House Training Problems With 8 Mo.-Old Pup

Question
Hi Sandy,

We had 2 Yorkies for several years, but one passsed away, and we got a new puppy last fall.  Our yorkie and the new pup are both female, but the pup is a maltese and shih tzu cross and is now 8 months old.  Molly (the pup) will definitely go potty outside and I even trained her to ring a small bell on our patio door to indicate that she needs to out.  The problem with the bell is that Molly will also ring it when she wants to go out, just to play, which can be every 5 minutes!  I think she thinks that "going out" and "coming in" is a fun game.  Meanwhile, almost every day we have one or two (sometimes more) accidents in the house.  We try to watch her, but she's quick about piddling when we're not looking.  Molly came from a house that had several dogs and the two owners both at home all the time.  She does not like to be alone and especially hates being put in a pen or crate.  She will bark non-stop, jump up and down, and claw frantically to get out.
Our off-white bedroom carpet is virtually ruined from Molly's accidents, even though I always clean them up with pet cleaning solution as soon as I see them.  Can you help me train Molly better?   Our yorkies were not as difficult to house train.
Thankyou for any assistance you can give me.

Vickie

Answer
Hello Vickie,

It appears Molly needs more then potty training. At eight months and judging from her behavior in the crate, she badly needs some rules and guidelines.

I would suggest you start by putting Molly on a leash and tying it to your waist. Where you go, Molly goes. Begin some basic obedience training emphasizing the down command. Start putting her in the crate for short periods and increase the time in small intervals. If she complains, correct her. Follow the normal potty training guidelines of praising proper behavior and correcting accidents. If she is tied to your waist or in her crate, there should be few accidents.

In teaching her that there are rules to follow while living in your pack, you will correct the potty problem and perhaps save what is left of your rug.

Good Luck!

Sandy