unsuccessful potty training

Question
Thank you so much for your advice.  Even though I have am aware of some of these issues I need them all to come together to get it together so we may have a successful potty-trained pooch.  He is apprx. 7lbs and his pal malti-poo is 17 lbs.  He was supposed to only be 4lbs. but he was given to me by an older woman who took on more than she could handle with a pup with her age and arthritis and living on the 3rd floor so she was paper training him.  When I got him at 4 mo. I immediately started crate-training him like his doggy pal but when I'm home I like to let him hang with me.  He doesn't happy-pee even though he isn't neutered yet but he does tend to poo in the same area;however, he will pee anywhere.  I do disinfect immensly but I should block these areas off.  When I take him to my cottage out of town, he is a different dog, he is laid back and loving but when he's at home with his doggy pal, he's excitable and crazy.  Could that have anything to do it?  Does he feel the need to make his mark or is it that my house is too big that I lose track of him that when he is out of sight he'll be naughty (he's starting to chew on things he shouldn't even though we provide AMPLE things for him to chew on).  Thanks again for your input and let me know what you think.   
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Followup To

Question -
I have a 9 mo. old Maltese who is having a difficult time staying potty trained.  I also have a 4yr. old malti-poo he plays with who is potty trained but I don't see why we are having trouble with him.  We do have a large home and we also kennel him from time to time when we have to leave town but he for some reason has accidents.  He does go to the bathroom as soon as I take him outside but he just doesn't wait until the next outing before he goes again.  He doesn't give me a signal like his other doggy pal does (he gives a single bark at the back door).  Please give me any advice you might have.

Thank you.

Answer -
Thank you for the question. I would love to help you and your dog!

First off, I do not know how big your 9 mo. Maltese is. The smaller the Maltese, the harder to train them. I have heard that the Maltese breed is one of the hardest breeds to train and some never actually get fully trained. I have a large Maltese and he still has accidents occasionally, usually only if I wake up late in the morning. Personally, if your dog prefers not to bark at the back door, he may feel more comfortable with a bell on the doorknob or a ding on the door (from a security system.) We have a french door so when my dog wants to go out he does one of these three things: rings a bell on the back door, sits and waits, or sits and barks. I would also check out one of those 'infrared' doggie doors if your dog just doesn't get it that he needs to notify you. This doggie door is special and is usually out of stock when I go to buy one. Petsmart does not stock this, but they do sell it online on their site. I would not get a general doggie door since bugs can come in and other animals may sneak in to enjoy the air conditioning.

Also, I would like to say that if you do have a small maltese, such as one as small as 5 pounds, they need to go out more frequently than larger dogs, such as your malti-poo, which most likely weighs more than your puppy.

Another important thing I would like to know is if you 'crate train' your dog. That helps tremendously in potty training a dog--my maltese was fully trained by 6 months using this method. If you did not crate train him and he is running around, you may want to consider this type of training. If you used the newspaper method, please rethink your strategy. I have been unsuccessful with that method before; however, I have heard in some cases the owners have been able to teach the dog to urinate on the paper when they cannot be let out during the day (such as when the owners are at work.) I think everyone agrees, though, at my house, a very smart doggie door sounds good for your dog if you did, in fact, crate train him and he still has problems.

Lastly, if your dog consistently 'goes' in the same place, you are close to fully potty training your dog. This recurrent place is where he has detected a past pee or poo, so remember to sanitize the area he urinates (or poos) extra well or block off this area until you are sure he will avoid it.

And, I have one last question for YOU: Is your dog neutered? If not, this can be a factor in why your dog isn't fully potty-trained yet. Neutering reduces 'territoring', which usually occurs on or in the house, and helps with the 'happy-pees.' Before my dog, Frisbee, was neutered, he was so happy to see my neighbor and he peed on her out of excitement! Needless to say, he was neutered soon after that, as it helps with holding the pees in for some reason. He now doesn't pee on the neighbor when she stops by to say hello. The neutering was inexpensive since I have a Petsmart Banfield Plan, which really helps cut the costs down on such a special breed who has extra needs in the digestive area.
 

Please follow up soon so I can help you eliminate some of these factors with the potty-training. Best of luck to you & of course, if all else fails, there are companies out there that will actually potty-train your dog if you pay enough. I did not go this route, but it is an option.

Answer
Thank You very much for the reply. What you have told me gives me a better picture of whats going on in the households.

Since both of your dogs have a considerable weight difference (for maltese), I would not compare your maltese to the maltipoo when potty training. I understand all about those false weight predictions. The pet store said the dog I have would only grow to be about 5-10lbs, but walla... I have a dog that weighed in at about 17.5lbs!

Back to the topic, your small maltese is still small enough to have problems holding it in. I believe, from the information that you have given me, that your potty training problem is more of a territoring problem, since there is another dog in the vicinity. Maybe he is trying to win over your attention by doing it in the house. He knows you will be there sanitizing, and probably wont be doing whatever it is you probably want to be doing. He's training you to come to him! Does he watch you clean it up? Does he get reinforcement that what he did was wrong? Or do you love him and tell him it was not his fault? (which it may not be his fault, I am not there :( ) I have done all of the above, but I had to one day, put him back in the "crib" when he does something wrong. I talk to him and tell him what he is supposed to do. I don't use treats because he gets addicted to them, but I do give him lots of love and tell him exactly what he did right or wrong. I may sound crazy, but sometimes I think he understands me.  Do not "punish" him, but reinforce certain behaviors as "good" and others as "not so good" Show expression on your face whether you are displeased or excited and happy.

I also reccomend the neutering process. Just for your knowledge, I felt horrible the day I had to turn my furry friend in for a snip, but after a while I felt better because I knew that his "itch" wouldn't be so bad, and after a month or so I noticed how calmer and less aggressive he became. (he was on the cautionary side before I neutered him). Instead of lifting his leg, he just sets in his hips and goes. There is no doubt though that he has peed in the house since the operation, but it was usually out of spite or just to make me mad if I watched a movie without him. He is a smart and clever boy! I am sure both your dogs are just as clever.

To help alleviate some of the territory problem, make sure that does EVERYTHING outside. This is important because as he gets older, and ecspecially since he is not "fixed" he will be creating more doggy hormones, experimenting with more space, and of course, want to get lucky with the ladies. In order to do this he has to take on a certain space in the environment as his, so he pees there, and takes his back legs and brushes them back. If your dog has started this process, then he is definitely territoring, and needs to relocate immediately!

As far as the chewing problem, that is because he is losing his last set of teeth and allowing his adult set to show through. I would say, in comparison to a human, he is in his teenage years from 9-13 months. He is growing, and moody! The best chew toy is not a toy but rather wood. Watch out for all of your windowsills, banister spindles, chair legs, table legs, and dressers! They love wood, so I gave my dog an old wooden spindle (from a wood shop) to chew on. he drags it around and loves it. It helps clean his teeth and loosen them.

Good luck with your dogs. I know that they are champions and will be great dogs for you in the future because it looks as if they have a really caring owner. :)