[yorkiefan_]

So this is the fourth day I have had my pup, and for the most part potty training has been going very well until today. Ocassional accident, but for the most part I have been able to get my Cookie to pee and poo outside by taking her every 15-20 minutes. I give her huge praise, telling her in a sweet voice that she's pooping like the big girls outside now and giving her little back scratches when she successfully poops outdoors. Here is some info about Cookie:

1. Age: 14.5 weeks
2. Weight: ~3.5 pounds or a little more
3. Food: Grand Canin 29 yorkie puppy formula, with a little bit of chicken & beef Pedigree canned food for puppies. It was hard to get her to stop Pedigree cold turkey, but we wanted to give her the canned food the first couple of days to make sure she ate in a strange new house.

So last night about 4AM I heard her crying in her crate, but it was too late and she had already pooped in it by the time I came and got her. This morning she had two good pees outside, and I gave her enthusiastic praise to try to reinforce the behavior, as I have been doing since getting her. It really seemed like it was working until today. About lunchtime I had taken her out a couple of times with no success, and almost immediately she went and peed inside. Exact same thing again a couple of hours later. Exact same thing again about 4PM, but this time it was a poop. I'm at a total loss why the change. Things I can think of:

1. I doubt she is used to Texas heat, and it got up to 96 today. I mean, I wouldn't want to go outside to use the bathroom. Still, it was every bit as hot the last three days and she could still go outside in the day.

2. I started throwing her tennis ball to her outside today. She absolutely loves to fetch it and run it back. It is by far her favorite toy. Am I making a mistake by having her associate the back yard with fun right now instead of doing her business? Should I lay off the outdoors play until her potty training reaches a more advanced state? She has been fine doing this even in the heat, though I only do it for a few minutes before bringing my furbutt back in to sit in the air conditioning.

3. She seems more interested in playing with sticks and sniffing the ground when I do take her out. The last three days I had been walking around, and occasionally running, to get her to move around, and it worked. Today I do the same and nothing. Three times now she has pottied inside immediately after being brought in even though I give her a good 6-10 minutes outside every trip.

Things were going so well the last three days, and now nada. I mean it has been a lot of work, but I was getting positive results until today. Are these kind of setbacks common when things are going well, and how do I get over them to get back on track? I figure my yorkie has to be an easier potty train than a lot of others since she is so big for her age, but I'm kind of lost today. I'd really prefer avoid pee pads since I don't want to confuse her into thinking it's ok to pee/poop inside and since I can take her out a lot.