I have a 7 month dog from the shelter. She 's not been walked and doesn't know the concept of doing it outside. I walk her for a long time and she doesn't relieve herself. But the moment she is back in her own area (I keep her out with playpen in her own sleep area) she will do it. And she doesn't go to the tray which where she is supposed to do. I have put her pee on the tray to attract her but nothing works. And she will just pee when I go out of sight.

Please advise me how I can untrain what she learnt at the shelter.

Housebreaking must begin as soon as you bring your new puppy home. This process may be frustrating for you but it is important to be patient and to do it correctly; if you are angry with your puppy because he is not learning quickly enough, you could cause him to fear you and make the housebreaking period even longer.

Puppies are not able to control themselves fully until they are about 12 weeks old, although when they are crate trained they can learn to control themselves for up to seven or eight hours by the time they are nine weeks old. They usually need to eliminate frequently through out the day, especially after eating, sleeping, playing or exercising. It’s best to take him to the same place in your yard each time.

Establish a regular exercising routine and take your dog outside to eliminate immediately in the morning. Be sure to train your dog to eliminate at the beginning of the walk, otherwise he will learn to hold it to extend the walk.

You might want to consider crate training while you are away or at night.

It is vital that you do not keep your dog cooped up day and night though; he still needs companionship and exercise and will develop health problems if he spends too much time in a crate. While a young pup can make it through a 7-8 hour night in the crate by about 8 weeks of age, they should not be crated for more than about 4 hours at a time during the day.

Allow enough room in a crate for your dog to stand up, stretch out and turn around. If the crate is too big it will be ineffective as your dog will be able to soil an area without having to lie in it. If you have a big dog and you purchase a crate that will house your puppy when it is full grown, you may need to block off a section at the back of the crate with a piece of cardboard or appropriate mesh until he grows into it.