Male pup is 4 months old now. He has been good as gold going to the toilet when told out in the garden since he arrived at 7 weeks old.  In this lovely weather he has had ready access to the garden but will still come back in and wee on the kitchen floor - which is stone and has been cleaned straight away every time with a bio washing liquid solution.  When he goes into the lounge he now nearly always manages to have a wee on the carpet in spite of regular visits to the garden.  This morning he vanished for a few minutes upstairs and when I went up he had left me a puddle on my carpet again.  He had been outside so is he marking at this age - 17 weeks - and what can I do about it if he is?  When he does it I usually take him straight outside and give him his queue to go.  He does ask to go out if he needs to do anything else. 

Having unrestricted access to the garden is no doubt your problem as the pup won't learn to ask to go out -and don't necessarily see a difference between the house and the garden. It's definitely not marking at this age I'd say. I had a summer pup once where I left the door open all the time, come autumn I realised he wasn't housetrained at all, it just looked like he was as he went outside when the door was open. As soon as he found it shut he went indoors. Sounds like your pup just hasn't understood where he is meant to go.

I think that pups can regress a bit too and /or we get a bit confident in their abilities or we simply forget to be quite so vigilant once they've had some success at the whole peeing outside business

Just make sure that you take him outside and stay with him whilst he wees - use your cue word and give lots of praise - THEN do it all over again!!  Boys are notorious at peeing multiple times, mine never did less than two, and they are just like small human boys:   faaaaar too busy to go properly the first time! :)

Do you stay with him making sure he does actually go outside and doing the normal praise routine?
It could be that he's not actually going, having a ball outside and then coming in and thinking ooh I need the toilet now...
Very easy to think they are actually emptying themselves outside but if just playing once they stop they generally need to go again..

Lol you enjoying puppyhood?

> Lol you enjoying puppyhood

Oh yes he is a little cracker - not a dull moment.  Makes a huge difference when I know the sort of games to play with him to get his focus on me and to teach him control - he is much more switched on to me now than Meg is even now.  He is a very affectionate little boy too.   It is true that he needs to go more than once - I am watching him carefully now - when he has had a run around with Meg then if it goes quiet a moment - that is the time to whip him outside.  I try to take him out by himself to make sure that he has been.  He doesn't go into the carpeted areas very much though - I do restrict his access - I need to see what he is doing.  Oh yes and I still give him lots of praise when he goes outside.

Agree with the others he isn't fully house-trained yet, and going upstairs to an area he normally does not 'live in' is the same to him as going outside.

Will have to spend more time in the carpet areas then!  I stay in the kitchen in the evenings (seems to be a time of day when he wants to play and play - so winds poor Meg up and then we don't get to watch any tv at all.  Haven't dropped off in front of the tv for -----  8 weeks now - since I had him.  Goodness time flies.  Will have to get my husband to stay downstairs with Meg and I will sit upstairs (lounge is above kitchen) and do some training there!

Oh dear - now 7 and half months old young Edison has started marking seriously.  He nipped upstairs and cocked his leg near where Meg likes to sit in her 'quiet room', He cocked his leg on my curtains in the lounge the other night.  This morning the grandchildren were having breakfast and Meg was under the table.  Edi cocked his legs on my very good curtains in the kitchen!!!  On going to get clean up stuff I found another puddle on the utility room floor.  Got another one by Meg's food bowl this evening just after they had had their food.  Is he challenging Meg?  She always puts him in his place but I think he is quite a 'strong' dog and he will want to call the shots so to speak.  His testicles have descended now so he is so full of himself it is hard work.  Will he calm down I wonder?  What do I do except mop up frequently. 

Don't allow him freedom unsupervised, so you can catch him in the act and give him a real telling off and march him outdoors, so he learns it is unacceptable in the house.

That is the same advice my friend told me today (who bred him)  Catch him and tell him off.  Difficult to watch him all of the time.  I don't let him in the lounge unless supervised now - and he has to settle down there now otherwise he gets put downstairs into the kitchen.  He is so fast with his wee - don't even see him sniffing.

Also add this to your outside training - when walking, do not allow him to pee anywhere and everywhere.  I have boys, one of whom would if allowed mark all the way to the fields and footpaths.  I simply say not yet or not here and keep him moving till we reach a more appropriate spot or til he is off lead.  That said I wouldn't stop him he really needed to go but the roadside peeing is, in their case, marking not a necessity :)

Some boys never sniff before marking - they simply don't need to as their sense of smell is so very good they can 'read' it from yards away.  Do be very careful with your chap to make sure he goes properly outside.  Boys are notorious for never finishing properly - there is always something more exciting to do and they get distracted.  All three of my current boys will go at least twice when taken out for a wee and as puppies it was a minimum of three times!!

