I have a daughter who is very strong willed and what worked for us was to get her to feel proud about using the toilet. She was about 2 1/2. What we did was one day we sat down together and made a "toilet sticker book". We put together a bunch of paper, tied it to bind it, put her name on, wrote a story in it about how she was such a big girl and was going to start to use the potty like a "big girl" and every time she used the toilet she would get a sticker to put in her book. I bought stickers and kept them in the cupboard above the toilet and every time she would try to go I would let her look at the stickers. If she went, she got a sticker. If she didn't go she did not get one but got to look at them and hold them while she was on the toilet. She was already interested in stickers which is why I chose them as a motivator. So if stickers don't work for you maybe something else your child likes would work better. I let her wear underware or a diaper, I let her choose so she felt like she had control of the situation. I didn't make a big deal about it if she chose a diaper, but I would go on and on about what a big girl she was when she chose her panties. If she had an accident I would just say, thats okay we can get you a clean pair, try to see if you any more pee needs to come out. And I would have her sit on the toilet while I got her clean clothes. We always used the big toilet with a ring in it at first so she didn't fall in and a stool at the base so her feet could touch. This was part of the "big girl" plan. It seemed to me that the little toilet just emphasized that she was still a baby. It also was better for me, I didn't want to clean the little toilet, seemed just a bad as changing diapers. She still, shes almost 3, refuses to try to go if I suggest it in a "do what I tell you" voice. But we made sort of a game out of me "telling" her to go potty. I would ask her if she had any pee or poo that wanted to come out. And then we would call the pee and/or poo like you call a dog, come out, come out, come on. etc. It sounds really stupid and I would not want to be recorded saying this, but it works!! I hope this helps you and your daughter. I would just advise you to try to help her to feel good about it and to be proud of her accomplishments. Try to let her make choices about things as much as is reasonable and she'll get it. Good luck!!

I have another story! This happened yesterday and while it didn't seem funny at first it did after I cleaned the mess up! LOL We laid DS down for a nap and his father put a diaper on him so he wouldn't end up with a wet bed. He told DS that just because he had a diaper on did not mean that if he had to pee or poop he couldn't take it off and go. DS said, "Okay, Daddy." We then went back to our room and watched Trading Spaces and thought about taking naps ourselves. After a while we hear DS coming to our room. He's holding his blankies and when he puts them down, my fiance' sees something on him. He then realizes DS has poop on himself and he asks where his diaper is. I started seeing pictures of the times he pooped and ripped his diaper off and smeared it everywhere. I jump up and dash to his room and scan for a mess. I don't see or smell anything. Then I see the door to the 1/2 bath off of his room is open. I look in there and there is poop on his stool, on the toilet seat in two places and the handle on the toilet and also some in the sink. He had the used some toilet paper to clean up some of the mess and looked in the soap dispenser for some soap but it was out. I start questioning him on where his diaper is and ask about the garbage and he says, "Yes." But there are no dirty diapers in the garbage so were searching for a diaper again. Then we realize that DS realized he had to poop so he went to the bathroom. He took the diaper off and threw it in the garbage and then crawled up on the toilet and held himself on it. He must have sat back pretty far so that's how the poop got on the back of the seat. Then when he went to slide off his butt would have rubbed on the front part where there was more poop. He then must have gotten the toilet paper and wiped himself and gotten some poop on his hand from trying to do that himself, which he then got on the handle when he tried to flush and then in the sink when he tried to wash off. He even demonstrated what he did on the other toilet and it all adds up. He was so proud of himself! I hated having a mess but it has to be a good thing when a almost 3 year old is willing to go and clean up his own mess! LOL I also knew a little boy who thought you could pee anywhere. My father, his girlfriend, my brother and I and the gf's three younger boys were at a local fireman's carnival. We all got on a ride except for the 3 year old. While the rest of us were on the ride, Brett decided he had to pee. He told his Mom and my Dad and her were looking for a porta potty or something. Meanwhile she looks down and there he is peeing right in the middle of the crowd. We don't think anyone saw him though. ~Leslie~

