[MaddiesMoo]

We got our Maddie at 11 weeks old. We've had her for two months. She'll be 5 months old Thursday. She came from a loving breeder who let her older dogs train the younger ones. She was partially pee pad trained. I elected to outdoor train her.

I work from home so I am able to take her outside all day/evening. She will occasionally go pee/poop when I take her outside. She will not mess in her crate and does sleep all night in it no problem.

The problem is that she has NO ELIMINATION SCHEDULE. I keep her on a rigid schedule. We are up at 7am and go outside immediately. She will pee and poop once or twice. I feed her at 9am and again at 5pm. I take her outside at least every two hours and usually more often. If she even ACTS like she MIGHT pee or poop, I take her out. I always take out after a nap or eating. Bedtime is usually 10pm and she willingly goes in her crate for a treat and stays quiet until morning.

SOMETIMES she will poop once outside at 7am and not go again until evening.
SOMETIMES she will poop outside at 7am and poop again inside within 30 minutes.
SOMETIMES she will poop in the middle of the day either outside if I happen to be outside when it happens and sometimes inside.
SOMETIMES she will poop within 30 minutes after dinner - sometimes 5 minutes, sometimes not at all.
SOMETIMES she will poop once a day.
OCCASIONALLY she will not poop at all in 24 hours.

I've read that putting her in her crate for 10 minutes after I take her outside with no result and then back out will teach her. Well, if that's the case, she'll be in her crate all day AND night.

I talked to a trainer for a puppy class we're going to take and he says I'm doing everything right by rewarding her anytime she goes pee/poop outside and to just keep at it.

She knows how to get me up from my chair. She will paw me to go from the living room into the kitchen for a drink OR to attack her furry brothers (long-hair Siamese) who prefer to stay outside the babygate in the evenings. She will paw me when she's hungry usually around the time I feed her. She brings me toys to play tug-of-war. She LOVES her treats and will do anything to get one. An hour ago, I caught her starting to poop. Got her stopped and took her outside, and she just sniffed around in the cold for 5 minutes refusing to go. She is now laying on her day bed sound asleep - tied to my foot.

Ok, yorkie mommies and daddies: when is she going to get this? I'm at a loss. Do I just need to be more patient? Is 5 months too young to assume she is able to be potty trained?