New puppy, and I think she's outsmarting me
 

I brought Gracie home a week ago, and she took to her crate immediately and was 'familiar' with puppy pads... She is now just over 8 weeks old so I know she's still young, but I think I'm onto her game... Maybe...?

She has always gone directly to the puppy pad to do #2... Never bothered to circle around or sniff anywhere - goes straight over, circles and sniffs on the pad, and does her business... Yay! She's a genius! That should've worried me...lol

The problem is #1... She has never gone in her crate or outside her playpen (xpen I think I've seen them called), when we've been playing... The problem is only when she's in her playpen... Two-thirds of the time she'll go to and use the puppy pad... The rest of the time she goes wherever... If I catch her by startling her she stops, but when I put her on the pad (even keeping her there for up to 10 minutes), she won't go... If I catch her by picking her up, same thing...

I started writing down when she ate, drank, played, slept, and pottied... There's not a pattern I can see as to when she goes to the pad and when she doesn't... The most consistent thing is that when she goes off the pad I grab paper towels, enzyme cleaner, and clean it up right away... She likes to grab the towel, bite my toes, lick my ankles, etc and has a good time while I'm cleaning up... When she goes on the pad I cheer, tell her good girl, ear scratches, grab her toys and play with her, etc, but I'm not sure that's as much 'fun' as watching me clean is...lol

She hasn't liked any of the treats I've bought for her so no luck that way... I don't want to put her in her crate because I don't want that to seem like punishment/make her hesitant to go in there...

Any suggestions on what I could change up? I'm worried that she's picking up on my pattern of behaviour and will start to use it against me...lol

Without meaning/trying to I've taught her to sit - on command, but also at the gate before I open it, crate door before I open it, before I set her food down... I use command words when they'd be used but just to get her used to hearing them in context... How she linked "sit" with sit, I don't know... That scares me...lol

Not sure I've included all the info that might be relevant so ask away... I know she's young so I'm not looking for perfection or much to do with her - more about me and how I could do better...

TIA

Hi and welcome 8 week is really young , most good breeders don't let them go till 12 weeks so she is doing good for 8 week. Try not to get to discouraged you have a way to go. Lily our second pup and is about 6 months and is just starting to get it a bit. We also have a 3 year old as well. Keep that enzyme cleaner close. LOL Sounds like your doing a great job.

Thanks - her being so young, along with her being my first dog and having less sleep are definitely contributing to some anxiety...lol

She is really young... I thought that she was two weeks older than she is, and only found out her true age after I bought her and got the vet/health papers (I looked at the shots, health info but didn't look at her DOB until I got home)... I did spend a lot of time in the breeder's home with the dogs and seeing how they were interacting, using the pee pads, and going in/out of their 'nest' with toys... I thought that it matched up with descriptions of puppy behaviour at the older age that I had read through... Im taking her to my vet on Monday to make sure she's still doing well for her age, and I'm reading all I can find on young pups...

For such a young age, she probably can't register the difference between floor and pee pad yet. When she has to go, she'll go - don't think there's any control at all right now.

I've read that you can lay out multiple pee pads everywhere in the xpen. And then week by week remove the pee pads in the areas where she never pees in. And then by process of elimination, you'll find out her preference for her pee. Maybe try that?

I agree with everyone above, she is very young so be patient. Additional pads may do the trick. Praise her when she gets it right. Also try changing the pad frequently. When Max was a puppy, he thought one use of the pad was enough and then it needed to be changed. :)