Susan,

housetraining is mainly about how diligent the owner is If you know she needs to go, she needs to go. You have to wait It's not the pup being stubborn or naughty...she just hasn't control over her bladdermuscles yet. She can feel it coming...but she can't hold it, yet.

So the best thing you can do is to take her out very regularly. Every time she wakes up from a nap, take her outside right away (don't even let her walk there, that already might be too long for her to hold it), every time after a meal, take her outside..after she played, etc. And if she didn't play, sleep or ate but she has been inside for an hour, take her outside. Usually, if you take them outside at those times, they will pee or poo or both What you do is, you praise her immensely when she pee's (or poo's) outside. Give it a name as well so she will come to connect the action (peeing) with the word (peepee). (For example: Good peepee, yeahhhhh... Or: Good poopoo, yeahhhhh!) Once she connects those words to the actions, you can take her outside and say "go peepee". When you don't name the actionn, you risk that she is outside, plays, see's many interesting things and completely forgets to pee....too busy with everything else Then when she comes back in, she pees (because she still has to pee) So take her out very regularly, stay with her (don't initiate play) till she goes "peepee" and/or "poopoo" and praise her immensely. Don't come back in untill she has done her peepee/poopoo.

If you catch her in the act, you don't discipline her but you can say "uh uh!" something like that. That will usually make them stop and then you run and take her outside where, no doubt, she will continue her peepee....and then you praise her immensely

So in your "bathroom story" 2 things went wrong. First, you knew she had to go but you went first. Seems very logical since you're finished quicker but she has no control over her muscles yet and she simply can't hold her pee...therefore she should not be disciplined or punished for something she cannot help or control. In fact, for something that was your mistake, not hers Second mistake, you grabbed her mid-pee and started cleaning up. You should have grabbed her and run outside with her where she could have continued and you could have praised her for peeing/pooing outside

So the key is, to take her outside as often as you can and to praise her for every pee or poo she does outside. Teach her the words so she can connect them to the actions and don't discipline her when caught in the act (instead you can usually make them stop by using something like "uh uh!") but pick her up and run outside. The less chance she has to pee/poo in the house, the sooner she will get the message

Whenever you have to clean up, try and do it very low key...preferably when she doesn't even notice it. Most people won't be too happy cleaning up and she will sense that "tension" and she won't have a clue what it is all about.

And remember, when you take her outside, don't play and act funny and such until she has poo'd and/or pee'd, at this age they are so easily distracted that they will forget to pee or poo

Sas and Yunah