# I *thought* my puppy was potty trained!



## TechieSooner (Nov 8, 2010)

So she's about 4 months old. I *thought* she was doing great with potty training (I thought she was), she can sleep all night now, etc, and other than the hyperactivity of a puppy and the sharp teeth I thought she was doing great.

I put in a doggy door. She goes in and out all the time, hadn't had messes, so I enclosed the little porch area where the doggy door was at so I could leave her in there all day when I'm gone, she can let herself in and out, eat-drink, etc.

Seems to have worked for awhile aside from one mess, but I was cleaning that room today (she drug in a ton of leaves, sticks, and other junk) and there were 2-3 other little gel'd puddles of pee (it's fairly cool in that room).

WHY? 

All of them but one were roughly in the same spot, right by the doggy door. Which tells me maybe she knows she should do it outside but just doesn't.
Is it because she's too wussy to go out in the cold and do it (but she can go out there to drag in sticks and stuff)??

How do I correct this? I'm now worried that there's pee elsewhere in the house (when I'm home) that I've missed. 
The thing is, there isn't enough pee puddles to have her doing ALL of her business there. There's been no poo, just those few puddles. So she must be doing some of her business outside, I just don't know why she decide to do some of it inside. It's like when I'm home she does OK but then does this when I'm gone, but I can't prove that except for one instance. (I stopped checking after she went several days with no messes after I came home to check).

I give her some freedom (ability to have a bigger room, toys, go in and out) and then this happens- I don't want to have to coop her up in her box again and have to clean up pee in THAT every day (I don't think she can hold it all day). I feel like I'm back to square 1! 

Any tips?

Well, while I cleaned the rest of the house I found two more puddles of dry pee on one of the stairs in the house. Which means she's doing it when I'm home as well, so that destroyed that theory.
When I went to take her outside, I noticed she had peed AGAIN by the doggie door between the time I cleaned it up and the time I took her out (30 minutes)... She peed on TOP OF the still-wet dog pee clean up chemical.

I'm at a loss. Anyone offer insight? I feel like I'm definitely back to square 1 again.
Obviously I'm going to have to start going out with her every 30 minutes again and she's also not getting free roam of anything, she'll have to stay in her crate all day I'd imagine.


----------



## Horseshoe (Nov 10, 2010)

At 4 mos they still don't have full control of their bowels so not surprised you found a few accidents. I have one the same age, she is crated when I can not see a hawks eye on her. When I take her out of the crate I immediately take her outside to potty, bring her in and either tether her to me or same room and watch her 100%. I know it doesn't seem fair they have to be crated or confined to a room but its the easiest way I've found to house train. I take her out about 8-10 times a day which is easy for me because I'm always going in and out doing stuff around the farm and now that its so cold I need to come in for a bit to get warm. There is a sticky on house training and I know Doxie mom has posted some things recently on this so maybe read those post for more details. And some dogs like kids are easier than others, my BIL has a dog thats 6 yo and not house broke...I don't think its the dog...LOL.


----------



## Cracker (May 25, 2009)

I tell people not to assume their dog is FULLY potty trained until they are at least a year old. Not only does the dog have to learn the difference between inside the house and outside the house but they also have to generalize it to include OTHER indoor places. Your pup is only four months old and is not physically mature enough to be able to hold it or to have had enough rewarded trips outside to get the difference.
Close the dog door and go back to basics. If you don't want to crate, then use a slightly larger expen or something. He's just simply not ready to be making his own decisions about where to go.


----------

