Some of the most common frustrations people voice about their pets involve housebreaking. Sadly, a large percentage of dogs in shelters end up there because they consistently have accidents in the house. Clearly, housetraining is critically important. The good news is that it's possible to housebreak almost all dogs, regardless of age, by sticking to some very simple rules.

First and foremost, training requires consistency, patience, and commitment. It is not something that happens overnight or that comes easily to most of us. If you are trying to teach us to relieve ourselves outside, you are going to have to watch us constantly. We should never be unattended when we are still learning to go outdoors. At the very first sign that the urge has hit us, you'll need to whisk us out of the house.

When you're not with us, we'll need to stay in a crate that is big enough for us to stand up and turn around in, but that is small enough to discourage us from soiling the space. Crate training is absolutely not cruel, by the way. We naturally gravitate towards den environments. Just remember to never use the crate as punishment or to keep us crated for too long. As a general rule, young puppies can be crated for only very short periods of time, while older dogs can be crated longer. Even older dogs, however, should not be crated all day. If you can't be with us during the day, we'll need a pet sitter for a mid-day walk.

It's also important to remember that yelling at us when we have an accident in the house is completely ineffective. As much as you might want to reprimand us strongly, it will never encourage the desired behavior. Instead, take every opportunity to praise us enthusiastically when we go to the restroom outside. Reward us with treats, pet us, kiss us, hug us – any kind of positive reinforcement will do! We will begin to associate that wonderful attention with using the bathroom outside.

Finally, feed us on a regular schedule. For very young puppies, that will most likely be three times a day. For older dogs, that will most likely be twice a day. Expect that we will need to go out close to the times that we eat. Keeping food available to us throughout the day makes anticipating our bathroom needs very difficult.

Using the guidelines above, most people will see favorable results in dogs of all ages and breeds. If nothing seems to be working, however, it's a good idea to rule out medical problems. Illness, medications, or advanced age can cause incontinence or loose stools. Additionally, some dogs urinate when they are nervous. Even a change in diet can lead to changes in bathroom habits. A vet can help to determine if there are extenuating circumstances preventing successful training.

Just remember that we want to please our people more than anything in the world. We would never soil the house to be spiteful or because we are incapable of learning. As with so many things related to our behavior, training success comes down to the willingness of our people to remain consistent, patient, and committed to the ultimate goal.

Albert, a Jack Russell Terrier, is Chairman of the Board of Wylie Wagg, a shop for dogs, cats, and their people, in Middleburg, Fairfax, Falls Church and Arlington.