schnoodle puppy

Question
QUESTION: What am I doing wrong she will be 3 months old on the 23rd of Jan. I stop
giving water about 7-7:30 and take her out to the potty at 9:00p, for the last
time.  Some nights she does not pee in the crate and sometimes she does.  And
during the day she will go in the crate even after I have taken her out and she
has not been in the crate for more than 3-4 hours. Help !!!

ANSWER: First, make certain that she does not have a bladder infection.

A lot depends on how she was raised by the breeder. If she was confined in a smaller area where she was allowed to potty freely, she may be difficult to break of this habit.

Make certain that your crate is not too large. If it is, she will be more comfortable urinating in it. Shove some boxes in the back so that she only has enough room to stand up, sit, and lie down. Keep the crate in an area where you can hear her cry if she needs to go out (particularly at night). Let her out more frequently than you have been doing and praise her when she potties in the appropriate location.

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QUESTION: What should I do during the day about leaving her in the crate while at work if I
don't have someone to let her out after about 4 hours?  I got her at 6 weeks old
so I don't think that she would have had long enough to learn anything bad?? I
hope that it is not something that I have done that has caused this problem. The
age she is now is the best time to start the potty training is that right?

ANSWER: When one works all day, he should get an older puppy or an adult as babies cannot possibly hold it for any length of time.

Get an exercise pen and set it up in the kitchen or somewhere where the floor can be cleaned easily. Put her crate in there with the door removed so that she has a "den" and put newspapers or piddle pads on the floor for her so that she can potty if she needs to go. At this age a puppy is usually good for only three hours at the most.

It is impossible to housebreak a dog if one is not home to do it, and yours is learning to potty in her crate. With time she should be able to go longer between trips outside and you should be able to transition to the outdoors.

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QUESTION: If I can't watch her then she should be in her crate is that correct?  If she has
a accident when she is out of the crate should I take her to her potty place or
put her back in the crate.  If I take her to the potty place and she does and go
again or does not finished outside do I let her out of the crate still or should I
put her back in and for what length of time?  I am sorry but you are the first
person I have found that I can really ask questions to everything else I read
does not answer some of the everyday problems that you have they are just
gudielines.  
thank you for your time.

Answer
Yes, if she cannot be watched, she needs to be confined. There should be no accidents when she is loose, because *you will be watching her* and alert for signals that she needs to potty such as sniffing or circling. She should be put outside every 20-30 minutes when loose. If she starts to potty before you can catch her, take her outside so that she can finish and then praise her for pottying outside.

If you think it is time for her to potty and put her outside with no results, crate her when she comes back inside, and then try again thirty minutes later. You might find it helpful to keep a "potty journal" so that you can begin to see a pattern in the times she needs to eliminate.