I am so sorry to hear what you're going through. I know you have to be very upset and I wish I were there to help.
When I was younger, my parents made the same mistakes when raising our dogs. They thought it was normal to hit the dog, yell at the dog and put them in time out. They would also rub the dogs nose in the mess and throw them outside. Once I became a dog owner, I knew what they did was very wrong. I was educated enough to know, their actions did not work and it was abuse. I only hope that your mother would come to understand that praise instead of abuse, will help your little one, not hurt. If your mother is a computer person, have her look at all of the advice people are giving you or pull up some of the sites on how to potty train your dog. If she is not into computers, go to the library and get a book on puppies. Have the book out in the open and maybe she will read it. If she doesn't, ask her to sit down with you and read it together.
I know you are 15, but make sure the puppy is priority. It is a lot of responsibility to raise a puppy, but I know you can do it. Make sure you clap your hands and show excitement when your puppy does the right thing by going on the potty pad or outside. Praise gets you very far with these little ones. They love to see you excited and happy. That is their main goal in life.
I wish you much luck and I hope your mother joins in on the fun!
