[irishawk]

About two years ago I moved from a third floor apartment to a house with a yard and went through the process of training my dog to go from puppy pads to outdoors. It was a tough couple of weeks at first. He didn't have accidents but I think he was confused so he would hold it and hold it and hold it to the point where I would get concerned. I took him on a LOT of walks on the leash to get him accustomed to peeing outside. I would go out in our backyard with him whenever I thought he needed to go and would wait and wait and wait until he went. I would use the potty keywords I used to use when I originally trained him to reinforce that that's why we were outside. When he would finally go I would make a huge deal over it. Eventually it becomes routine for them. Just make sure you're doing everything consistently. Nowadays Howie goes like clock work and tells me when he has to go by walking to the back door and barking. Your dog will get the hang of it as long as you're patient and repetitive. And as for bad weather - have you thought about a rain jacket and maybe boots? Sounds easier than blow drying!! Good luck.