9mo Housebreaking concerns

Question
My 9 month old Schnoodle was crate trained and seemed to really catch on to potty training.  Over the last couple of weeks she has been pooping and peeing in the closets - these are all walk in type and it seems she uses them as a private bathroom.  She does not go to the door or give any sign that she needs to go to the bathroom.  After she walks away, and I notice she is not in view I look for her (sometimes she is just playing with a toy or sleeping in her crate).  When I find her and she has just used the bathroom in the closet somewhere I can tell because she gives me her guilty look - head and ears down, eyes looking up.  I take her to the mess, clean it up and take it and her outside telling her - "potty outside."  What else can I do to get this through to her?  I thought I cleaned good but I will clean it up even better so she can't smell but what other things need to be done?  It seems to be getting worse, even after she has pottied outside she has come in and goes to one of the closets.  We have been trying to keep the doors shut but the kids (ages 9,7,5) sometimes forget. Thanks Jay

Answer
Jay, use baby gates to confine her to the room you're in or use a 6 foot leash and keep her tethered to you at all times when she's out of her crate. That way, you will be able to notice when she is showing signs of needing to go, and you can say "Need to go outside?" and take her outside to potty. When she potties outside, wait until she's finished, and then praise her like she's just saved the world! Then let her off the leash (if it's safe to do so) and play with her for a few minutes before going back in. Keep her crated when you are not home or able to watch her. You may have to do this for several weeks. You may also want to think about having the carpets professionally cleaned with an enzymatic cleaner to remove all traces of potty smell from your house, so that she is not as apt to want to 'go' in those areas again. Basically what you're wanting to do is to prevent her from pottying in the house at all, and only allowing her to 'go' outside and get lots of praise for it.