You don't need to be "louder and nastier", but you do need to be quicker and stricter. Keep a lease on the dog and keep the leash tied to you. That way she won't get a chance to go around the island *g*. If you see her START to squat, immediately give a sharp NO (doesn't have to be loud or mean, but it needs to convey that the behavior is inappropriate) and give her the bum's rush to the door. Once outside, give her the cue word and wait until she goes. I don't allow my dogs to roam all over the place looking for the perfect spot - go potty means go potty right now. When she goes, throw a little party. Having some accidents in the house is a good thing IF you catch her in the act. You get a chance to reinforce that in the house is not a good thing and she learns that much quicker. On the other hand, absolutely do not do anything if you don't catch her ( and nope, seeing her walk away is not catching her). Dogs just don't get it, no matter how many owners insist that "he knew he did wrong" Yeah, sure, they are going to look guilty and hang their heads if you discover them standing next to a mess. Because they are exceptionally good at reading you - they know you are annoyed, even before you open your mouth. They KNOW. And they are not pleased that YOU are not pleased. And don't "offer" to take her out. If you think she needs to go, take her out and give the cue. Don't move until she's produced a dribble or a splat and then throw a potty party again. The combination of crating, scheduled breaks and strict supervision really does produce amazing results

First of all you need to rule out a UTI. This could be part of the problem. It does not matter that she can hold it over night, she is not stimulated when she is sleeping. You need to realize that not all dogs are the same in this category. Some get it within a week or less, others take longer. *Pick a system, any system so you and pup wont get confused. This one has a good success record, and it will give you a good start. System. *EVERY SECOND (donÂt argue)! supervision is a must when pup is not crated. Have a leash on her so you can easily grab her and take her out when you need to. Set a timer so you can take her out about every 30-40 minutes, then GRADUALLY (over the course of a few weeks) increase the time you take her out by about 20-30 minutes. Increasing the time by to much confuses the dog. This is a MAJOR mistake lots of humans make when trying to house train a dog. *Immediately after she comes out of the crate, take her out. Stopping to put on your shoes is a major mistake. Get pup used to the commands "go poo" and "go pee". These commands should be a must, they are incredibly helpful when the weather is bad. *If dog doesn't do anything, that's fine, if it does, give tons of praise and give a "quality" treat, preferably one used just for training purposes. Consistency is the key. Dogs are creatures of habit and depend on a repetitive schedule. This is no time to skimp on excessive praise and treats when you are house training. Pup needs to associate being let out of the crate with yummy treats doing itÂs thing and huge amounts of praise. Boiled or baked chicken liver is a great training tool, dogs crave it and you really have their attention when you use it. *Daily walks at least twice a day (about 20-30 minutes each in the same area) are essential for dogs and getting them house trained. Walking gets things moving, dogs love it and it gives them something to look forward to. Try and feed a pup prior to the walks. Never free feed unless your vet says to. Pups have a high metabolism. Soon after it eats or drinks, it will need to go out. *Pups drink huge amounts of water. In theory yours should be able to hold it for (one hour for each month) up to about 9 months. In reality, if a young pup has been playing, it will gulp down lots of water, and just won't be able to hold it for that long. After pup drinks, keep an eye on it. Take it out in about 5-10 minutes and offer it relief. *You are making a very bad mistake being mad at your pup. When dogs do something wrong, itÂs the fault of the human in charge, not the dogÂs. You are going to traumatize her, make things worse and never get this under control. She simply does not know why you are mad. If you cannot catch her in the act, scold her and take her out, you might as well clean it up. Just a few seconds after the deed, she will not retain why you are scolding her. Using the crate for punishment is another mistake, it will confuse pup because this is supposed to be her safe sanctuary. You need to dig in and decide that you are going to get this under control, and do what ever it takes. Lest, your life will become very difficult. *Your pup won't be considered house trained unless it has no accidents for at least 9months! Also, there is a HUGE difference in a dog that is 4-6 months old and one that is 9-10 months old. They grow inside and out. Once they reach 9-10 months, their bladders are larger and able to hold it longer. Good luck! SG