Need potty help, 1 step forward, 2 steps back
 

About two weeks ago I posted about my 4 yr old rescue Maggie, and how she was very timid and spent the daytime curled up on the couch - I would take her outside about 4 times a day and she would go potty, and then we would come back in and she would resume her spot on the couch. In the 6 weeks we have had her she only had 2 accidents (happy momma here!)

Well thanks to everyones wonderful tips and suggestions Maggie now courageously jumps off the couch, will rest in her bed next to the couch sometimes, and explores the rest of the room several times a day. She is coming out of her little shell (YAY!). However, with this newfound independence, she is also going potty on the floor every chance she gets. Almost every time I leave the room she hops down onto the floor and will pee or poo, or both. Sometimes she does it right in front of me. I still take her out the same 4 times a day (actually a bit more than that since this issue started), and her feeding schedule has not changed otherwise. If I catch her, I clap loudly say "no" firmly, scoop her up and take her out to finish. But if I don't catch her i just clean it up and resolve to keep her in my sight. I am not sure how to proceed. I like the idea of tethering her to my belt loop but she is not leash trained and will pull backwards so hard she wiggles out of her harness. So I have been carrying her with me if I leave the room, and when I leave the house, shower, or cook she is in her crate (I work from home, these moments are brief - and she really doesnt mind her crate). So, should I just keep doing what I am doing with patience and not let her leave my sight (I am ok with that, I know she will get a hang of this) or does anyone have additional tips? Or any idea why she is going on the floor when she knows we go outside? Thanks in advance! :aimeeyork

I really wish I could help you but........my Abby is 6 and I still have issues with her. The only way I know she has to go potty is if I see her running around very fast. She'll run fast and look at me. I know she needs to go out. If I'm in another room and don't see her running, she'll just go. Also, when I leave the house, I leave her in my good sized kitchen with her bed, blanket, food and water. It doesn't matter how long I'm gone. It can be 15 min. And she pees. It's very frustrating. I put paper down where she pees but if I changed the spot where I put the paper, she would probably not go on the paper. I never did paper train her.
I can never let her have the run of the house when I'm gone.

I am by no means an expert (we've had Zoey 8 weeks today), but I can tell you what worked for us. I read everything I could find about house breaking a dog. Everything said to "never let her of your sight, not even for a minute. If you have to leave her alone, put her in a crate or confine her somehow. Take her out first thing in the morning -- very first thing -- make it the first thing you do. Take her out immediately after she eats or plays. Take her out last thing at night before you crate her for the night. If you catch her going in the house, clap your hands to stop her, then take her outside to finish. And when she does go outside, give her lots of praise while she's going and reward her with a treat immediately when she finishes. Don't wait even a few seconds because she'll forget why she's being rewarded. "

We followed that advice to the letter. We bought her a little doggie playpen for when we're away. She's okay in her crate, but the playpen gives her a little more play room. I also bought a gate to confine her to the kitchen so I can watch her while I'm working in the kitchen.

I carried treats with me outside when I'd take her out. I'd tell her to go potty, then I'd really praise her a lot with "good girl to potty" while she was going. Then I'd give her a treat. (Now she goes potty on demand when I say, "go potty, Zoey.")

I don't really know how long it took--a few weeks. One day we saw her scratching at the door. As soon as we opened it, she went outside and went potty. She's been doing it ever since. She hasn't had an accident in the house in several weeks. I'm hoping to keep reinforcing the behavior so she's completely trained before winter.

Good luck with your little one. It's really frustrating when they're not potty trained. My husband told me about an article he read that said there are thousands of dogs in shelters because their owners couldn't housebreak them. Every dog can be housebroken with a lot of love and a lot of patience.