16mos old, still not housebroken! Help!

[LolaPeanut]

I got my little Lola when she was about 5 months old. She was already pad trained but I preferred that she only go outside. I've tried at various times to ween her off the pads but honestly usually get frustrated and just end up putting a pad back after she continues to pee in the house.

For the past 2 months or so, I've been extremely diligent and determined to housebreak her for good. I'm doing crate training and sticking to a strict schedule. I try to keep an eye on her when she's out of the crate but somehow she still manages to sneak away and go to the bathroom (usually in the kitchen at least which is considerate I guess). She barely goes 4 days without an "accident".

I love my little peanut but I'm beyond frustrated! Am I just going to have to accept the fact that once they are pad trained there's no going back or do I have to continue to be patient and she will get it?

Any advice is sincerely appreciated!!

[cynthia's]

It can take a long time to get them switched over. Have patience and with time, she will catch on. I think my Lacey was close to 2 years old before she was absolutely potty trained with no accidents. And, thank goodness, sometimes if weather is horrible or I'm in a hotel on an upper level, I can still put a wee wee pad down and she will use it! They are very smart little dogs! Hang in there!!!

[LolaPeanut]

Thank you! That's very encouraging. I'll definitely keep at it

[jenna123]

I had Boo when he was 3 months, as soon as I took him home I put a pad in my room and living room since he didn't have all his shots yet I didn't want to take him outside yet. He caught on after 2 days to pee/poo on the mat. After he got his shots, I would put him in the crate at night so that when he whines or bark I take him outside right away. I always took him right when he woke up, after his meal usually 15 mins after, after drinking water, and just every 2 hrs or so. It's a lot of work and you have to be consistant and now he's almost 6 months and he whines, barks or even jump on the door to let us know he has to go. Keep some treats in your jacket pocket or something so that once he goes outside you give him a treat right away!

[LJSquishy]

They can be very sneaky and it seems they disappear if you even blink your eyes! One of mine is 6 next month and she still will potty in the house if we're not diligent enough in taking her out and making sure she actually goes.

Just keep at it, and make sure you really, really watch her closely. If needed, tie a longer leash to her (you can tie it to your belt loop if you want) so she can never go too far or into a different room. It sounds like you are doing everything correctly, just that she slips away sometimes before you realize it. You may also try closing all of the doors so she can't sneak into a different room. We still use a child safety gate on the stairs to keep the dogs either upstairs or downstairs (so they can't go up if we're down, etc) and usually keep our bedroom door closed because we have a walkin closet and then off of the closet another "secret"/bonus room for reading and that is where she will potty.

[maltese manica]

try taking the used pee pad outside and put it on the ground. That way mabey she might be more tempted to tinkle outside.