one-year old teacup chihuaha comes in to go potty

Question
We have a one-year old teacup chihuaha female whom we have had since she was ten weeks old. Unfortunately, where she was kept with my children before I moved her to my home, she had her own bedroom where she was free to pee and poop at will!!!  She has only been with my older son and myself for two months and we have a nice backyard...we feed her in the morning and evening...we let her outside first thing upon waking (she sleeps in our laundry room with paper down at night)... and she plays happily with her toys...BUT WHENEVER WE LET HER IN...WE WILL FIND A PUDDLE OF PEE SOMEWHERE IN THE HOUSE...OR IF SHE IS ALLOWED TO GET INTO OUR FORMAL LIVING ROOM...WE WILL FIND POO POO ON MY ORIENTAL SILK RUG!!!...She is backwards in that she goes outside to play and comes in the house to go to the bathroom!!!! IT is driving us all crazy!!!!  She is very smart and knows it is wrong...we never seem (or hardly seem) to be able to catch her in the act)...we clean it up and put her outside but don't reprimand her because we didn't catch her....when she does do her duty outside...we praise her...give her a treat and let her back in the house right away to let her know that is what she is supposed to do....but low and behold!!!! She goes somewhere again!!!!  We are at our wits end....What in the world are we to do? It seems no matter how long she is left outside...she will come into the house and immediately go to the bathroom somehwere!!!  Please help....Thank you.  Roselle

Answer
Roselle,

Even though she is one year old, she is like a new puppy in the sense she is not potty trained.  Even with the paper down you are still telling her to potty in the house, she doesn't know the difference between the laundry room and the living room, it's all just inside to her.

You need to start from scratch and take her out multiple times a day on a leash.  She obviously has to go so don't let her back inside until she does her business.  It's good that you praise her when she goes outside, but the treats should stop.  She doesn't need to learn that she gets something for doing potty outside, she's supposed to do that!  Just praise her like she's cured cancer and leave it at that.  I also suggest you get her a bed and let her sleep inside, that way you develop and relationship and you can learn the things she does before so goes potty.  As far as the carpet goes, until she learns you should get some baby gates or block off the area you don't want her to go, maybe even roll up the nice rug for awhile so it doesn't get ruined.
Also a big part of this is you need to watch her all the time!  She cannot be trusted right now, so you need to make sure she doesn't have the run of the house to do her business where she wants.

Pick up some books on potty training, or maybe seek out professional training if the leash technique doesn't work for you.

Have a good one,

Laura