Greetings everyone;

Things are going pretty well us all as we adjust to life with our new girl (she's 6 months now). I am struggling with getting her to housetrain, though. I know that I'm also confusing her, so I was hoping that if I explained the situation, you might have some ideas.

I am out of the house for over 10 hours a day (note - I realize that this is a long time for her to be alone, and it will change in the spring when my boyfriend moves in). At any rate, it's far too long for her to remain crated. I have her crate in a gated off area, along with her water bowl, some toys and papers. She's pretty reliable about using the papers to eliminate, but when we're home, I can't seem to help her understand that I'd prefer she go outside.

I'm not sure whether the answer is that I just have to deal with it for the next couple of months until she's not on her own as much, and then properly crate train her. Am I doing her damage in the meantime though, by allowing her to use the house as her toilet? Will it simply confuse her later on?

I think the best thing you can do when you're home is be very very watchful. It won't register for her unless you pick her up right when she squats and take her outside. I don't know how to get around being away for so long during the day. Can you come home for lunch or do you work too far away?

Take her outside when your home every 2 hrs and give her a treat when she goes.
When she is loose in the house tie her to you, so you know where she is at all times, and can't
sneak off to pee…
Ignore when she pees in house.
It takes time, but will work.

If your not at home for 10 hours.. I think you can better learn her to go on a paper in the house.. If I would be away for 10 hours.. Tillo wouldn't pee all that time, because he knows he should go outside..

You can also ask someone else to take her out every couple of hours.. Because 10 hours alone is a long long time..

It is very, very diffcult to "retrain" to go outside when/after they are paper trained… it takes loads of time and work... and not till you can totally remove the paper, IMO will it be a success. Till them, as Janneke suggests, get used to her going in the house.. and seeking paper to use