housetraining issues with a former puppy mill poodle

Question
Hi there!  I have some questions regarding Ebby, our black toy poodle.  We got Ebby from our children's babysitter, who "adopted" her from a poodle "breeder", just to get her out of the situation she was living in.  Ebby had been bred for breeding and had spent pretty much her ENTIRE life in a tiny kennel, until our friend adopted her a couple months ago.  We're told Ebby is about 4 or 5 years old, although we don't know her exact age.  We're taking her to the vet tomorrow for shots, dental, etc, so we'll have a better idea then.  Anyway, our friend couldn't keep her anymore, she really just got her to get her out of the abusive situation.

When our friend first got her, Ebby was not at ALL used to being let out of a crate.  When Ebby was FORCED out, she'd just turn around in circles, and she would eliminate in her crate, only to eat it.  Over the last couple months, she has gradually warmed up to people (and loves kids) and has gotten much more comfortable with being out and "free".  

We've had Ebby for a couple days now and want to re-train her potty behaviors as soon as possible.  She does go potty outside, almost every time we take her, but she also has "accidents" in the house.  We're still partially attributing it to changes in food and a new environment, since she had some diarrhea and (we think) a small bit of vomiting the first night.  

I know crate-training is usually the most effective as far as housetraining goes, but I wonder about it for Ebby for a couple reasons.  One, it's where she was FORCED to be for over 4 years, straight.  So I don't know if it seems like a punishment, or a security, for her.  Two, she was never let out of her crate to eliminate, so she always went in there...then usually ate it.  My guess is, eating it was her way of keeping her "home" clean.

Any suggestions, beyond the normal housetraining tips, for a dog that's been in an abusive situation like this?  I really am amazed she's as sociable and "normal" as she is, considering how background...I think she must be a pretty resilient little girl.  

Thanks, Jill

Answer
Hello Jill and Ebby,
It can be a tricky problem re-housetraining a dog that has been used to going in a crate her whole life, but it can be done.  
Start by lining her crate with papers or potty pads that can be cleaned up as she has accidents on them.  
You will want to get her a product such as Forbid or Distaste, that you put on her food that will keep her from eating her feces.  It gives the feces a bitter taste (more than it has already) and will help keep her from eating it anymore, because even though she probably ate it to keep her place clean, its unhealthy and gross to boot.  You should be able to get those products from your local Pet Store.  

Next, start taking her out to potty about every 2 hours or so, so that she gets on a scheduel of going outside to potty.  You can extend that if she is doing good every 2 hours.  Make sure that she is on a feeding scheduel also rather than being free fed so that you can monitor when she eats and can have a better idea of when she will need to go out.  

When she is loose inside, look for signs that she may need to potty by her sniffing where she had gone before or her running around with her nose on the floor.  Take her out and praise her when she potties outside.
When she does have an accident inside, clean it up with a pet approved product that has enzymes that will "eat" the odor out of the floor.  Even if you can't smell the urine anymore she most likely can and will try to come back to that place to potty.
"Out" is a good pet product for getting rid of unine and feces, "Kids N Pets" is another product that works great.  You can get both of these products from Wal-Mart.  "Out" is found in the Pet section, and "Kids N Pets" is in the cleaning supplys.  

Make sure you take her food and water up about 2 hours before bedtime and that she goes out right before bed to help her hold it all night.  
You can train her to alert you when she needs to go out.  Hang a bell on the door to her outside area and when you take her to the "potty door" have her touch the bell with her nose.  Give her a treat, then take her out to do her business.  Only have her ring the bell when she is going out to potty.  She will soon learn that when she has to go to the bathroom, she can ring the bell to let you know that she has to go.  Lots of praise and a treat when she rings the bell for the first time on her own.  

When she is at the vet, have them check her urine to make sure that there isn't any bladder problems.  She could have an overactive bladder due to having alot of puppies and the strain that it put on her bladder (its a small chance, but with dogs from puppy mills, you can never be too careful).

I hope this helps you some.  If you have other questions please feel free to ask.

Thanks for using AllExperts,
Kim