Each dog is different. I think you just have to slowly give them more freedom. Look at this way... a dog typically won't naturally potty in his den (aka crate) so you want to get to the point where your dog views your WHOLE house as his "den" and he won't potty in it. If that makes sense. Just take it slow.
I was lucky enough to be home with Jackson a lot as a puppy so I was able to give him freedom and watch him ALL the time. When they ARE free at such a young age, you cannot seriously take your eye off them for a second. So, it's nice to be able to expose them to the rest of the house, so they DO learn but you have to be diligent about it. Whenever I could not keep my eye on him, he went into the ex-pen. By 5 1/2 months old, he had free roam of the house. But we basically did crate for the first 4 weeks I had him, then moved to an expen, then he was gated in my bedroom, then he was allowed into my 'section' of the house (with a living space, bedroom and bathroom separated from my parents side of the house). And then he was allowed to have free roam of the entire house. |