How to Avoid/Handle Potty Accidents
1. If your puppy doesn't go during the scheduled time at the potty place, take him back to his crate immediately.
2. If after a few attempts there is still no business done, you might try taking him out of crate but don't take your eyes off him.
3. Signs that a pup has to go include: intense sniffing, pacing, circling and any sudden stop during an activity.
4. Take your puppy out every 20 minutes until he goes, and he will eventually go, then praise him lavishly when he does.
5. If an accident occurs inside do not punish him, scold him, or rub his nose in his mistake.
6. Puppies are not capable of associating your punishments with any past event, and will not understand why it is happening.
7. Refusal to look at you or a tail between the legs is not a sign of guilt over a potty accident.
8. Puppies have no concept of guilt, and the body language you observe are most likely an expression of uneasiness, distress, or even fear.
9. When faced with an accident, simply clean it thoroughly and focus on what you can do differently to prevent it from happening again.
10. If an accident occurs while your back is turned, the solution is not to have him outside of his crate unless you can pay full attention to him.
11. If he goes in his crate, the crate is probably too big. A crate should be just big enough for him to stand up in and turn around.
12. Crate accidents usually occur if your puppy is left alone in the crate for more than 3 to 4 hours.
13. If there seems to be no warning before an accident, observe and review his behavior before the event occurred and look for it next time.
14. If repeated accidents occur in the same place, make sure you clean the accident thoroughly, and remember not to give an untrained dog too much indoor freedom.