puppy mill dog

Question
4 weeks ago i adopeted a 5yr old small cocker spaniel, she loves to run, i am still having problems getting her to go outside to pee. she will not do anything if i keep her on a long leash, she just sits. when i let her loose she runs around so hard then does her job. she runs from me and wont come back so i punish her by putting her in a carriage.. i dont know if this is right, she is wearing me down.i dont have a fence. does this mean that she has been so confined that all she wants is freedom. i do give her a treat when she does her job. she is very hyper and wont sit still. should i just be patient and wait or is there something else i can do to help her calm down. and should i put some kind of spray on the carpet so she wont go in the house. i see on t.v. they have a green carpet that she can go on but dont know if that would work. i appreciate any help you can give me. thank you.

Answer
Ok, look at it from the dog's point of view... she's having fun, but then when she does come to you or you actually catch her, you put her in a crate.  Why would she want to come to you?  If she doesn't have a reliable recall (won't come when called), she shouldn't be off leash in an open area.  It sounds like you both could use a good obedience course.  The green "lawn" for your house could work, but then again, I thought the idea was to get her to STOP going in the house.  

You're first step is to get her going outside on a leash.  If she's from a puppy mill, she has probably spent her years in a kennel with a cement floor that she peed on whenever she wanted. Start like you would if you were housebreaking a puppy.  Take her out, on leash, the first thing in the morning, last thing at night, after every meal, whenever she wakes up from a nap and in the beginning, if need be, every 2 hrs.  Take her out, give her some time and if she pees, she gets treats and praise from you.  If she doesn't, you calmly walk her back inside and she either needs to be tethered to you (that means that she is on lead and the lead is attached to your body) or she needs to be crated (in a crate that is just big enough for her to stand and turn around in).  Keep giving her chances to pee outside and big treats and praises if she does, if not, repeat the process until she does.  

The other thing you need to work on is her recall.  Start with a short leash, sit her down, walk to the end of the leash (at this point, only a few feet) and call her.  If she doesn't come, reel her in with the leash.  When she gets to you, lots of praise, treats and "good come".  Slowly lengthen the distance.  The thing is, you have to vary the places that you practice the recall.  Work with her inside and out because dogs don't generalize.  You need to teach her that "come" means come whether we're inside or outside.  To let her run off lead until she has a solid recall, you could try finding a dog park in your area, but be careful (other dogs might not be well trained) and make sure she has all her shots before going somewhere where sick dogs might have been.

Good luck.