Are you taking them out on-leash and supervising, or only trying to get them to use the doggie door? You need to be consistent and praise and treat every time they go outside. They won't pick this up on their own - you need to teach them. If you aren't already, try taking them out on leashes so you are right there to reward them.
I think crate training is fine. At first Loki would pee and lay in it when we'd miss signals or leave him too long. Once his bladder matured a little bit he was fine as long as we only left him for short periods of time. It took us a few weeks to figure out what to do (and what NOT to do) and it took over a year for him to be able to hold it even 5-6 hours in there. We didn't increase the amount of time too quickly - we went VERY slowly. (Especially since he wasn't left for long periods of time on a regular basis, so it's not fair to be home with him all week and then crate him for 8 hours on Saturday.) We STILL use the crate when we are gone. He bolts to his crate when we pick up our keys - he knows he gets a treat and a good nap without us bugging him. I don't think crate training is something you just do until they are housetrained and then stop. We use the crate every day, even if only to give him his Kong after dinner. Good luck! |