house breaking poms

Question
Hi
My mom has a pom that is about 5 months old.  He is very hyper and very hard to train.  My mom keeps him in a large box in the night time and when she is gone but now he is able to get out of that during the day.  He stays there during the night when my parents are sleeping though.  On one side of the box she has his bed and the other side is his litter pan.  He does his pee and poop in his pan while he is in his box but when he is out he constantly pees and poops everywhere.  My mom takes him outside every 1/2 hour or so but he seems to be peeing quite frequently.  Is this normal for his age.  She is getting quite discouraged and I would really like to help her but I don't know how.
Chantelle Harris

Answer
Hi Chantelle,

Yes, it is normal for his age.  Get him neutered.  This will help a lot. Petsmart has an exercise pen on sale for $47.99.  This is an excellent price.  Go to Petsmart.com--on the home page is a "Pet Yard Containment Pen".

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 $12. Dogs tend to go back to the same spots.  Use something like Simple Solution
to clean up every spot.  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 four 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.
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.  (Now, I line it with Pooch Pads.)  Puppy pads would work as well.  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.)

Please let me know if you need more help.

Best Regards,
Carrie
PLEASE SPAY AND NEUTER YOUR PETS.