This potty training information is included in my books "The Complete Puppy Training Manual" and "Potty Training Your Puppy." Follow these steps to help housebreak your new puppy.
Your pup should always be supervised or confined. Supervise your dog closely or have him in the crate. Supervised means you will see it taking place if your puppy has an accident. The only exception to this rule is if you know your dog has just "done all of his business" and now has an "empty tank." Then, you may get away with a brief period of less intense supervision, but never no supervision.
Take your pup to the right place as often as he needs to. Learn your pup's patterns and set up your routine accordingly. Watch for sniffing, whining, circling, panting, or suddenly wandering away from you. These are signs that he needs to "go." Take him to his place to go! Also, take him after he: chews heavily on a toy, plays hard, or wakes from a nap.
Give your pup a treat immediately after he "goes" in the right place. The right place is going to be outside. Choose 1 high-value food treat that you will only use for going to the bathroom in the right place. This makes it more memorable.
If you catch your puppy "going" in the wrong place, interrupt him with "eh! eh!" or one sharp clap, then:
a) If you think he will relieve himself further, immediately take him outside. If/when he finishes in the right place, praise him warmly and give him that special food treat. Or ...
b) If you think he has already relieved himself enough that he is not going to "finish" outside (this is the most likely scenario), then be sure to confine him immediately after you catch him in the act. This is so that he does not run over to play with your towel while you clean up the mess.
Remember, when you catch him in the act, DO NOT yell harshly - you only need to interrupt the unwanted behavior - you never want to frighten your pup to the point where he thinks he should hide from you.
NEVER scold your pup if you find a mess AFTER he has had an accident in the wrong place. He will NOT learn anything from this after-the-fact correction, making him nervous, which makes training far more complex.
Always clean up accidents as quickly as possible with an odor-neutralizer, such as Nature's Miracle. You never want the scent of urine or feces indoors, which will encourage future accidents.