Puppy peeing on all blankets/rugs/bedding

Question
Kristen,
 We got a Westie puppy when she was 13 1/2 weeks old from a breeder and have been crate trining her from the day we got her.
  Mia is now 19 weeks old, is very successful going outside almost everytime we take her out. We have have her on a feeding schedule, is crated before work,is let out during the work day two times.   
 When we are home, she stays in our kitchen area where she is gated off from the rest of the house and doesn't mess in the kitchen much anymore, but we don't have a bed down for her to lay on.
      Here is the problem:  It is a Sunday and we have been home with her all day, taking her out very often and praising her for going outside. No mistakes in the kitchen at all for a long time.  So, I was thinking about giving her an old comforter to have to lay on in the kitchen during the day when we are home. I no more than put it on the kitchen floor to discuss it with my husband and she came over sniffed at it and then squatted and peed.  I caught her in the act and scolded her and then put her outside.  She didn't pee anymore outside at that point.  I know she didn't need to go on the blanket because we had just taken her out and she went pee with in the last hour.  We are not sure if this behavior is because she was older when he got her and probably got used to going in her crate with the breeder.
But,why does she think that "all" bedding/mats are to be peed on?  (in or out of the crate)
What can we do to teach her not to pee on bedding?  
We don't mind taking the bedding out of her crate, but again, how do we know when she will stop doing it and allow her to have more freedom in our house and blankets to lay on?
  Finally, we are thinking about getting a doggie door so she will be able to get outside on her own during the day...will this help with the blaket issue and is this a good way to "house break" a dog? If she has a doggie door in our house will she mess other peoples houses with out a doggie door?
Thanks,
April

Answer
Hi, April. Your predicament with the pottying on bedding is not an uncommon one! MANY puppies will potty on a blanket, etc. even if they will not normally potty in the house anywhere else. I have no idea why, but most of the time they do outgrow it. My oldest dog, who is 4, would do the same thing. She would NEVER potty in her crate unless we gave her a blanket or towel or something to lie on. If she had some way of "burying" it, she would potty in her crate on the bedding. Some dogs are just like this. With her, I did not give her any type of bedding (in her crate OR elsewhere in the house) until she was almost 2 years old. At just 19 weeks (5 months) old, your dog is still very much a baby. If it were me, I would just not give her any bedding at all until she is older and completely housebroken. The fewer times she potties in the house, the quicker she will become housebroken. She should be taken outside at least every 4-5 hours (more frequently is always better) to encourage her to hold it until you take her out. The doggie door does help, but I wouldn't put it in until she is fully housebroken. She NEEDS to be praised each and every time she potties outside until she is no longer pottying inside, and with a doggie door, that wouldn't happen. It would be just as satisfying to her to potty on the kitchen floor as it would be to go out through the doggie door.

Good luck and please let me know if there's anything else I can help you with!

Kristen