What is the most effective way of potty training a rat terrier puppy in an apartment?

The puppy is female, and 8 weeks old.

You need consistency, consistency, consistency.
And positive reinforcement. And a schedule. And some patience.

If you are using pee-pads, forget about them. In my opinion, they just slow down and prolong the process, and also confuse the dog. You train the dog to the pee-pad, and then you need to retrain it to go outside. It's better to just have them go outside from the start.

Take the dog outside first thing in the morning. When you feed the puppy, take it outside about 20 minutes later. Take it out before bedtime. And when it uses the bathroom outside, give it a treat.

Also take the dog out every hour or two during the day, to give it an opportunity to relieve itself. (More often if it is a young or small puppy.)

If the dog uses the bathroom inside and you don't catch it in the act, do nothing. (Well, clean up the mess, but do nothing to the dog.) The dog doesn't understand why it is being punished after the fact, it has forgotten all about it's mess on the floor by then.

If you catch the dog in the act, say "no!" or "unt-uh!", and promptly take the dog outside. When it finishes using the bathroom outside, give it a treat.

You need to watch the dog constantly. Tie the leash to your belt-loop if you need to, so the dog is always by you. If you cannot be watching the dog for some reason, but it in it's crate. A dog typically won't soil it's sleeping area. (Crate training is a wonderful tool when housebreaking a dog.)

in defense of "pee pads", we used them when our mini schnauzer was a puppy. we had a place with a small yard that had animals before us and i was afraid of parvo because she was so small. i put the pee pads by the front door and it was easy to get her to use them. we got her in january of 2005, it was sooo cold outside i didn't have the heart to take her out in the cold. so, she used the pee pads till about april or may and then all i did one morning was wait till she pooped and i dumped it in the yard where i wanted her to go and that was how easy it was to move her to go potty outside. as soon as i would see her go to where the pads used to be, i would immediately let her out. it was not hard. i just watched her like a hawk and had her on a schedule. good luck.

Terrier breeds respond very well to positive reinforcement. Take the pup outside hourly, and praise her for eliminating outside. As she ages and her bladder control further develops, she will be able to go out less frequently. Until then, take her out every 1-1 1/2 hours and 15 minutes after eating or playing. Make sure every potty outside recieves treats and praise. Try to avoid using pee pads and newspaper....it will encourage her to eliminate indoors.

That depends on if you are going to be around to let the pup out or if he has to stay inside all day while you are at work. Crate training is the most effective way to train a pup-any breed.

Go to your local pet store. Petsmart has dog trainers available to help pet parents with this kind of question.

And for those of you who do not like crates, well, I was brought up in the country. Our dogs had lots of space, so I was skeptical about crates. Until I rescued a Boxer from the local shelter. He was a very energetic, high maintenance dog and I lived in an apartment at the time. When I finally broke down and got a crate, he walked right into it and calmed down. He was very content to stay there while I was at work!
A crate is not used as punishment. It is comparable to a wolves den and is a place of security and calmness for a dog.

Crate training can often be the best route. Dogs love the comfort and security of their crate and it can often be the most effective house training tool. You can find several great articles on housebreaking at www.highlandcanine.com/blog

My best friend had a rat terrier when we were kids. The dog was also a female and they trained her to use a paper in the kitchen. As far as I know this was the only way she was trained. They would leave her in there until she used it and then let her out.

It all depends on the dog - and whatever method you choose, do it consistently.

I'm currently training a MinPin to go in a doggy litter box, but I'm not overly familiar with Rat Terriers. I'd do some research, maybe go to your local Petco and get a book on Rat Terriers.

My best guess is that they're like most small dogs and don't enjoy extreme temperatures, so something that would allow them to go inside would be best. Of the inside methods, doggy litter boxes seem to be the best option for both dogs and owners.

Good luck!

I agree with taking her out every hour or so if you can. If you work during the day and can't, then I would invest in a dog litter box. I use one called UGODOG, and it has worked great for my dog. It's like using pee pee pads, but much cleaner and cheaper in the long run. I used the instructions it came with to train my dog to use it, and it worked. You can check them out here, Good luck.

http://www.ugodog.net/puppytraining.html

I got my cocker spaniel when she was 6 weeks old. When we took her outside (which was a lot of times) we kept saying "go potty" over and over and over till she did. Then she got a treat. In the house we used a crate while we were gone. She is now 10 and the "go potty" still works.
Good luck with your new puppy :)