Hi all,

I have a Pomeranian (7 months old this Saturday) and she's on a pretty good eating/potty schedule (see below), but I am having a hard time getting her to let me know when she needs to potty. She made a mistake in my kitchen twice and both times I cleaned up with Nature's Miracle. It wasn't the same spot, but still. She made an accident also last night.. squatted and pee'd on my bedroom floor carpet. No signal/warning or anything. We got her spayed last week and my son noticed that she's been soiling her crate (urine) while we are at work/school, so I decided that I would not leave her in the crate while we're gone and confine her to the bathroom with her crate, toy, bed and newspaper all over the bathroom floor. The door is open with a baby gate to keep her inside. Yesterday when I got home from work, I noticed that the newspaper in her crate and the newspaper on the floor were bone dry. I lifted the toilet rug and there were two big wet pee spots soaked through the bottom. Since she's missing the newspaper on the floor, I took up all the rugs in the bathroom and will replace them only when she's not in there.

Our plan is to train her on an indoor/outdoor schedule and take up the newspaper when we get home so that she doesn't think she has to use newspaper all the time. We don't have the option of coming home to feed her at lunch or a sitter/dog walker/neighbor to take her out. She sleeps throughout the entire night w/o soiling her bedding. She has never pooped in the house, so I guess we're doing an OK job.

Will I have a problem getting her fully housetrained if I am combining indoor and outdoor training?

Is there a way for me to train her on how to inform us of when she needs to go?

I got her from a friend last month and he bought her from a petstore when she was 3 months old.

Thanks soooo much!

5:30am - Potty
5:40am - Food/water (15 minutes)
6:00pm - Sit/lie down at the foot of my bed while I get ready for work
7:00am - Potty
7:20am-3:10pm - Confined to bathroom w/small amt of water
3:10pm - Potty
3:20pm - food/water (15-20 minutes)
4:30pm - Potty
5:30pm - Potty
6:30pm - Potty/walk
8:00pm - Potty
9:00pm- Potty
9:30pm - Bedtime

Thank you for being a responsible pet owner and having her spayed.

If you haven't read through the sticky at https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/dogs/information-articles-our-dogs-expert-labman-53153.html#post251809 do so.

At 7 months, she may not be old enough to go all day without relief. One other option is doggy day care. I would give her a little more time to recover from being spaying before sending her to one.

I think scheduling can interfere with learning to go to the door. It is better to try to learn to read the signs, then take her out. Also taking her out when she get near the door as in the sticky. It will take time. Housebreaking goes much easier with a young, well cared for puppy. I often wonder whether the people coming here with very basic questions on breeding have any idea the proper way to care for puppies.

Thank you for being a responsible pet owner and having her spayed.

If you haven't read through the sticky at https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/dogs/information-articles-our-dogs-expert-labman-53153.html#post251809 do so.

At 7 months, she may not be old enough to go all day without relief. One other option is doggy day care. I would give her a little more time to recover from being spaying before sending her to one.

I think scheduling can interfere with learning to go to the door. It is better to try to learn to read the signs, then take her out. Also taking her out when she get near the door as in the sticky. It will take time. Housebreaking goes much easier with a young, well cared for puppy. I often wonder whether the people coming here with very basic questions on breeding have any idea the proper way to care for puppies.

Oh you're welcome. I could not live with myself if I ever let her get pregnant, knowing that I have zero experience in breeding. I don't think the "breeders" who come here for answers are not serious. I feel so sorry for petstore puppies and puppies from clueless breeders.

I have read the link that you provided (thanks!).

You mentioned that 7 months is to young for her to hold it for the amount of time that we're gone, so are you saying that she will eventually be able to hold it when she's no longer a puppy? Could it be that since she's a toy breed and has a smaller bladder, that she will need to go more often?

I don't have a doggy day care around my house and most of the folks around me have bigger/older dogs who either stay in the backyard during the day or in the owner's house until they get home. So I pretty much have no choice but to leave her confined.

I will take your advice on the schedule. I didn't know it would interfere. Will the indoor/outdoor training confuse my dog?

Even though I don't think it is a good idea, many dogs are left all day, perhaps the most common thing. I guess many do manage. Our older dog has been OK the few times we were left without an alternative. I can't say if your dog will be able to go all day when order or not of if the pads/outdoors will be confusing or not.