Welcome to YT! My initial reaction to your post was that 7 weeks was so very young but then I realized that my two rescue pups weren't much older when they settled in here. I decided to crate train the girls - which was a big thing for me because it's been a long time since I had any puppies in the house! All of the dogs I've rescued in the last 20+ years have been 8-9 months and older. Think I must have been in middle school the last time I had a puppy!
Any how - I've been very successful with crate training the girls and have become a believer that its the way to go. Key things - make sure you have a little crate (one for pups under 10 pounds) or at least one that allows you to shorten it to the appropriate small size. In the day I kept the crates inside the x-pen I set up in my familyroom (wood floor) and allowed the puppies to walk in/out of the crates. I didn't use pads - only outdoor training as I have the large dogs and it was just easier for me. I found the only way to get this to work was to take the pups out every 20 minutes that they were awake and immediately after eating/drinking.
If I messed up and they had an accident - I just cleaned it up quietly and didn't make a deal out of it with them. When we went outside I DID make a big deal (and continue to do so with them) and praised them endlessly when they did "go potty". I also gave them a little treat while they were finishing up squatting. Now my little buggers are so cleaver they run and sit right next to the fridge until I give them a little treat when we come in - even from just playing outside!
My girls are 19 weeks old and haven't had an accident in a couple of weeks now. Not sure if that's because they get it - or just that we continue to take them out diligently (after they wake up, finishing playing, eating, drinking etc..) They sleep through the night in their crates next to my bed beautifully.
Hang in there. Your pup is young- I recommend an x-pen with the crate and pad inside. Praise her/give her a treat when she uses the pad and ignore the misses.
Can we see a picture of your little one?
J |