Yes, I can relate and I'm sure some others can too.

You seem to have a good grasp on the drill.

Going without potty overnight is not at all the same as going without potty during the day -- Mother Nature shuts them down at night, but expects them to go during the day. I would absolutely never withhold water during the day, unless for an hour of car ride. She needs all the water she wants during the day -- and that of course goes double if the weather is at all warm.

Much as it may sound lame, please try not to take it personally or get emotional about it. What is, just is. Some dogs are easy to house break and some aren't. You have one who isn't. Why isn't she? She's obviously just slower to mature mentally and physically. The breed can make a difference. Early treatment/cleanliness by the breeder (or lack thereof) can make a difference (that may or may not be a factor in your case, I dunno).

I wish I could say something magic but there are no magical answers. You're already doing a lot of good things. I would add a clicker and treats to her outdoor potties -- it really does help.

I don't know if you're having trouble with her on carpets but you can keep her off carpets by using baby gates. Another way to protect carpets is to put her in doggy girl panties with a half a thick Kotex pad in there. That is absolutely not a substitute for the vigilance you're showing, but at least it stops us from having our carpets and floors turned into pee toilets.

So that's about it. I'd add a clicker and food treats, panties, and as much patience as you can possibly muster. If the weather permits, I'd also leave her outside as much as is practical. The more she gets used to pottying on grass, the better for everyone.

Other than that, hang in there, and keep on trying to prevent all indoor potties and encourage/reward all outdoor potties. Don't withhold water during the day; if you must withhold it at all, just an hour or two before bed time (but that doesn't seem necessary in your case). You might want to talk with her breeder and with other Sammy owners to see if she's par for the course for the breed. I had a Sammy many years ago and as I recall she was hard to housebreak too.

One more thing you might consider if you can afford it is putting her into a *good* (get references) puppy day care. If you can do this even for a month or two it could make a huge differentce.

And finally, if this isn't the right dog for you and your family, the breeder should give you your money back. It's not the end of the world. I've never believed in pounding a square peg into a round hole. As long as the dog is well cared for and loved, that's what's important. It's honestly not that important who does it. If you're really feeling that bad about her maybe she knows it and the best thing to do is call your breeder, give up, and start again with a different breed of dog.

I don't mean leave her outside unattended, of course, and especially not while you're away from the house, unless you have a good dog run... and she'll be quiet and not bark... and she has plenty of toys... and the run is a fence within a fence so no kids can come tease her, etc. I was more suggesting that this might be a good time to do as much gardening as you can, while she's outside with you and your other dog. We can garden here right now between raindrops, but if you're in snow country that won't be the same for you.

Northern breeds take a different approach than other dogs like GSDs. I have Huskies, so I am well familiar with what you are describing. Aleks, my first Husky, wasn't reliably potty trained until he was 9 months old. That was when I changed tactics to tethering. It sounds kinda ridiculous, but keep her on a 6 foot leash indoors at all times. I am a huge fan of the choker collar as well. That way, when you are putting on your shoes and she squats, you give a sharp "NO" and a tug on the leash and collar- that gets their attention. She will come to realize a lot faster that squatting= NO and tug. I know how hard it is to chase a dog around the house trying to get it to stop peeing. Been there, done that, doesn't work. Having them on the leash makes for immediate corrections that they understand.

As far as peeing in the crate between lunch break and getting home from work: my Husky would never do that but my first Rottie would. He peed as soon as he knew we were coming home, out of excitement. We had to learn to be very quiet and calm when we got home- no yelling if he had already peed, no announcing "Hi puppies we're home,", nothing. We had to just quietly put our stuff down, grab the leashes, and make the dogs sit at the front of the crate, hook them up, and take them out. No big deal. That way the Rottie wasn't so wound up, and eventually he stopped peeing in the crate. He was so good all the time except that- he never peed in the house otherwise (one of those dream dogs that just trained himself in a week, at 8 weeks old no less).

I never treat for potty. I know people do, but obviously your dog has the connection wrong and thinks ringing the bell= treats. So I think you're going to have to get rid of the bell. It's really hard to treat a dog as soon as they potty so they know exactly what they did to earn the treat, hence the confusion. I prefer just to say good dog, go potty WHILE they are doing their business so there is absolutely no mistake why they are getting praised. Clickers work for this too. But I don't treat for potty.

