Cairn Potty Training

Question
I got a Cairn Terrier about 6 months ago - Charlie. At first the potty training went very well. But he has slowly over the months taken to not caring. ( I know, I know, it's my fault too, not all his) But it isn't at all for lack of going out. He crates during the day, me or my wife let him out at lunch to run around for an hour, then let him out again after work. Every day, I let him out of the crate after work, pet him, run outside with him, and hang out in the back yard for about 10 minutes - he wanders around without peeing. Go back in, and he goes straight to the kitchen area that he always pees on and goes potty. I don't get it. In the Evenings we let him about about once an hour, he runs around, enjoys himself, then comes in and goes straight to his spot. as a puppy I did the "business" thing with him outside and he was good. I thought he had it down. What should I do now??

Answer
Andy -

Once a spot smells of potty, they tend to reuse the same spot over and over.

The first thing you will need is some enzyme based cleanser.  I usually wipe the area down with some white vinegar, wait for that to dry, wipe it down with the enzyme cleaner and let air dry. Then I rerinse the area with plain water.

Cairns can be very hard to house train, and with a male its important to make sure you're talking about pottying vs marking. It sure sounds like your little man is pottying though.

They make little posts you put in the lawn that have the scent that spurs them to pee, or you can put some urine on a tree or bush yourself (gross I know, but it works).  I would then make sure to give him a small amount of very high value treat when he does potty outside (cheese works great).

You are having to take a step backwards in the training and it is very frustrating, I'm sure.  Just remember he's still a baby and that you need to be very consistent.  One final tip is to make sure to take him out 10-15 minutes after each meal. I sometimes pick up the water dish around 8 pm as well.

Good luck !

-Beth