Some breeds are genuinely more high strung and have shorter attention spans, but don’t despair. Most dogs can indeed be trained to ‘go’ outside and not in the house on your favorite sweater.

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1. Be consistent. Start a “potty” schedule in which you take the cuddly bundle of piddley joy out at regular times, and then stick to it. I try to take them out about every four hours, and when they are very small (pre-weaning age)I take them out more often. This might mean that you have to come home on your lunch break if your dog is an inside pooch. Every four to six hours work for most dogs, but remember this is while the animal is awake! Let sleeping puppies lie. Dong wake the dog to go outside. Unless there is a medical issue, the puppy won’t ‘wet the bed’.
2. Take some of the dogs waste to the spot in the yard (or wherever) you wish them to use to eliminate, so that the scent is there.
3. Give praise for success. I do not generally give treats for house training purposes, but I have in the past and they can be effective if they are not over-used. Make sure that your treat is a healthy one, good for the well being of your pet. I have found that a pat and a cuddle and praiseful words spoken in a happy tone work well.
4. Don’t leave your pup cooped up for eight or more house and then be surprised and angry when they have an accident. Of course they did! You would have too.
5. Don’t ‘punish’ for past accidents that you discover. Even ten minutes later the pup won’t understand why you’re angry and that ‘hang-dog’ look is there because the leader of their pack (you) is angry. No rubbing their nose in it, it will just confuse them and cause them anxiety. Accidents probably mean you need to adjust your schedule, at least in the short term, or that there was something wrong-something they ate, or ill in some way. Just like kids, sometimes puppies have accidents.
6. Be Alert! Try to notice signs that the pup is getting ready to ‘go’. They might suddenly get up from a toy or a nap and start sniffing about and will sometimes head for sites of past accidents. Learn to look for the signs that your puppy is getting ready to eliminate. They will probably be consistent and you just need to learn to look for them.

Finally, be patient. Hey, you didn’t get that stuff right off the bat either. Don’t give up after a few failures either. Every dog is different but like most creatures they are instinctively inclined to eliminate waste away from their shelter. You just need to help that instinct along.