It is always a happy occasion when a new puppy is brought home, and one thing that is often forgotten in the shuffle is the housetraining issue. Housetraining, however, should be tackled from day one.

If it is left till even a few days after the pup's arrival, it will take a lot of time and effort to help the puppy "unlearn" its bad habits. One very effective method of housetraining a puppy is to use puppy pads. Puppy pads are scented, highly absorbent pads that are designed to attract puppies when they want to relieve themselves. Puppy pads can be found in most pet stores or online at www.pup.com.

Not everyone prefers this method of training, and if you are able to stay at home with your new puppy for the first few weeks of its arrival, then puppy pads may not be necessary for you. But for those who are away from home during the day, puppy pads are the quickest way to teach a puppy where to relieve itself. They will also save you the hassle of cleaning up unpleasant messes when you get home.

When you bring a new puppy home, it is important to give it its own space, this could be a kennel, crate, basket or even just a blanket on the floor, pup.com is a great place to find all your puppy necessities. The important thing is to give the puppy a place where it will feel safe and will not be disturbed when it wants to rest.

Normally puppies will not want to eliminate in the same area where they sleep, so the puppy pads should be placed near this area. When the puppy wants to relieve itself, it will (hopefully) use the puppy pads. Always praise the puppy when it relieves itself on the puppy pads by gently patting it and saying "Good dog."

Never shout at or hit the puppy, puppies learn quicker from encouragement than they do from rebuking. Accidents are bound to happen for a while, so when the puppy relieves itself elsewhere, firmly say "No" and place the puppy on the pads. This can only be done if you catch the puppy in the act of eliminating on the floor, because it will not remember something it did an hour or even five minutes ago.

The idea is to move the puppy pads a little closer to the door every day. Finally, the pads will be placed outside, and the puppy will learn to let you know when it needs to go outside. When you are not at home, make sure the puppy pads are placed inside if the puppy has no way of getting outside.

Along with the puppy pad training, make sure you frequently take the puppy outside for walks. Whenever your puppy relieves itself outside you should praise it and have a treat ready.

Pup.com is a great resource for anyone who is thinking of purchasing, or has recently acquired a new puppy. New owners will find specialized advice about different breeds of dogs, along with a fun interactive community where their can discuss their issues and connect with other dog lovers.