Charlotte Peltz Living with Your Dog "10 Easy Steps to Housetraining" brought to you by Joy Beckner Artist/ Bronze Sculptor

Very young puppies have absolutely no control over their bodily functions. It truly amazes me when I am told that someone's puppy is still having problems going where it should and the pup is all of eight weeks old, or ten or twelve weeks for that matter. Puppies who are supposedly trained at that time have well-trained owners -- the pups themselves are still developing physically and lack long-time control.

Since this is a major issue in most households, I am delighted to offer "10 Easy Steps to Housetraining," written by Sue Mathews, Echo Bouviers, of Hillsboro, Oregon, and reprinted here with her permission.

1. Snap a 6-foot leash to your puppy's collar.

2. Put your belt through the loop on the leash.

3. Where you goeth, so goeth the puppy.

4. Supervise the puppy at all times.

5. Roll up a newspaper and keep it with you at all times.

6. Take the puppy outside on a leash first thing in the morning, after eating, after playing, after napping, anytime you see the puppy prowling, sniffing, or scratching...and about every hour in between. Encourage her to "Go potty!"

7. When the puppy pees or dumps, praise her BIG TIME (until the neighbors come to take you away) and then play ball or some other fun game for a little bit. (The message to the puppy...First I go potty; then I get to PLAY!)

8. If the puppy doesn't do anything productive in 15 minutes or so, take her inside and crate her for an hour in the same room you're in, then take her outside again. Take her outside sooner if you hear her whining.

9. The ONLY time your puppy should be in a crate is at night, if you bring her inside after a non-productive potty run, or if you just cannot supervise her personally (i.e. you need to take a shower!)

10. If at any time you find a surprise puddle or poop on the floor, get your rolled up newspaper. Hit yourself over the head three times and say "Baaaaaaad Owner... I forgot to watch my dog!"

Follow this program and I can guarantee that the puppy will be housetrained. It won't be this week, or probably for several weeks more, and yes, the burden is on you. This works with puppies, or with older dogs… you just have to take the time to help the dog learn good habits.

Thanks Sue, for allowing me to print this for San Miguel readers! [And, now, for world wide visitors.]

"One can measure the size and moral progress of a nation to how she treats her animals." Mahatma Gandhi.