Another option is to keep a towel, or flannel on your person at all times and practise the 'wrap and run technique' - I used to have to do this with my youngest boy for a week or two but luckily the minute I scooped him up he'd stop (and he was probably younger than yours).  I used a beer towel

> Some boys never sniff before marking

That was what I was told yesterday - to watch out for him sniffing - which I had never noticed him doing -  I was told that dogs always sniff first - so thanks for your point!   I am sure he never sniffed first when he went on my curtain - he has been back and sniffed since - and then I can move in quick to tell him no.   He marks more outside when he is with Meg - she is dreadful at marking!!!   When I have him on lead I am spending all of my time getting him to walk on a loose lead - he just wants to rush ahead to wherever he thinks he is going.  He gets really excited - crying, salivating and if I don't watch him he will come back and jump up to nip in his frustration to get somewhere.  He is an absolute bundle of energy at the moment.  I am having to be inventive with play once he is off lead - as soon as he anticipates what I am going to do he is very intense - once there is a ball in sight he isn't interested in marking anyway - but I won't always get the ball out at the same time in our walk.   When I take him up the garden - and I still do take him ---- he will look for his ball.  I have hidden it out of sight now - but he knows where it is.  To think a month ago I could take him up the garden - say 'be quick' and he would go!!  And as you say dogs a babe - he would go several times!  

Agree with the others, catch him in the act and give him what for, this is the 1 time out of 100 that telling off is a good thing, not just ignoring bad behaviour and praising good, which I'm all for most of the time. Caught my boy at 14 month weeing up my leg and gave him a major telling off right there and then, he never weed on anything inappropriate ever again, even with my girl in season.

My husband managed to catch him last night just as he was getting ready - however I have had to clear up 2 puddles today that happened when my back was turned and I caught a slight movement out of the corner of my eye this evening but could see nothing until I ran my hand over the carpet - too late -  just a tiny sprinkling.  He doesn't always actually raise his leg.  

You need to crate him if you can't watch him. Take him right back to the beginning, like training an eight week old puppy.

Crating would not help - I have him within a few feet of me and I take my eyes off him and he has done it.  Fingers crossed today was a dry day - still got to get him to bed!  Of course some of these sprinkles are not easy to see - so there may be more traces around the place than I have found.  I crate him overnight.

It must be his age.... he's definitely a teenager now, and has the urge to mark. I never caught my boy at it, but found odd stains on the skirting board in the hall... maybe he practised indoors for a bit before building up enough confidence to mark out in the big wide world.

He doesn't have any problem in the big wide world believe me!!!  Have to watch him to stop him when he is on the lead.  When he is off lead he is fully occupied looking for me to play with him - really focussed little boy - definitely full of himself - especially in the evenings - plumps up the cushions of his bed regularly!! 

>Crating would not help - I have him within a few feet of me and I take my eyes off him and he has done i

That is exactly why crating would help, he won't do it in the crate, so only let him out if your not going to take your eye off him at all.  You can attach a line/long lead to your belt so that you can feel any movement if you prefer.

> he won't do it in the crate

Not necessarily. I've had pups that have, as well as peeing in their beds (which is again something that apparently dogs don't do!).

Eddy has never done it in his crate - but he spends all night there - and he goes there when we have visitors and he can't settle down.  If he is in the crate for a good part of the day I am afraid that he is not going to want to be there.  He wants to lie at our feet which is where he is now.  He is being very challenging at the moment which I feel is all connected - he is marking because he is saying to our other dog 'this is mine' and he is also challenging me - which I am trying my best to cope with and have asked advice from the person who bred him as well as friends who are also dog trainers.  This morning and tried to bat a wasp back out of the door - he jumped up and started nipping me although I had been quite calm about it.  Then I dropped my other dog's blanket on the floor - once again Eddy challenged me for it by coming in with his teeth.  I caught his collar and told him off in as calm and stern a voice as I could do.  When he calmed down I released him and told him to sit while I once again picked up the blanket.  Then I went into the kitchen to find that he had cocked his leg on my other dog's basket.  I went to clean it up and once again he came in and grabbed my clothing.  I held him and told him no way then turned my back on him.  He went to sit by my husband who told him to go to his crate - which he did.  That was my very bad morning!   He has always been an argumentative lad when he wasn't getting his own way as a tiny pup.  He used to have a little temper when someone caught hold of his collar.  It hasn't been tolerated and I thought I had taught him good bite inhibition - this is an effort to manipulate me again and he won't get away with it.  Incidently he is the only one of his litter like this!  A strong character I think. 

