maltese little box training

Question
I have had my maltese for 2 months now.    She is 7 months.   She came to me untrained.   I have trained her to the point that she is completely litter trained in the room that she is gated into.    I have tried to take her to another room and thought she would run back to the 'box' when she needs to go but she doesn't.   She just relieves herself right in the room that she is in.   I have also taught her to "wee in the box on command" with lots of treats afterwards.    She gets pretty excited to do that.   She also poops in the box - but once again - take her to another room and she doesn't run back to her box to do her business.    Please can you help - I am dying to give her permission to roam the house or at least more than one room.   She has not yet been fixed.

Answer
Ah, this is an easy one to help you with. You need to gradually expand her area that is gated, perhaps a one or two inches a day. She needs to feel that she owns the area and needs to make it hers. If she pees in that new area, then she is not ready to expand and you should move the gate at a slower pace. This is going to take a while for her to adjust, so gradual is the way to go about this. Dogs never like too much change, and instantly giving her access to a place she's never experienced before is a mistake. This might also require a larger gate or pen if you are going across a large part of the house. Many people litter box train their dog in a dark hallway and gradually move the baby gate(s) across the hall gradually.

Also, fixing her is a good idea, although 7 months is a little late--but better late that never! I would talk to the vet about this because once she has her first heat (which is most likely coming up very soon), it can be very hard for the vet to spay her. (She is then basically mature in that area by the first year.)

Well, I hope I've helped! You may always send in other questions or follow-ups! I love to hear about success stories!