My unsolicitited advice to new puppy owners asking house training advice. While house training is inportant to start right away it still rank below these to priorities. Socialization/habitualization and bite inhibition. here are some links on these to important issues
Countdown to a Crackerjack Canine Companion "The day you get your puppy, the clock is running. And time flies. Your puppy's critical period of socialization will begin to wane by three months and its most impressionable learning period starts to close by five months. Not surprisingly, most behavior and temperament problems are created during this time. There is so much to teach and nearly everything needs to be taught within just 12 weeks, when you puppy is between two and five months of age."
Puppy Socialisation and Habituation Why is it Necessary?note: technical article
Puppy Socialisation and Habituation - How to go about it.
Bite inhibition
Bite Inhibition - How to Teach It
"Rather than "No bite," I strongly, strongly, strongly urge you to teach your puppy bite inhibition instead. Bite inhibition is a "soft mouth." It teaches the pup how to use his mouth gently. Does this mean that the pup will forever be mouthing you? No, not at all. Actually, regardless of the method used, puppies generally grow out of mouthing behavior after a few months.
So why should you teach bite inhibition? Because dogs have one defense: their teeth. Every dog can bite. If frightened enough or in pain or threatened, your dog *will* bite. That doesn't in any way make him a "bad" dog. It makes him a dog. It's your responsibility, therefore, to teach your dog that human skin is incredibly fragile. If you teach your dog bite inhibition that training will carry over even if he is later in a position where he feels forced to bite."
A Plethora of Articles about Those Nip Nip Nippy Puppies
Before & After Getting Your Puppy
"A soft mouth is the single most important quality for any dog. Hopefully, your dog will never bite or fight, but if he does, well-established bite inhibition ensures that your dog causes little if any damage.
...Adult dogs with poor bite inhibition rarely mouth and seldom bite, but when they do, the bites almost always break the skin. Adult dogs with well-established bite inhibition often mouth during play, and should they bite, the bites almost never break the skin because during puppyhood the dog learned how to register a complaint without inflicting any damage. Bite inhibition is one of the most misunderstood aspects of behavioral development in dogs (and other animals). Many owners make the catastrophic mistake of stopping their puppy from mouthing altogether. If a puppy is not allowed to play-bite, she cannot develop reliable bite inhibition. Pups are born virtual biting machines with needle sharp teeth so that they learn biting hurts before they develop the jaw strength to cause appreciable harm. However, they cannot learn to inhibit the force of their bites if they are never allowed to play-bite and play-fight. "
Puppy Bite Inhibition
Bite inhibition – Yips that hurt!
house training links
Puppy Training
Potty Training Tip
One of the big reason for slow or delayed house training is not teaching the dog a clear and unequivacal signal to let you know it needs to go out see:
House Training: Ring My Bell! to learn on method to do this.
Housetraining Your Puppy
"Do not rely on a puppy to tell you when it's time to go out. That is expecting too much responsibility and communication at too early an age. It is up to you, the adult human, to know when he needs to go out. Watch his activity level and the clock.
A 12 wk puppy who is busy playing may need to urinate every 15-20 minutes, whereas a resting puppy might go for an hour, and a sleeping puppy can go 8 hours at night.
ivity makes urine! Activity makes urine! Repeat this 10 times, slowly. This is a very important lesson for new puppy owners. "
OK If that wasn't enough reading try on this article
IT TAKES A PACK TO RAISE A PUPPY
"From the best puppy raising dogs I've known, here are a few pointers for humans trying to raise a puppy:
Tolerate puppies - they know not what they do
Teach puppies - they know not what to do
Be consistent with puppies - they forget things quickly
Keep lessons short - puppies are easily distracted
Puppies need to play - that why puppies are born in litters
Good social skills & manners are made, not born
Remember that puppy permits have expiration dates
Don't wait till the puppy has stolen your bone to teach him about manners
Be careful what you teach a puppy - someday, he might be in charge
Tired puppies are always good puppies "