Paper training a pomeranian

Question
I recieved a puppy pomeranian about 8 months ago. Because i work long hours, she has to be confined to a crate. The first crate that i had her in was large enough to hold a large breed dog, which i owned in the past. Because of that, she was accustomed to have enough space to be able to lay down/play in the back of the crate, while enough room to relieve herself in the front of the cage. As of recently i purchased a crate that is meant for her size but now she is reluctant to relieve herself when i put down paper somewhere else. I've tried Wee Wee pads and walking her but neither has worked. At this point i've run out of ideas. Please help if you can. Thank you so much in advance.

Answer
Yes, I can help you, especially if you are willing to do everything I suggest. (I hope you didn't get her from a pet store. Pet store puppies can sometimes be difficult to house train.) Persistence and consistency are very important. Spend as much time with her as you can.  First of all, keeping a puppy or dog in a crate all day is way too long. Can you imagine what it would be like to lay in a crate for 8, 9 or 10 hours everyday??!! This is not healthy for them mentally or phyically.  

If she is intact have her spayed. This will help with territory marking and aggression. If your unsure of all the locations in your house with regards to potty accidents, get a black light to find out where the accidents are and use Simple Solution or something similar to clean up the spots. Instead of keeping her in a crate when you are gone, keep her in the kitchen with a gate or set up an exercise pen (with door) in the kitchen or a room without carpet. Or get an extended gate and block off part of your kitchen if it is very large. Get a dog litter box and line it with wee wee pads or something similar and keep it in the blocked off area. She will need access to the litter box when you are home as well. Carealotpets.com carries all the products I have mentioned or maybe you can find them at a local pet supply store or another online store.  

Put her in the litter box and tell her to go potty. Act like it's a good thing and not a punishment. If she jumps out put her back in and repeat phrase. Do this several times and if she doesn't go, try again later--and often. If she has an accident on the floor, put some of her potty or poop on the wee wee pad in her litter box so she gets the idea. When she goes, praise her lavishly and you can also offer treats sometimes. Do not allow her to have free reign in the house until completely trained.

Here is a previous response I wrote on house training:
I know how frustrating house training can be!  The fact that he has access to the house all day is a big problem.
Since you don't know where in the house he is going potty while you are gone, it would be a good idea to get a black light specially designed to help you see potty spots on the carpet. They are about $15. Dogs tend to go back to the same spots.  Get him neutered if he is still intact.

It will take lots of patience and persistence.  Do not allow the puppy to have free reign in the house until he is completely trained.  When you are home keep him with
you at all times.  When you leave the house either put him in a crate (never for more than a few hours at a time), keep him in an exercise pen, or block him off in a small area (bathroom, utility room or kitchen) with a gate.  Put newspaper, puppy pads, or puppy pad in a litter box, in an
area for him to use.  Neutering him by five or six months of age will help, and can prevent him from developing the habit of leg lifting.

If he has an accident but you don't catch him, don't scold him for it. He won't understand what he's done wrong.  Clean up the mess completely.  Using a product like Simple Solution will remove the stain and the odor.  If you catch him it the act, firmly say, "No" and take him outside or to his litter box.  Never rub his nose in it.  He can be trained to go in a particular area in your yard and to go on command.  Take him to the same spot every time and use the same command like, "Go potty".  Praise him when he goes!  Of course you'll want to take him out frequently, epecially after sleeping, eating, and playing.  I was never able to use a crate for training.  My pom would go potty in it.  I blocked him off in the kitchen and set up a dog litter box.  I didn't use dog litter but lined the box with newspaper or puppy pad.  I would put him in the box and say, "Go potty".  If he did, I would praise him profusely.
Sometimes I would give him a treat.  I always took him to the same spot outside too.

It took approximately two and a half months and after I had him neutered at five and a half months he was pretty much trained.  I kept him blocked off in the kitchen when I
had to leave the house for about the first year.  Now, he has free reign when I am gone.  He is litter box trained and trained to go in a specific spot in the yard.  Having him litter box trained is great for when I am
gone or when the weather is bad. (Rain, snow, etc.)

If you have any questions or need anymore help, response to this email because I am unavailable at All Experts at the moment.  Hang in there.  You can do it!

Best Regards,
Carrie
PLEASE SPAY AND NEUTER YOUR PETS.