Hello, I suggest going back to the basics with her for a couple of months and act as if she isn't potty trained at all to stop all accidents from happening so that she will develop a habit of holding it consistently while in the house and wanting to keep your home clean. After a couple of months if she has been completely accident free, very gradually give her more freedom - but when you start, still go outside with her at first to ensure she is going potty and not getting distracted. To crate train for at least two months to get her back on track more strictly at first, check out the Crate Training method from the article linked below. Make sure that the crate doesn't have anything absorbent in it - including a soft bed or towel. Check out www.primopads.com or k9ballistics.com if you need a non-absorbent bed for her. Make sure the crate is only big enough for her to turn around, lie down and stand up, and not so big that she can potty in one end and stand in the opposite end to avoid it. Dogs have a natural desire to keep a confined space clean so it needs to be the right size to encourage that natural desire. Use a cleaner that contains enzymes to clean any previous or current accidents - only enzymes will remove the smell and remaining smells encourage the dog to potty in the same location again later. The method I have linked below was written for younger puppies, since your dog is older you can adjust the times and take her potty less frequently. I suggest taking her potty every 3 hours when you are home. After 1.5 hours (or less if she has an accident sooner) of freedom out of the crate, return her to the crate while her bladder is filling back up again until it has been 3 hours since her last potty trip. You want her to get into the habit of holder her bladder between trips and not just eliminating whenever she feels the urge and you want to encourage that desire for cleanliness in your home - which the crate is helpful for. Less freedom now means more freedom later in life. Crate Training method: https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-german-shepherd-puppy-to-poop-outside If she is not already used to a crate expect crying at first. When she cries and you know she doesn't need to go potty yet, ignore the crying. Most dogs will adjust if you are consistent. You can give her a food stuffed hollow chew toy to help her adjust and sprinkle treats into the crate during times of quietness to further encourage quietness. If she continues protesting for long periods of time past three days, you can use a Pet Convincer. Work on teaching "Quiet" by using the Quiet method from the article linked below. Tell her "Quiet" when she barks and cries. If she gets quiet and stays quiet, you can sprinkle a few pieces of dog food into the crate through the wires calmly, then leave again. If she disobeys your command and keep crying or stops but starts again, spray a small puff of air from the Pet convincer at her side through the crate while saying "Ah Ah" calmly, then leave again. If she stays quiet after you leave you can periodically sprinkle treats into the crate to reward her quietness. Quiet method: https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-shih-tzu-puppy-to-not-bark Only use the unscented air from the Pet Convincers - don't use citronella, it's too harsh and lingers for too long so can be confusing. Do NOT spray in the face - only side or chest. While home, you can also tether pup to you with a leash to prevent her from sneaking off to have an accident - this isn't quite as effective as crate training but you can combine the two a bit if you want pup to be out of the crate a bit more while you are home. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden

Nov. 29, 2023

Hello Shetayga, Often very small breeds are especially hard to train. Potty training is based on a dog's natural desire to keep a confined space clean. Often that's encouraged most through the use of crate training, then by preventing accidents in the home for long enough through proper managing, pup naturally starts to prefer to keep the rest of the home clean too and generalizes that desire to keep a confined space clean to your entire home. For a small dog, your home is a lot bigger than that confined space, evening finding the location of the door to alert in time is harder for a small dog. Additionally most small dogs are taught to go potty inside on pee pads because they are small enough for that to be a viable option. Unfortunately, pee pads are made out of fabric, and many dogs confuse them with carpets and rugs. I personally prefer all dogs be outside potty trained for that reason. When that's not a good option, a disposable real grass pad instead of pee pad tends to be less confusing. Some dogs never struggle with the pee pad but many do. If you rescued your dog, there is a good chance they were previously pee pad trained, so that combined with their small size makes potty training small dogs often harder. I don't know what method you are doing now, but I find a very strict schedule with crate training is often needed for dogs who were previously inside potty trained to make the transition to outside potty training. Only giving freedom out of the crate when you can supervise pup and for the couple of hours after they have gone potty outside, so that their bladders are not full while they are loose in the home. In order for potty training outside to progress, accidents inside have to be prevented through management of freedom and schedules, to encourage that natural cleanliness habit. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden

Aug. 24, 2021