- Not establishing a regular feeding schedule or following a schedule that is inconvenient for you since a puppy can be counted on to want to go shortly after eating. If you feed him at 1 AM, be prepared to take your puppy out at 1:10 AM.

- Not being watchful for the obvious signs that your puppy needs to go out, i.e. circling and sniffing for a spot to go.

- Punishing your puppy minutes after the fact or without having caught the puppy in the act of eliminating.

- Punishing the puppy by rubbing his nose in its own mess can actually be detrimental to housetraining a puppy. Dogs use their sense of smell to actually pick a place to go so rubbing his nose in it can reinforce in his mind that this is the place to go.

- Not using a crate for training because you feel it’s inhumane or mean. Actually it is very natural for your puppy to be in a confined place reminiscent of a den. Have you ever noticed how dogs like to find a confined area under a chair or desk, behind the couch or in a quiet alcove? It is natural for dogs to eliminate away from where they sleep, so it is a way to control where he eliminates. Of course the younger the puppy the shorter the period of time he will be able to hold it, so you have to start with short periods of confinement – being ever watchful of the puppy’s body language that he may want to go.

- You should never strike your puppy or punish him too harshly. This can be counterproductive especially if the puppy doesn’t yet understand what you expect from him. He may be reluctant to defecate outside in front of you because he associates the severe discipline with you. Instead he may hide from you to go, probably somewhere inside.

- Not being consistent, persistent, and/or patient.

To learn more common mistakes that people make when attempting to housebreak their dog or puppy buy my new book “Jealously Guarded Secrets to Potty Training”.