[zoe2010]

She is crated a good part of the day with frequent potty breaks... it is really cold out now and she doesn't like going out but she usually goes while she is out. She has good days and bad. She sleeps in the crate all night without peeing/pooping or whining/barking. We ring a bell every time we send her outside but she still pees/poops in the house. She has even peed a couple of times in her crate and pooped once as well. Just not sure what to do here. Very frustrated. We want to be able to let her roam the house but if she leaves the room we are in it's almost a given she is going to pee/poop. Please help! She's a sweetie but we can't have her doing that in the house/crate.

[JudyKayTee]

She's just a baby! I find nothing unusual about her behavior.

It is my understanding that a dog will not pee/poop in its crate, in its space, unless it has no choice. Peeing/pooping in a crate forces her to live in her own waste until someone comes to clean her (and the crate) up.

When you say she's crated " a good part of the day," how many hours are you talking about?

[ballengerb1]

Not sure where you got this odea "we ring a bell every time we send her outside but she still pees/poops " but your dog now thinks the bell means she is going out, not necessarily to poop. Feed her twice a day at the same time each day. Walk her one hour after she has eaten, keep walking until she does 1 & 2. Now she will assocouiate walking with pooping. All dogs need exercise and she may not be getting enough. How much crate time and how much walking per day?

[Alty]

At four months of age she should be spending no more then 4 hours in the crate every day. That's not including bed time, just during the day.

How often do you walk her? For how long? Do you go outside with her when she potties to praise her, or do you wait inside?

What do you do when she has an accident?

[Lucky098]

I agree with the Altenweg and Judy.. SHE IS JUST A BABY! She will not be house trained for at least another month, if not longer. Be patient. Understand that this pup will not be able to roam the house until probably 1 - 2 years of age. My dogs weren't allowed loose in the house until they were at least 3 years old.

Where did you get her from? A breeder? A pet store? Someone you know? Depending on where you got the dog will give reason to her pottying her crate.

How many times a day do you allow her to eat and drink? With puppies, keep in mind that anything they eat, will come right back out 15 minutes later. If you are feeding many times throughout the day and allowing free access to water, then she has no choice but to potty. You need to get her onto a schedule with eating and drinking. Keep in mind that you are not only training her mind to stay clean, but you are also training the bladder and intestinal tract to become stronger in order for her to hold it. Puppies can only hold their potty for as many hours as they are old.. So your dog, being 4-5 months old, can only hold it for 4-5 hours at a time.. and that's really pushing it.

What are you feeding? Low quality puppy foods will create problems. If she is filling up on fillers and other unmentionable things within the food, then she is going to have uncontrolable bowel movements. I am a big fan of not allowing puppies to drink whenever. Don't deprive her of water, but monitor her intake. If she drinks A LOT of water at a time, be prepared to let her go out and pee several times before she is "empty". Potty training puppies are always thristy puppies :)

Limit treats given to her throughout the day. The more food or treats you give her, the more she is going to have to potty.

Also, when was the last time she was wormed? Is she up to date with all her wormings? Worms will, believe it or not, create problems with holding bowel movements. Maybe get her poo checked ;)

[shazamataz]

if she leaves the room we are in it's almost a given she is going to pee/poop.

And?
Sounds like normal behavior for a 4 month old pup.

In general, the smaller the breed the harder to train.