She's only 12 weeks old -so she doesn't understand bladder control. Right now, if she feels the urge then she'll just drop trow and go!
Here's how I corrected Bailey: All eyes on the puppy. Soon you'll notice certain behavior traits when she needs to go - i.e. sniffing the ground and going in circles. But right now, you're probably not getting (or noticing) any signals. As soon as you see a squat - then say "no" and simultaneously go to pick her up and say "outside" (we added a service bell. We took Bailey's paw and tapped the bell on the way outside. Expect resistance at first (the puppy will pull her paw back to avoid the bell). The bell is PRICELESS - thats how she tells us she needs to go potty)
Next take the puppy out the door (always use the same door - always). Carry her to the grass and set her down and say "go potty". You may choose to put a leash on so that she stays on the sod pieces you purchased. Give her lots of time and patience and soon she'll squat again. AS SOON AS she squats outside say "go potty, go potty" and PRAISE, PRAISE AND PRAISE SOME MORE. Have some treats ready in hand so that you can treat her outside. Very soon she'll associate pottying outside with treats.
Actually pottying on command was very easy to teach - you'll see results very quickly. The hard part is getting the puppy to not potty inside.
We (me and hubby) were dedicated to the process. Bailey was never free in house unless someone was watching/training her. If we had chores to get done, then Bailey was put in a crate. Never multitask while in potty training mode. They learn too quickly to pee when your back is turned, so never turn your back when potty training. Every unnoticed accident just makes your job that much harder.
Bailey was trained in 2 mos. reliable in 4 mos. The blankets came up in 4 mos. and we expanded her space to include the kitchen. Gradually, she was given full run of the house.
You may want to adapt this process for pad training or you may want to choose other key words. I aways say "a few weeks of undivided attention right now will lead to years of trust". Its an easy process - just lots of work. Good luck!!
