Potty training a puppy is not difficult to understand, though it does require patience to do! There are just a few simple points that cover the basics, and I will describe them here. Keep your puppy right with you as much of the time as possible. Take him or her to his pottying spot at certain times. Clean up any messes calmly. Repeat this over and over. Sooner or later, you will have a potty-trained puppy.

I’ll discuss these four points:

1. Have your puppy as near to you as you can, as much of the time as you can. That way, you will be more tuned in to when he needs to go out. Sometimes you will catch him just as he starts something and you can firmly say “No” and carry him or walk him to where you want him to be.

You can keep the puppy very close to you by connecting his leash to your belt. So then if you go somewhere, he does too! You may not get as much done on other projects as you are used to, but you and the puppy will be bonding.

Whatever method you choose, do keep your puppy nearby. You may want to use crate training for those parts of the day when you have to be apart. That topic isn’t covered in this article, but I do write a lot about it at my dog training website.

2. As you potty train a puppy, he will gradually come to understand what it is you want. You want him to go to his pottying spot and do his business there. He will learn this faster if you take him to his place whenever he may need to use it. This includes:

*** Every single time he wakes up, whether first thing in the morning or after a nap.

*** Every time he has a meal.

As you will soon discover, he wakes up, eats, and drinks many times in the course of a day! It’s also a good idea to take him out just before you go to bed.

His pottying spot may be in your yard, or you may be walking him on leash. If you live in a place where it is hard to go outside fast, or if you have physical limitations that make it hard, then paper training is best.

3. Cleaning up his messes is a big part of caring for your puppy before he is fully potty trained. Don’t yell at him or express your displeasure in any way. He really won’t understand. Even if you think he looks guilty, he is just upset because you are. Would you expect a human infant not to need diapers for a long time? Well, potty training a puppy takes way less time than potty training a human, but still be patient!

4. Repeat these steps over and over, even when you don’t feel like it. The more consistent you are, the faster the puppy will get the idea.

So these are the essential points in potty training a puppy. Best wishes to you and your puppy!

Before you think about how to start your own house cleaning business, consider why this could be a good move for you. There is money in it for a reason that will never change: very few people actually like to clean their houses. Most people enjoy a freshly cleaned house but they don’t care for the work.

Since houses always get dirtier — it’s practically a law of physics — there will be work to do cleaning them. People may be strapped for cash, they may be working two jobs or otherwise leading a hectic life, but it’s inevitable that their houses will need some attention again soon.

And here is your opportunity. Start your own housecleaning business, publicize it, do a good job, and over time you can building up a client list. Some may be weekly customers, and others will want you a bit less often. You can also set your own schedule of days and hours that you can work.

These steps should get you started:

1. Consider your cleaning supplies. You may have everything you need already. In any case, don’t spend much getting tools and equipment at this stage… save that for when your business is generating the income to improve your gear.

2. As a trade for testimonials, clean a few houses of friends at no cost to them. You will use their written words and their names (with their okay) in advertising but there is an interesting other benefit in doing this step. It gives you a chance to be sure that starting your own cleaning business is what you want to do.

Because this point is important, I will expand on it a little. If you discover that you really dislike doing the work, then stop right there and go look for something else to do. You will only be successful at starting this business if you find satisfaction in the work. I am not saying you have to love it all, but overall being self-employed means you have to have a certain amount of energy to get going. That energy comes much more easily when you do work you like.

3. Using a word processing program, make and print out some flyers. If you can get some colored paper for them, they will stand out better. Things to put on the flyer include your name or business name, your phone and maybe your email, what if anything you specialize in cleaning, and those testimonials, or at least their best parts. Give your rates, and before you decide on them, find out what the going rates are locally. Post the flyers on bulletin boards and wherever else you think of.

4. Get a business license if you need one. This is usually quite straightforward, with a small fee. You may need a tax ID number too, in some communities.

5. People generally realize that they need to log income and expenses for eventual income tax purposes, but there is another good reason to get a notebook and write it all down. This will show you how much profit you are actually making.

These tips only scratch the surface of what could be said about starting your own house cleaning business. For more, do come visit my website!