[lazzara8478]

Sophia is Mostly potty trained. She whines to go out but not everytime. We keep having accidents inside... Thank goodness we have lenolium floors throughout. Anyway my biggest irritant is that she will go outside to use the bathroom then come inside and go again.. always upstairs. She has a sweet spot too. Loves to pee at the top of the stairwell and poop in my oldest daughters bedroom. Its gone so far as me putting a baby gate up at the bottom of the stairs as to not allow her. and occationally not all the time she will poop in my laundry room. Im getting very frustrated with this as She knows how to get let out so why is she still doing this??? Btw she just turned 4 months.

[briteday]

Your expectations for a four month old dog are unrealistic. Dogs do not gain muscle control until around 6-8 months of age. Once they figure out that they can control the bladder muscles then it takes a few weeks for them to get the hang of it. Most dogs can be trustworthy by 12-18 months of age. Until then you have just made educated guesses about when your dog is most likely to be successful outside. And your dog may whine at the door because you have offered treats and praise for outdoor potty success and maybe she wants that attention at the moment. Most dogs will "try" to potty when left outdoors for any reason as it is there way of marking territory. So pups instinctively do this. And then we praise, and then when they want praise they have figured out how to get you to let them outdoors, then they potty, you praise and reward, .....

So instead of waiting for your dog to signal you...feed your dog a quality food three regular times per day and pick up the water two hours before bedtime. During the day I would let the dog out as soon as it wakes, within an hour after each meal, at least every 3-4 hours if not crated, and before bed. If she sleeps through the night without messing then that's great, no night time potty run needed.

If your dog wanders away from you during the day and makes a mess. then she needs more supervision, complete supervision at all times...you need to keep the dog tethered to you with a leash so she can't wander off or in the crate or gated area. If the dog still manages to make a mess (and for the areas where she has already marked) you need to clean it up with an enzyme cleaner (check at the pet store, nothing else will get to the bacteria remnants that the dog can smell and return to...as you have already discovered) and make no mention of it to the dog. Dogs have short, very short (seconds) memories and it is really your fault for not supervising the dog. A four month old dog is about the same developmental level of a two year old child. You can think about potty training, and definitely get on the right path since they seem interested in the topic, but you don't expect complete control from a 2-year-old child. And you wouldn't leave that toddler out of your sight for very long either.

And when ou go in for shots or anything else at the vets you can mention the potty problem, if it is still happening. They may want to collect some urine and just check for a urinary infection.

[lazzara8478]

I do not think I have unreal expectations. And while I acknowledge that shes only 4 months and will have accidents I was mainly upset by her choosing the same spots. you mentioned an enzyme cleaner.. thankyou that was helpful. As far as tethering her to me and NEVER letting her out of my sight that is unrealistic. I have 2 young daughters.. ages 2 and 4. Even they are out of my sight sometimes even though I keep an eye out as much as I can. She goes out every morning and frequently throughout the day. when she whines at the door i let her out immedietly and she runs and pees or poops immedietly and goes back inside. shes old enough and smart enough clearly to understand this even without constant praise. I do everything you mentioned in regards to food and water.. this is not my first pup or dog and I've done this before.

[Westhighlander]

Why do you ask for help but refuse to listen?

[lazzara8478]

I AM listening. But hes implying that I do not watch my dog or seem to misunderstand that shes just a baby. I do understand that she will have accidents... BUT What I needed help on was how to prevent her from going in certain areas and he answered that and I thanked him.

[Westhighlander]

I have a 5 month westie. She has not quite grasp pottying outside completetly. I have to guess when she wants out - I can do this pretty well now. I am not fooled by the fact it is me guessing right as opposed to her asking to go out. She goes in her ex-pen crate area when she is home if I can not watch her. You are unrealistic in your expectations. You think your dog understands but really it doesn't yet. Expect a few more months of this - that's realistic. My puppy is pretty smart - I can get her to do 5 rapid sits and downs (puppy push-ups) in rapid succession but she just not get potty training quite yet. I clicker train btw. I suggest you keep praising her and reinforce all potties outside for now.

[lazzara8478]

Thankyou for your response. Maybe I am expecting alot as of yet. I praise her every time she goes out side by saying "good girl Sophia" When she has an accident inside I dont yell or get mad just simply clean it and take her outside again. And youre right by saying that your pup is smart. Ive taught Sophia lots of cool stuff already. They are a sweet and smart breed.

[digits mama]

Tethering her to you isnt as hard as it seems..I had to do the same with both of mine until they were at least 6 months of age..

If tethering her isnt a option..I either put them in thier crates until i had the opportunity. Or tethered them to a chair with a blanket underneath..But that was only for a few minutes at the most. I really never took my eyes off of them during the process...

They never had free rein of my house up to about 2 months ago..My girls are 1.4 years and 10 months.

If you cant correct the behavior before it happens..your bound to fail.. briteday did give excellent points and those words are the same ones I learned from.

Good luck and cant wait to see more pics of your pup...She is a doll.

[lazzara8478]

Thankyou digits mom. Thankfully with the layout of our house If I put a gate up at the bottom of the stairs I can see her entirely in the rest of the house. Im finding this to be the best as of right now. within the last 2 days shes only had 2-3 accidents indoors. I will continue to be very vigilant and listen to the advice offered. She is crate trained when we leave the house or when I feel I cant quite keep my eye on her, when im doing such things as laundry. I will keep posting pics...lol She thankfully doesnt mind me taking them

[terryjeanne]

I didn't bring my pup home until she was 4 mths so I didn't expect her to be trained until 6-8 months of age. Even then, I still kept a close eye on her.

When she did potty outside I made a huge deal of it. Lots of verbal praise and lots of pats. She thought she had done a miracle Even at the age of 2, if she rings to go out, I still will tell her "good girl" sometimes.