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It's really not a good idea to leave a pup unsupervised, even for a few minutes, when not crated. It is unbelieveable the trouble, or even danger, they can get into in a split second. A properly sized crate will also make housebreaking your pup much easier and more effective, and will also protect your belongings once your pup starts teething. Too large a crate, and they will eliminate in it. The crate should only be large enough to lie down and turn around in. You may need to buy more than one crate as your pup grows. A crate will also help ensure that your pup gets the rest she needs, which at this age is about 18+ hours a day. Oh, and don't add blankets or any absorbent material. This will allow your pup to eliminate while remaining comfortably dry. You want to utilize their instinct to not soil their den, and no pup wants to lay in its own excrement and urine.

While most pups will whine, cry, bark and scratch when you first start crating them, be assured that a crate is a secure, safe place for your pup. Ignore the cries and after a few days, she will settle down. We have found that putting a towel or sheet over the crate helps the pup settle down quicker, just be sure that the pup can't chew on it or pull it inside the crate. Crating is not cruel and is not meant as a permanent lifestyle, but as a means of controling your pups behavior during the first months of puppyhood. Whenever you can't watch your pup like a hawk, she should be inside her crate.

Also, keep in mind that puppies need to go outside frequently. They need to go out every morning when they first wake up, after every meal or drink of water, right before bedtime, and upon wakening from a nap. A good rule of thumb in determining how often is to take their age in months and add 1. In other words, about every 3 hours for your pup, and yes, this means getting up in the middle of the night too. You can usually stretch it an extra hour during the night by cutting off access to water an hour or two before going to bed and by feeding early in the evening, but that's about it.

Every time your pup even walks by the door, praise her and take her out. Soon she will learn that going to the door means she gets to go out. Make sure you accompany your pup outside when she goes out, this way you will make sure that 1) she is actually eliminating outside, and 2) be there to praise the heck out of her and treat her when she does. By doing this, you reinforce the behavior you want her to repeat, and it makes housebreaking much quicker and more effective.

Whatever you do, don't scold her when she eliminates in the house, unless you catch her in the act. Even a minute afterwards is too late as she will not know what you are scolding her for. A simple but firm "NO" or "UH-UH" is enough, followed by a quick shuttle out the door, praising her when she finishes the job where you want her to. When she eliminates in the house, keep in mind it is your fault, not hers. She is a baby and does not know any better. You simply weren't watching her close enough or did not read her signs that she needed to eliminate. Quietly clean up the mess, preferably without her watching you, and use vinegar or an enzymatic cleaner formulated for pet stains to eliminate the odor. Dogs will return to an area to eliminate by scent, so removing the scent is an important step in teaching them not to eliminate in the house.

Both Luna and Max were housebroken this way, and both had only a handful of accidents in the house. Although every pup has its own timetable for learning, both had the right idea by the time they were 10-12 weeks old, and both were reliably housebroken by the time they were 4 months old.