These were a couple emails we responded to new puppy owner.
Pooty training usually takes 6 months to completely say they are trained. If she is still not getting " it " then you need to restrict the area she lives in. The best thing you can do on helping her is restrict the area (size) she is allowed to roam, and play in. It should be one room, putting child gates in doorways works great. It works best if you don't wait until they need to go potty. If she is a very active dog you need to stop her after 15 minutes of playing and take her to the potty area. Taking her out every hour the rest of the day if she is not in the middle of playing, and to the same place every time and making the area she goes potty a different area than they are allowed to roam and play in. Take her out as soon as she wakes up in the morning, after she eats any meal, and after naps during the day. Also try to take her out the same door if possible. Try not talking to her while she is suppose to be doing her business and if you say anything to her while she is suppose to be doing her business it should only be a command like "potty". Wear the word out that you choose to use and say it in a command tone and do not allow her to go roam all over the place until she has done as you command. If you can't make a smaller potty area with fencing then put her on a leash. After she does what she is suppose to do make sure you praise her and then drop the subject until the next time you command her to do so. While she is young if you are able to confine the area she is allow to live in it will help alot and she will train a lot faster. Allowing her to go everywhere or anywhere should be a reward that she given occasionally, not every minute of the day. Hope this helps. Blessings, Kevin and Tina
The crate situation sound like it is to big for her. It should have a partition put in it to make it smaller. The size of their sleeping crate/den should only be just big enough for her to lie two of her side by side. Any bigger and they do not consider it there home/den. Which they will not mess in unless they HAVE to, if it is the correct size for training. On the other hand she at her age should not be left in it for more than 3 hour at a time without taking her out and asking her to potty. If you have been doing that then shorten the time. When you do get her up to potty, she is not allowed to wonder around the house or the yard as if it is a break time. It is working time, POTTY time. If she doesn’t potty within a couple minutes, simply pick her up and put her back to bed. Take her out again in an hour and try again. Do every hour until she goes, tell her good and put her back to bed for 3 hours and start again. Hard work, but it will work! Consistence is the key. She is never to eat or drink in the crate. She should be give the opportunity to potty of course before she goes to bed. If she doesn’t, then you should take her out in an hour like talked about before. It is Very confusing to a puppy at any age to do wee wee pads and the yard. If you are going to do both try take the used wee wee pad with you and put it on the ground where you are teaching her to potty. Make sure you take her to the same place in the yard every time, again consistency! It would also help to take some cheap wire like chicken wire and fence a small area like 6 x 6 to help contain her to a small area for potty training.
Hope this helps you.
Blessings,
Kevin and Tina