During the first few weeks, keep your puppy in the crate whenever you are not playing, holding or watching him explore his new surroundings. Spend as much time as you can with your pup, but when you can't watch him, crating him can prevent mistakes from occurring. In addition to providing the safe, secure refuge your pup needs and wants, crates are critical to housetraining because as den animals, dogs are naturally inclined to not soil their bed. The most important thing dogs learn in a crate is that they can control their urge to eliminate until the proper time and situation.  Crating will also make your dog less stressed out in those times where he needs to stay in a crate at the vets, at the groomers or on an airplane if you want to take him with you.

Establish a schedule and don't deviate from it. The "when" and "how" you house train needs to be consistent, so make sure all family members follow the same guidelines.  Let puppy smell small stinky treat, Dried Liver Bites work well for this  (Denta Stix also work well for this .. very small piece) Tell him "Outside"   Put him on the leash.  Take him to the door with the poochie bells on it and you ring them.  Pick a soiling spot in your yard and take your pup there on a leash when it is time to eliminate. Command him to "Go Pee" or "Go Potty"  The odor from previous visits to this spot will stimulate the urge to defecate and/or urinate. In the housebreaking process, it is a good idea to use the same word like "outside" when you are going out and "Go Pee" once you are outside. Consistant use of a word with an activity will help to build a level of communication between you and your pup. Be patient. Dogs may urinate or defecate more than once in one outing and not always right away. Don't distract your pup from the job at hand. This is a business trip, not a social time.  Praise and treat when they go.  Don't mix business with pleasure. Wait until your pup has finished and then take him back inside and spend some time with him. You know there is little chance the pup will have to eliminate for a while so play with him and have a good time. The more time you spend with the pup, the better it is. Remember, they are still young and need to act like a pup, developing and learning about their new situation and environment. Dogs are creatures of habit: They like to eat, sleep, and relieve themselves on a regular schedule. Establishing and maintaining a schedule is easy to do and gets easier as your puppy grows. 

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If you catch your puppy in the act of having an accident, tell him "Outside!" forcefully, pick him up (ring the bell) and take him outside.  ( Don't say No, as this will cause your puppy to sense you are upset and he will begin to hide and pee)  If you don't catch him, simply clean up the mess and scold yourself for not being available to take him out on time.  If you see him pacing, sniffing, turning in circles or trying to sneak away, it is time to repeat the above bell training steps.   Also, if he has an accident in house, clean it up and bring the paper towel out to his spot, put rocks on the paper towel so his scent will be there next time... (this is for the first week of puppy training)Sample Schedule:For puppies 2-6 months old eating 2 - 3 meals per day; owner can get home at lunch. 

This schedule if for when both partners work 9-5 or during the day!  If
one family member is home in the day, you bell train every hour.  Crate the puppy when you go out or the puppy can't be supervised. (Shower etc.)

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7:00am Take pup out. Don't wait until you shower or until the coffee is made.
7:15 Kitchen playtime.
7:30 Feed and water. Allow 15-20 min. for eating, then remove dish.
8:00 Take pup out. Confine to crate when you leave; place safe chew toys in crate for entertainment.  A kong stuffed with treat works (with Peanut Butter)
Noon Take pup out.
12:15 Kitchen playtime.
12:30 Feed and water ...the feed part is optional...water is necessary....
12:45 Take pup out.
1:00 Confine to crate
5:00 Take pup out as soon as you get home.  No more crate .
5:15 Food and Water.    Bell Train for the rest of the evening - First week this is every hour for re-enforcement then you can increase the intervals as the days and weeks go by.  
7pm - No more food or water
 
11pm - Outside and Crate for the Evening.
 
When crating for the evening, the first 7 days at home I suggest that the crate be in your bedroom at eye level to the bed so the puppy can see you and knows you are there!  He can be easily soothed with a few fingers in the crate and tell shh .. go to sleep!  The next 7 days you can put the crate on the floor next to the bed.  The last 7 days, if you don't want the puppy in the bedroom, bring the crate to the high traffic area in the home that he is used to.  Where he plays... never a door closed laundry room or basement.  
 
The food ration for the day (as on the bag or on the TLC Website)  is given in two feedings or 3 if you choose the add the lunch feeding.  This is not recommended if you are not home during the day.   Be sure they get their entire ration in the day....whatever they don't eat in the morning ...add it to their night feeding. Do not overfeed...it is not good for their hips if they grow too fast!  Overfeeding also causes diarrhea . No people food or he will get the runs and probably vomit.

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This is just a sample schedule to give you an idea of the time involved in housetraining a puppy. When possible, your puppy should not be crated once you are home for the evening. This is when you spend quality time with him and work on basic obedience and bell training.  Bell train your puppy every hour.  Set your egg timer or your microwave timer to 1 hour.  Do not wait for the sign, get him before he has to go to help him feel confidant and that he is having successes.  You must condition him to ring the bells.  If he misses, decrease the time to every half hour.  This is for at least 2 full days when you bring puppy home.
 
FOR THE FIRST FEW DAYS WITH NEW PUPPY HOME YOU SHOULD BE BELL TRAINING.  BELL TRAINING HAPPENS WHENEVER YOU ARE HOME. CRATE TRAINING IS FOR WHEN YOU ARE AT WORK.