Samoyeds are really smart dogs, but they make connections that you don't necessarily think they will make or want them to make. That's the problem with smart dogs- they outthink you!

I hope these suggestions work for you as well as they did for me. I wish someone had told me about the tethering before I was losing my mind with a dog peeing in the house at 9 months old. Good luck. And remember, she's not doing it to make you mad, she just hasn't figured it all out yet.

Just hang in there. We've had lots of puppies with no problems at all. Our new mini poodle is another whole story. i have almost been in tears too. We did the bell,we tied him outside,nothing worked. You know what did? Just plain old time. He was 6 months old this week and I am finally seeing light at the end of the tunnel. He now comes to us,holds everything for several hours at a stretch and life is much easier. Don't give up on him and don't scold..he'll be ready when he's ready.

Thank you so much for the advice and comfort. We went to the vet today for our final set of shots. I spent nearly a half hour with her talking about the struggles we're having, and she too was encouraging and supportive (I love my vet!).

What we did learn is that she has some vaginitis that could very well be playing a role in all of this. So we've put her on some medicine for that. Also, we think that she's having some separation anxiety in the afternoons. She's okay in the morning, but when I come home at lunch, she gets to play and have so much fun that when I leave she gets upset. Thus, peeing in the kennel in just a couple of hours.

She also agreed with y'all about the breed. Apparently, either my last Sammy was the exception to the norm, or my memory is lacking. Either way, this one's different. Oh, and she gave me the name/number of a great behavior modification trainer to help if I want to go that route.

Despite the fact that she peed in front of the door as I put her leash on before we went to the vet, and I was ready to just board her somewhere for a couple of days to not have to deal with her, it was actually an encouraging day. I feel like I can continue this journey with her.

THANK YOU AGAIN. These forums, and the people on them, totally ROCK!
~Michelle

Can't add much to the advice already given. Just want to stress you keep a positive, happy attitude around her or she'll pick up on your emotions and it will add to the problem.
Just keep telling yourself she's still a puppy!

Glad you made it to the vet. Checking for bladder infection was going to be one of my suggestions.......especially after you mentioned her getting small amounts of water.

I suggest you leash walk your dog more. A good 30 minutes twice a day will help you out. Leash walking wll stimulate your dog urges to go. Smelling other dogs and sniffing new places will help immensely. When your dog goes pp outside, use your command and praise your dog until the cows come home...should help move things along within a week.

Last year, we were reaching the 10 month mark and our lab mix was still having accidents in the house - I just didn't understand why because we were so diligent about taking her out every few hours and at the appropriate times. Long story short, we found she had urinary problems and started giving her Solid Gold's Berry Balance. What a difference! I don't know if it would help vaginitis or not, but I just thought I would mention it.

Hang in there! At some point in the future, you will look back on this and think "Boy, I'm glad we're over that!".

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

I am having some of the exact same issues with my 16 week old Keeshond female. Except her problem is holding the poop during the day.

We have another Keeshond that is 18 months and he was potty trained by about 12 weeks old.

The puppy is crated at night and during the day while we are at work. We have a neighbor come over around late morning before lunch time to let her out to play and potty.

She does great at night. But probably 3 times per week she will soil her crate during the day... just a few hours after she was out for the morning session before we go to work.

We use a bell at the door, we take her out frequently enough, we reward with treats and use potty command words. Again... we've done this before successfully.

I'm just hoping that this will get better (as most people assure me it will)... completely cleaning the crate 3-4 times per week and giving her a bath each time is frustrating at best.

How is the pooping issue different than peeing or is it?

The reason your dog does great at night is because she is not stimulated and can hold it longer.

Your pup has a very high metabolism, what goes in simply must come out faster than when she is older.

Starting a chart will help you greatly. Make little notes daily about pups habits. It should include:

*Breakfast (time and day)

Drinking (time and day)
Peeing indoors(time and day)
Peeing outdoors (time and day)
Pooping indoors (time and day)
Pooping outdoors (time and day)
Crating (time and day)

*Lunch Break (time and day)

Drinking (time and day)
Peeing indoors(time and day)
Peeing outdoors (time and day)
Pooping indoors (time and day)
Pooping outdoors (time and day)
Crating (time and day)

*Dinner (time and day)

Drinking (time and day)
Peeing indoors(time and day)
Peeing outdoors (time and day)
Pooping indoors (time and day)
Pooping outdoors (time and day)
Crating (time and day)

Again, because your dog is young, she is going to need relief shortly after she eats and drinks. After playing, she will gulp down huge amounts of water, and she will need to go out.

