Puppy Litter Box Training

Question
QUESTION: We adopted our mini Australian Shepherd when she was 10 weeks  old.  Lacey is now 19 weeks and we are still struggling with potty training.  She really seemed to get the idea of depositing both solids and liquids in the litter area and we gave her more freedom.  When she was upstairs, she would realize she had to go and went downstairs in the correct spot.  Then for some reason, she stopped urinating in the designated spot.  She started going on the floor just outside the litter box, then on the carpet by the stairs, then at the top of the stairs.  Since she isn't supposed to want to go close to where she eats, I put her food at the top of the stairs, but she went there despite that.  We decided to use her crate more and I purchased a comfortable pad for her to rest on.  When she whined, we took her to the potty area and she would sniff and then walk away.  We would  put her back in the crate.  Same thing happened again.  This time she went back in her crate and urinated on the pad-something also I read that she wouldn't want to do.  What is the best way to correct this behavior that should work as quickly as possible?  I'm told that Aussie's are very smart, so I must be doing something wrong.  We are home a lot, but I am a recent widow with children 11 and 13 and I  can't spend tons of time watching her, but I don't want to keep her in her crate most of the time either.  My children want to help, but they have other things they need to do too.  What should I do?

ANSWER: I much prefer a litter box to potty pads as they are more like outside and less like rugs, etc. But my first preference is to teach the dog that the best place to eliminate is outside. It cuts down on confusion if the rule is that you don't potty ANYWHERE in the house. My guess is, she got too much freedom too fast, and really the only way to train her is to supervise very carefully, and manage her environment when you can't watch her (crate or x-pen). Also use a good enzymatic cleaner on the carpet, and other areas where she has eliminated. Keep a record of when she eliminates and that will help you know when she needs to go outside. Generally 15 minutes after a meal (she should be getting regularly scheduled meals, not food left down, as that makes scheduling more difficult) anytime she comes out of her crate and about every 6 hours. (you can figure a puppy can hold the number of hours he is old in months, plus one - so your 5 month old puppy can't be expected to hold much more than that. Go outside with her, praise when she goes. If she doesn't pop her back in an xpen (since she's peeing in her crate) and try again 5 minutes later. She doesn't get freedom in the house until she has earned it. Shut doors, use baby gates to keep her in your line of vision. Tether her to you so you notice when she starts sniffing and can get her out. Another thing to consider is getting a urinalysis done at your vet's. Sometimes if dogs have a urinary tract infection, they'll start going inappropriately, but my guess is that possibly you just thought she was more trained than she actually was, and gave her too much freedom too soon. And I don't know of any "quick fix" other than supervision, frequent trips outside and making sure that favorite accident spots no longer smell like a good place to potty. Sandy Case MEd CPDT www.positivelycanine.com

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thanks for the quick response.  Just to clarify, are you saying that we should abandon the litter box training after 9 weeks and work on taking her outside?  And do you think that she will never catch on to the litter box?  I've used Nature's Miracle to clean up the messes.  Is their anything that you'd recommend that does a better job?

Answer
Nature's Miracle is a good product. I like Simple Solutions - and soak it until it foams. Let it sit a while before you wipe it up. As to the litter box - you go with what works. For whatever reason, she's no longer using the box. I can't say why for sure, but I suspect she's just had the option to find out it is easier to go where you are than to rush for the box. She has a habit now that you have to break. You may still want to have one inside an xpen to avoid elimination in a crate. But she's shown you that even after 9 weeks, she hasn't really "got" it. So, if you keep doing what you've done, you'll get the same results you're getting now. Might be time to try something new. I do think it is clearer to the dog to tell them "you go outside" rather than "you can only go some places inside." And do rule out physical causes. UTIs in female puppies aren't unusual. Sandy Case MEd CPDT