I got a mini daschund puppy a few days ago. She is 4 months old and the cutest thing ever. However, training her is taking a lot of work. She has a crate with her blanket and some toys and is in our laundry room with newspapers for her to potty on. I work full time so it is important that she potty trains indoors. When I have her outside of her room and she's playing, I always look for her signs that she's about to use the bathroom. She sniffs and walks around. Sometimes she takes her paw and acts like she's digging. So as soon as I notice her doing this, I pick her up and take her to her newspapers. When I'm in there, she just stares at me or wants to play. I stay with her and use commands like, "go potty!" and wait for her to go. Do I sit and wait for her to go or leave her? Sometimes I think she actually doesn't have to go, so I take her out of her room and of course, she pees. She constantly sniffs so sometimes it's hard to tell if she really does have to go! This is the first time I've ever had a dog, so I'm stuck.

I understand why you are trying to train her to use the bathroom inside, but I will caution you that she may be very confused if she is ever at someone else's home and needs to go.

Treat putting her in her potty area like you would taking her outside. After putting in the area, give her the command and wait. Don't talk to her. Don't play with her. Just wait until she potties. Then praise the heck out of her. It could take a minute. It could take 15 or 30.

If you are serious about wanting her to potty inside, you might want to look into The Potty Patch. It is essentially an artificial grass patch on a base. You can find plans to make them on the INTERNET. It gives the dog a better idea that outdoors is preferred place to go potty and that floors and carpets aren't.

From what I understand, Dachshunds are a difficult breed to housebreak. So it is going to take a lot of time and persistence.

Good luck and feel free to ask any questions you need to. We will give you all the help we can. We want both of you to have a long and healthy relationship.