Charting times and days of her activities will put in clear view what progress she is making. If she does not poop the first time you take her out, crate her and take her out shortly after, set a timer to remind yourself if you need to.

If you have bedding in her crate, take it out. If she makes a mess once or twice, she will probably stop after that. Leave the bedding out for a week or so, or until she starts to make progress.

Theory is a dog should be able to hold it for an hour for each month of age. Unfortunately, dogs don't know this. They simply cannot hold it because they have not grown inside yet.

Immediately after she comes out of the crate, take her out. Dont stop to put your shoes on, out you both go when she comes out of the crate. She needs to associate getting out of the crate with going outside to do her thing.

Carry yummy treats with you when you take her out, make a HUGE fuss over her when she poops and pees and give her a treat. Get her used to these two commands (go poop, go pee) so she can associate what she is doing with what you are saying.

Not all dogs are the same in this department. As your dog grows, she will be able to hold it longer. I have recently trained two pups, about 4-5 months, in two days. A dog I rescued two years ago took me six months because she was traumatized before I came along, an agonizingly long time.

Good luck!

SG

Hang in there, it will get better! It sounds like you have a good method and just need a little more time. Around her age (approx. 4 months) is when puppies begin to have bowel/bladder control, so she's not really that far behind. Repeat after me: "it's not my fault, I'm doing a great job" and "my puppy isn't doing this on purpose, she's still learning". Really, you are doing all the right things!

If she's peeing as you head outside, keep her moving. Stopping makes it more likely she'll pee, as does letting her sniff the floor. If she pees while walking, try carrying her out instead. This isn't forever, just to reduce the accidents till she can make it all the way outside. When we got Chaos we lived on the 3rd floor of an apartment building, so learning these tricks was essential. ;)

If she doesn't potty when you get her outside, walk slowly in a circle until she does (I'm guessing she's still on leash at this point). Be very boring, just keep her moving and stay in one general area - the movement helps. Don't let her have play time until she potties, and if she doesn't potty bring her back inside and crate her, try again in 15 minutes. I'd also drop off a urine sample for the vet if you haven't yet, it's cheap and you never know what you might find.

For John - make sure that your neighbour is allowing enough time to potty outside. My dogs are both adults and they can still get carried away playing sometimes and forget to go - once we get back inside they ask to go back out cause now that they're not playing they remember! Ask your neighbour to pick up the puppy's toys 5 minutes before they leave and stop playing with her and just hang out till she potties (and use a potty word if you have taught her one). It really sounds to me like the playtime is getting her bowels moving, but she doesn't go while she's outside, and then can't help but go after the person leaves and she's in her crate.

Hi there, to the person that wrote this original article. i have the SAME problem and Im at my wits end with potty training my 15 week old welsh terrier. my two others (11 and 12 years old) not a problem. Can you tell me if you had success in the long run and if so - what you did?

I took my puppy
from a dog foster home about a year ago. I love him to bits; he has a great
personality, and I feel that he loves our family so much. BUT, whenever I leave
him at home he pees in the house: on the carpet, on the bed..

My husband and I
were thinking about taking him to 'doggy school', but then again, it’s
extremely expensive, and the nearest 'doggy school' is far away from us. Maybe
you have some advice? THANK YOU!!!!

Hi Jennifer, could you provide additional information? For instance, how long do you leave him alone? In a crate? Free roaming?

Does he eliminate in the house when you are home?

Did the foster give you information re: background, toilet habits when she had him?

And finally, have medical problems been ruled out?

It's easier to troubleshoot with more details.

Haha! Off topic, but when my daughter was about 14 months old, she had a very long tedious book that I had to read to her every night. One night, I was so tired that I tried pinching 3-4 pages together and skipping them. After a couple of nights, I triumphantly "finished" the book and she glared at me and said "Start over!" and pried apart the pages I was holding. Her first of many "Gotcha" moments…..