Wow, sounds like a right handful (and I've owned collies for over 30 years).

I would leave off grabbing the collar. Far better to lure him with a treat or a toy.
Dogs don't really understand being told off, they may act subdued but it is just due to the raised voice.
I would up his general obedience and work on a settle command, start it when he is tired and reward him with nice soothing strokes when he settled on his bed.
Have a jar of treats, strategically placed so that you can get him to sit, stay or down and then reward. Also toys that you can give to him or something to chew instead of pulling at clothes.
I would think that when you picked up the blanket the movement of it, would have attracted him and he thought this looks like a good game, and made a grab for it.
How much exercise is he getting ? Sometimes just a short walk and a change of scenery helps with youngsters. Also lots of little short training sessions, will help to tire him.
Some puppies are more challenging than others, but try and look for the positives, set your self a plan and I am sure you will see improvements.
I had a Springer Spaniel (working type) who did the wall of death round the living room at 7 pm every night, but it passed and she grew out of it, I just used to take her a short walk, do a couple of training exercises and then she would just flake out.
Sometimes we all go through patches of OMG ! what have I done, but with love and patience we get through it and end up with the dog we always wanted in the end.

No he went straight for me not the blanket - he has done this when I have been loading the dish washer, putting the recycling bags ready (they rustle) when I have gone over to see where he has just marked - he objects to that if he is still sniffing - any new noises - like drawing the blinds act as a trigger.  I have started looking for it now and get ready to tell him to leave it as soon as I see him move.  I can get him to control himself for a short while while mopping the floor,  but it is hard for him.  Usually he just bombs in like a bull charging and he is hanging from my arm before I can think!   I tell him to sit and he sits there with his bottom jaw shuddering.  He does calm down fairly quickly but I have been told to be firm with him!!!    He is also very jealous when I stroke my other dog and ends up barking at her or rushing up to me with a toy to get my attention.  He is a very 'me me me' dog!!!!   He used to go for my feet when I went down stairs first thing in the morning which has been easily cured by telling him to sit on the top step and calling him when I get to the bottom - then he gets a treat! 

What is he fed on ? Sometimes food can have a big effect on dogs behaviour.
Sounds like movement and sudden noises causes him to react in certain situations, I would still work on his basic obedience. Lots of praise when he gets it right.
Go over all of the areas that he has marked with an antibacterial pet disinfectant, Pets at Home do them, as he will go back to the same places if he can smell where he has marked before.
As another poster said I think you need to go back to basics with him, taking him outside on a regular basis, and make a big fuss of him when he urinates where you want him to.
Telling him off for urinating in the house won't work, all that will happen is he will be come more anxious, just make sure he gets it right and goes out as often as possible, and then this good behaviour is reinforced with praise.
Very difficult to give advice over the internet, without actually seeing the dog, but it sounds as if he has developed certain habits, and that you now need to break them. Just be consistent and vigilant and I am sure the penny will drop, some dogs just take longer than others.

I am doing all of that - I am feeding him on Burns junior at the moment - he was on Royal Canin.

There we go - he has done it again - just a spray but it is obvious what he meant by it - I feed them at the same time and sit near so that Meg isn't tempted to go and push youngster out of the way to get his food too - then when they have both finished they swap bowls for a final lick!  Eddy licked and cocked his leg - now I will have to pick up both bowls when they have finished straight away to prevent any claiming of both!!!  And he has had plenty of training this morning - Meg has been out for 2 walks - once with my husband and once with my son and family.  While she was out I managed to do quite a bit with Eddy.  Then I took him for his walk - and did a lot of play making him think and run.  ..................... Would you believe it he has just gone into Meg's crate by me and sprinkled again.  This is not going to be resolved I don't think until Meg accepts he is kingpin around here!!!  

Crating or Barbara's idea of leashing him to you would help? At this moment in time I wouldn't be leaving him free, to behave as he likes. Sounds like a very challenging dog and you might also think about getting a good behaviourist/trainer in to give you some ideas as it's difficult to advise without seeing what you both are doing and the family routine etc.