Your puppy will tell you when he needs to go out, if you read his body language ! 

Many times he is almost guaranteed to relieve himself as soon as you take him outside.

***Especially a few minutes to half an hour after he’s eaten, after he has been playing and after he is wakened from a sleep.  Remember, though, that before he’s up to 12 weeks, some cases more, he’s physically incapable of ‘holding it’ for more than a couple of hours (longer when he’s sleeping) so however much he wants to cooperate, he may be several months old before he gains completed muscle control.  But by using a bit of preparation, house-training may be survived with relatively little drama for everyone concerned. 

Be Prepared

Buy a crate or hard travel kennel, preferable one that fits your puppy now, not one that is too big, otherwise he can mess in one end and sleep in another.

Initially your puppy cannot be confined for more than a few hours at a time. Therefore you will need a safe and secure room. Preferably an easily cleaned floor where he can be confined. Newspapers or puppy pads will absorb the area he will use as his indoor bathroom. 

Despite your best efforts, there will be accidents. Have some carpet deodorizer (available at the pet store or cleaning supply store) on hand.  The product must neutralize the odor not only mask it. Urine or feces odor will trigger your puppy's elimination reflex. Therefore it is extremely important to remove all traces of it !

Be In Control 

Feed your puppy meals, not free choice, and work out a schedule for him that fits into your own. Do not have a meal in the evening as your puppy will have a bowel movement in the middle of the night.

Observe or Confine

“Observe” means just that – keep an eye on him.  There is no point turning the puppy loose in the room and going about your business because you’ll miss the signs that tell you he needs to go out.  He may sniff, or circle, or head off determinedly in one direction.  If you’re lucky, he may whine. A small bell hanging on a string on the door handle can help with his training. Ring the bell everytime you go out, he will soon realize that is his cue to going outside & the bathroom. Havanese won't bark to go outside but they will nudge the bell. You’ll soon catch on to his signals if you’re paying attention.

If you can’t watch him, confine him to his crate for short periods (or at night), or in a room with both his bed and papers on the floor if you have to leave him for several hours.

Take him outside with you and take him to a specific place in the yard (this time you want the smells to trigger that elimination reflex). Sometimes if you aren't walking or moving he will sit patiently beside you and forget why he was brought outside ! Just keep walking very slowly and this will trigger his need to eliminate. Reward him when he responds.  He may not go right away, so be patient.  As he eliminates, give him a verbal cue, and very soon you’ll have a dog that will go on command, which can come in handy.

Put him in his crate in your bedroom at night, or close enough so you’ll hear him if he gets up.  A eight week to 9 weeks old a puppy probably won’t be able to make it all the way through the night initially.  As soon as he wakes up, he needs to go, but that’s really an advantage because it will give you an opportunity to praise him for doing the right thing in the right place, without your having to stand around shivering in the cold for several minutes first.  Young puppies should be carried outside if your bedroom is any distance from the door, or you may find yourself cleaning up a trail of puppy urine as he just had to stop !

A reprimand ( loud NO )is fine if you catch him in the act, but punishment after the fact is not useful.  More important, make it easy for him to get things right consistently and follow a routine ! Good results will soon follow.