I have rehomed a puppy who I was told was house trained she was 6 months I have now had her about 7 weeks. She wasnt at all reliable though I dont know if this was her change in owners or they fibbed.I started again with her , and have been staying in the kitchen with her and she is now clean in the kitchen even if I leave her.My problem is if she gets a chance she will dirty anywhere in the house apart from the kitchen. She will not do anything in front of me, even in the garden though she has recently started to on walks so I praise her lots.I am hoping she doesnt think other rooms are outside as well. I live in a fairly large house so when we are not in the kitchen she is hard to watch. I dont want to sit in the kitchen forever. Any suggestions?

You need to take her outside & stay with her until she"performs"& then reward her. Wrap up well, many the night I have gotten up & dressed just to house train a puppy. No good just expecting her to learn to go outside by leaving her outside,especially if she hasn't been properly house trained when young

The reason she will not 'perform' in front of you is, I suspect, that she has been told off and/or punished for toileting inappropriately. She is scared in case you tell her off when and wherever she toilets. Don't go over the top with praise, just gentle strokes and telling her how good she is, perhaps treats as well, but keep it low key, don't make all exciting as she won't really understand. As to toileting in other parts of the house, I had the same with the pup. She was very good in the kitchen diner where she kept most of the time, but didn't appreciate that the rest of the house wasn't the 'outdoors' where I wanted her to go. Given her age, she should have regular toilet habits and should be able to hold on for quite a while. Try and get her to relieve herself before taking her into other rooms, perhaps just one area at a time although I know that's not always practical. You will need to watch her like a hawk and whenever she shows signs that she needs to wee, such as looking distracted, moving away from you, sniffing around, quickly as possible get her outside without making a fuss and then praise as above. I take it you don't tell her off for weeing in the house? Good luck

I think she is scared to do one in front of me because shes been told off. Also when she has done something in the house its on something soft so I think that might mean they used puppy pads. The weeings are just about under control but its the poos, which you would think would be easier to predict, but no she has even done them on the sofa . I think doing a few on walks is a bit of a break through. I never tell her off.

Ah puppy pads, that makes sense. She probably didn't know she had to go outside and thought inside was fine so long as on the right surface. It's quite a problem. Had never heard of puppy pads before until a few years ago. I can see when they would be useful say if you were taking a young pup on a car journey and it needed to relieve itself somewhere on the way. Do you think it would help to get a puppy pad and put it outside in your chosen toileting area to see if she will use it there? It would be easy to wean her off pads outdoors. It may well be now that she is beginning to toilet on walks that the light has switched itself on!

It certainly sounds like she is confused if she has been used to the dreaded puppy pads for house training, poor girl.

I would and have done what others have advised in your situation. Keep her with you and watch her like a hawk at all times so that she doesn't get the chance to toilet in other areas of the house. I always feel that if they do this then it is almost like they become used to it and think that it is ok.

I still have the odd accident from my 5 month old and that is normally because I have not been watching him as closely as I should. We had a regression a few weeks back and he was messing in the kitchen almost daily. I went back to basics with him which meant taking him out after meals, sleep and play. I also find that if I stick to a rigid routine of feeding times, then I know when he will do his business and take him out specifically at that time. I find that routine normally helps them greatly and also I use a crate for the times that I can't watch him or I go out, as he doesn't like to mess in the crate.

I too was up during the night several times taking my boy out up until a few weeks ago and then I cut it back to once a night and this may explain why he was messing sometimes during the day...I don't know, just wish we could speak dog sometimes. lol.

It is a very positive step that she is starting to go to the toilet on walks, as Jodi has said, maybe now that she is doing this, the light may have switched itself on. I hope so for you and her.

I agree with hairypooch about rigid food times and toileting times, it really seems to work. Dogs like a routine, they know where they are and what to expect. I can almost tell the time by when my girl will go and sit by the door which is her way of telling me she needs to go out for a wee.
Interesting how you had a regression at five months with your boy hairypooch as that has happened with Isla. Not so severe but I think we both got lazy about our routine, really it was more my fault not watching her and realising what her needs were (and I was being lazy)!

I agree Jodi, I think that it is sometimes easy to forget how young they still are and we do get lazy. It was completely my fault that he regressed as I was probably expecting too much of him but he is sometimes far too distracted when taken out for toilet time, we can be out for ages and he's more interested in sniffing everything, attention span of a gnat sometimes :-D He thinks that the outside world is for observing first, relieving his bladder and bowels last...

He thinks that the outside world is for observing first, relieving his bladder and bowels last...

Like that with children too!