Potty Training - Again!

A poster wrote:

I'm having some difficulty with Ruthie. Since we've been in our new situation--a third story apartment--Ruthie has been very stubborn with where she goes to the bathroom. Before we moved in with Matt, she got to go out all the time--whenever she went to the door, I let her out. However, now she is on a schedule, but they go out no less than 5 times a day.

Ruthie just goes to the bathroom wherever she wants. Sometimes she goes outside, sometimes she goes on the puppypad, but most often she just squats wherever she feels like it. This morning she went all over the living room and the bathroom before I had the chance to take them out (within 5 minutes of being up). Much of the time when we go outside, she won't go at all and then she'll poop right after we get back inside. It is infuriating even though I love her dearly.

Puppypads work well for Lola and Louis, and although Louis had some difficulty at first, he's settled right in. I bought a little cloth diaper for Ruthie, but she has no problem peeing/pooping in it, and more often than not, she'll just wiggle right out of it the second I leave. She usese the puppypads as a resting spot--she falls asleep on them half the time, even though the whole apartment is carpeted and she has access to our bed and her own bed! She has stayed with my parents a few times when I've been out of town because I can't bear to kennel her, and she stayed with them for a week just after my house was broken into. My mom says she had the same issue with her that we're having now.

I feel like I am to blame because I got her in February, we moved in June, and then moved yet AGAIN in October. I don't blame her for being confused.

We are going to be in this apartment until at least May, which means another 6 months of living there before we can move to St. Louis and find a house with a fenced in yard. Does anybody have any suggestions as to what I can do? I seriously feel like I've tried every intervention and every method available, but I know I've got to be missing something.

Help!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dear Help!

I'm almost certain some of this is behavioral and is Ruthie acting out since you mention she is doing it when you are home. Since you mentioned that you had other dogs in the house, I'm wondering if there has been any difference in the way you are treating the other dogs? This is not to blame you at all, but it sounds like Ruthie doesn't know her "place" in the order of things - this was a HUGE frustration for me when I brought our second dog into the home. Maverick previously had NO accidents in the house and then all of a sudden I would find little yellow sprinkles or wet spots on the rug... after going to the vet and ruling out a health issue, we realized that it was behavioral and that he was jealous of the time we were spending with the new dog (Sophie). In fact, although we now have reverted back to treating him as the alpha, I was working on training the other day and Sophie caught on more quickly (and therefore got more attention and treats) and once we were done, Mav came upstairs where I was on the couch and I heard what sounded like water on the floor - sure enough, he peed and ran straight to the door - he was jealous and this was his way of letting me know.

The unfortunate part of behavior issues is finding the right "combination" to create harmony in the home. As a general rule, I would probably continue to go with natural pack order - meaning whomever was in the house first gets fed first, gets pet first, gets to go through the door first, etc.

As for potty training - it is common for dogs to revert as you have no doubt heard Wanda confess on the website and in posts on here. New spaces can cause dogs to revert and with a combination of all of the newness in Ruthie's life, it will take some time for her to adjust.
I do like the suggestion of confinement to a laundry/kitchen area as has been suggested. I prefer crates myself, but I know many owners feel guilt over this. I would, however, encouage you to consider crating just during the period of transition and re-potty training as dogs tend NOT to go in their own personal space. In this case, I have to go against Wanda's recommendation of the larger crate (sorry Wanda) only because it does allow them to potty comfortably and that's not the goal. If you're letting them out frequently, she should not HAVE to go in the crate. You can gradually work up to larger spaces - Dogs are naturally den animals and I would argue actually feel comfortable in the confinement of a crate.

I also feel compelled to speak out on the Puppy Pads... I understand you are living in a 3rd story apartment and it's difficult, but if you are taking them out regularly, the puppy pads should not be necessary and are really a hindrance in potty training as dogs can't typically rationalize between whether or not it's "right" or "wrong" to potty inside. Another option if you can't always get downstairs is to use a grass box (http://www.engadget.com/2006/08/28/pet-loo-backyard-in-a-box-for-an-apartment-bound-fido/).

My recommendation: Consider getting some "potty bells" which are bells that are hung from the front door (or wherever you exit to go outside). This way, if Ruthie needs to go, she can alert you by ringing the bells (touching her nose to them to make them ring). Start the training by ringing the bells before you take her outside - EVERY TIME you take her outside. Eventually she will pick up on this, but it will take time! Also, as previously mentioned PRAISE, PRAISE, PRAISE like CRAZY when she goes potty outside. As she is going, you can use 'GOOD POTTY' or whatever command you choose to help her understand why you are acting so excited! I also recommend high drive treats for this... aka, the really good moist ones (Zuke's makes great training treats which are chicken, salmon, or peanut butter flavored and can be purchased at Petco -- haven't found them at PetSmart yet).

Finally, make sure you don't punish for going inside. Once you notice it, take her outside and if possible do not let her see you cleaning up the mess (put her in another room after you come back in and clean up). And though sometimes it's hard, try not to act frustrated as you take her outside after an accident ocurrs - dogs are EXTREMELY sensitive to feelings and can generally tell when you're upset or angry even if you don't "say" anything.

Hit me with any questions or to tell me that you think I'm full of it! =)
Good luck!
Sabrina