[Sophie2010]

Hi All!

I wrote a week ago looking for some suggestions for switching my 5 month old Sophie from pee-pads to outside and would LOVE some advice.

She is about 98% trained on the pads, but I think it's time she starts going out. We've had a little success, she has gone pee on her pad outside a time or two and has even gone in the grass (and snow!) a couple of times.

When she goes it's usually after I get home for the day (she's only alone for 5 hours). We leave her in an x-pen with her bed, toys, and a pee pad, but she never uses the pad. If I pick her up straight from her pen and put her harness and sweater on and take her outside she will go, sometimes.

Otherwise, she will hold it the whole time we're out, sometimes up to a half-hour and then go to the pad as soon as we get in. I've slowly been moving her pad toward the door and keep a pad outside too.

She seems to like being outside, although I'm now trying to work on her barking at everyone. Sometimes she's sniffing around like she's going to go, but then the wind blows or a car drives by and forget it!

I praise her excessively as soon as she does go outside and try to give her treats, but she's more interested in sniffing her pee.

Also, we never properly crate trained her, she's always just had the x-pen so I feel like she doesn't know how to hold her pee for long because she always has a pad available. Should I remove the pad or try to crate train her in her x-pen?

Any suggestions would be GREATLY appreciated.

Thanks!!