[aprilclo]

Minni is 7.5 month old. We have had her for 4.5 months of that. We are training her to go in a litter box in the kitchen. She has 2 boxes, one for #1 and one for #2 because she won't do them both in the same OR if the paper is the SLIGHT bit dirty... which is understandable. I have also tried 3 times to replace the newspaper with pellets. She doesn't go in the boxes after she realizes that she won't get treats unless we see HER GO because you can't see the mess on the pellets to give her the reward. So now we are back to the newspaper in the box laid down over a plastic garbage bag - which I can deal with although pellets are better-not as many times to cleanup. My problem is that some days (sometimes even for a week straight) she will go every time in those boxes even without the gate up to keep her there. She will be so faithful to the boxes and even if she's way in the basement or playing she will beeline right to them to go. Then ... I don't know what happens ... her determination for the box stops. She will just run across the couch (sometime just sits on the couch and goes) and urinate, poo on the carpet, pee ANYWHERE, pee alot on the kitchen floor but NOT in the box. Last week she was playing with my husband and ran across his chest and peed!!! Obviously he was not happy about that. Then we go back to putting her in the kitchen behind the gate every 1.5-2 hours and walking over the gate, tell her "potty in the box" and come back 2 minutes later and she has gone in the box ... sometimes. Do the treat thing, be very happy with praise and "good potty" and hug her, and let her come out into the house where we go. We have been going back and forth. Any suggestions?