1. If you come upon an accident or catch your pet in the act, don't scream! Don't call the puppy to you to discipline him, go toward him and don't say anything, unless he is in the middle of eliminating, in which case you may begin gently scolding him as you approach.
2. Reach for his collar and sit him in front of the accident, quickly. Keep some upward tension on the collar to keep the pup in the “Sit” position. Don't begin disciplining until he is sitting. It is no sense disciplining a dog that is squirming to get out of your control. If he is wearing a training collar, insert your index finger in one ring and pull him up on a sit, if not, push his rump down while simultaneously pulling the ring of the collar up.
3. Tilt the dog's head up toward yours for just a second to let him see the displeasure in your eyes. After two seconds of eye contact, tilt his head back down toward the accident. Do not put his nose in the mess, but do have him look at the accident. Taking a finger and tracing a line back and forth between the dog's eyes and the mess will help make the connection.
4. Quietly scold the puppy, but do not whine, scream, shout, use an implement or otherwise get hysterical. Make your scolding just two to three seconds long. Trot your pet by his collar to where he is supposed to relieve himself. Do this immediately. If you have a backyard, take him there by stooping down and taking the collar and leading him out. Do not pick him up to take him to the desired area. If you do, the dog could interpret that he only has to use that area if you pick him up and put him in there.
If you must take your dog down to the street after an accident, remind him of your displeasure on the way without again disciplining him on the same level as you did at the scene of the accident. Give a smart leash tug (diagonally, upward toward yourself) and emit a low growling phrase ("It better not happen again") as you go down the stairs or through the lobby. Otherwise, the dog might be happy by the time he gets through the lobby and forgets what the correction was all about.
5. Leave your dog out in the yard or out on the street for only two to three minutes. You don't want him playing around right after the discipline, you have to make the connection. While the dog is in the desired area, return and clean up the mess.
6. Isolate him for at least thirty minutes, either behind a gate or in a crate, or remain passive for one-half hour. Go about your business and ignore him. The dog needs some time to pull himself together. There is a natural reaction of submission after effective discipline and you should take advantage of it, not thwart it. The dog needs some time to adjust. Let him have it. On the other hand, if your dog is jumping up on you, or barking wildly after a house-training reprimand, chances are your correction did not get through and wasn't strong enough.
7. After one-half hour, do something nice with him, but not overly nice. You want to make up after the discipline but the message you want to leave with your dog is that something very bad has happened and it better not happen again.
