Most puppies have at least a few accidents during the housebreaking stage. These need to be thoroughly cleaned up so that the puppy does not return to the same spot in the future. If your puppy is having many accidents, you should readjust your housebreaking techniques.

The best way to clean up a spot of urine is to soak up as much of it as possible. If the spot is on linoleum or another hard surface, paper towels and disinfectant can be used. If the urine spot is on a rug, cover the spot with a paper towel and some layers of newspaper. You can stand on the spot to draw out as much urine as possible.

Once the urine is soaked up, it is necessary to use an odor neutralizer to eliminate the lingering odor of ammonia. If a dog smells any residual urine odor, it is likely to urinate in the same area again. Many pet stores and veterinarians carry effective urine odor neutralizers.

Remember that your puppy is just like a baby and needs to be monitored at all times. Most puppies will show subtle signs that they need to go to the bathroom prior to having an accident. If you can?t be right there beside your puppy at all times, it should be left in a crate. A dog views a crate as a private den that it will not want to soil with urine or feces.

It is also important to establish a set routine and stick to it every day. Most puppies need to eliminate frequently when they are young, especially after heavy eating or playing. Paper training is used by some owner, but this method should be viewed as a temporary approach to training. Crate training is a much more efficient means of housebreaking a dog.