to tell you they need to go out when playing. It is important you simply ignore them when they make a mistake and clean it up thoroughly so there is no odor to bring them back to the same spot. Patience: Do not scold your puppy for mistakes. Reward him when he is good and he will want to go outside to use the bathroom. It is possible to teach your dog to use the bathroom on command, which is great when traveling or in bad weather. Choose a simple word and use it every time he is performing. Saying "potty" or "quick" will make him associate the word with the task, but ONLY say it while he is performing. This simple trick will make your life, and your dog’s much simpler.