When we brought Dori home at 3 months, I cleared my schedule of all obligations. For two weeks, she never left my side and I did not allow her to have an accident. We went outside to a designated area where she did her thing on a regular schedule.
Then she started wearing a harness and a leash. Again, she never left my side. She was tethered to me, we were walking outside, playing, or she was in her crate (where she also slept at night). When she awoke after 7 hours or so, her feet did not touch the ground until she was outside.
Lastly, I taught her to ring her poochie bells to signal a need to go outside.
She has been fully trained for 6 months (currently 16 months old).
I set her up for success and committed to the process. It took about 7 months to become reliable. She even suffered a bout of Giardia without an inside accident.
So, patience, committment, consistency equal success for you both!
__________________ Suzi & Dori   Vicki, Meggie, Snookie, Peach |