potty training - one more question

i mentioned this in my other thread that i posted today - but figure it needs more explanation/info

thinking Jelly was doing pretty well with potty training, and with the good weather, we have been leaving the door of "her room" (our living room, where her crate is) open, the garden door open, and thus easy, free access for her to go out. we still took her on a routine basis as well, but she could go out and play too. sometimes structured, i.e., training, sometimes not - just free messing around. she started to dig holes, so we reigned her in and are keeping her confined to the room, crate when she's asleep and for general training against separation anxiety, and on a schedule. she asks to go poo and pee, but i'm wondering that now since she can't just go out when she like, has she started peeing right in front of me because, following the rules, i don't yell at her, i just pick her up in the act and take her to the garden so she can finish or at least know where to go? i reward her with praise or treats when she goes, and i know she knows outside is right. but i think she's doing this because it gets a) my attention and b) her outside where she wants to be.

i am taking her out and then bringing her right back in afterwards if she has an "accident" so she knows she can't just get outside and play whenever she likes. but is it possible, or am i giving her far too much credit for being able to figure out that peeing gets me outside?


thanks and sorry for all the questions today. you guys are GREAT and i really appreciate your answers. she is making me nuts and i need all the help i can get!

If I were you and I caught her in the act then I'd take her outside to finish off like you are doing then bring her straight back in after praising.

If she asks to go out before she starts doing anything inside then I'd take her out, wait for her to do her business, then praise, then stay out in the garden and have a little play with her. That way asking to go out to go to the toilet gets more heavily rewarded than going outside to finish what she started in the house.

Dogs don't think the way we do, so she isn't 'thinking' anything. She needs to go, so she goes. As long as you are persistent with the training, she'll pick it up, but it does take time.

My boy was 6 and a half months old when he finally learned and I had started to think he was never going to get it, but it just clicked into place one day for him and we haven't looked back.

You're doing the right things, so just stick with it, she WILL get there, it may just take some time.

What are you using to clean the area when she does go inside the house?

Some cleaning products can leave an aroma that may encourage the peeing indoors, bleach being one example of this.

You can buy products that will deter the dog from peeing in an area again. Febreeze would be a good product to use after cleaning the area.

Watch for the signs she needs to go, they don't just go without warning

Gabbiadini wrote:Watch for the signs she needs to go, they don't just go without warning

Nose to the floor, tail in the air and sniffing around in circles means 'I need to go right now, so get me out, or be prepared to clean up the mess!'

As above, you're doing it all right, it just takes persistence, I think at some point we all thought, my god when are they ever going to learn, but they all do eventually!!

Even after mine was housetrained, there was the time where she was so excited and into what she was doing that she forget to go outside and she pooped right there on the carpet mid play!!

You are doing the right things but she is still just a baby. Suki wasn't fully trained until she was about 6 months or so and had control of her functions

OK good - we totally see and get all the signs and when the door of her room is closed she usually sits next to it or circles or what have you and we take her out. no accidents in her kennel (fingers crossed), no accidents really for ages now, not even last weekend when she was overnight with my in-laws. just for some reason, Thursday and then all day yesterday and once today - no warning, and what was strange was it was even shortly after taking her out, she whizzed on the floor. the once today was my husband letter her out of her kennel after we went out for lunch and not taking her right outside.

OK, so it's not that we've switched things up, it's just she's isn't 100% there yet. thanks!!

So (if I may jump in) do you think it's pretty normal that while Callie is very good at going outside--even starting to sit by the door when she needs to go--she still will pee in the house maybe once a day? Just small amounts, it's not like I think she even really has to go that badly.

I think she has the "They let me out, I need to potty" part down. I just don't think she has the "I'm inside, I'm not supposed to potty" part down.

6 months did someone say?

And of course she prefers the oriental rugs my mom gave me.