help!!! i'm a potty training failure!

I believe i've posted about this before and i've read many post regarding this subject but its not coming so easily. i know its not an easy job but i have been trying so hard. i adopted dakota when she was about 6 weeks old and now she is 4-5 months. i have done many of the things that you have suggested doing such as putting her on a feeding schedule, going and standing in one place in the yard, if she doesnt go keep her leashed to me...etc, and of course she gets praised and treats when she does go. i carry her out in the morning, after she eats/drinks, plays, sleep, and before bed at night. she often pees outside but i can count on one hand the number of times she has pooped outside. i know that she isnt going to poop everytime she goes out. she usually does this once in the morning and once at night, and sometimes once in between. when she goes out to use the bathroom she usually will pee. if its a time that she doesnt normally poop i still will wait for about 5-10 minutes to see if she will poop. after a bit if she hasnt pooped we go in. if its during one of the times that i know she usally doesnt poop i will bring her and and let her off the leash. next thing i know within a minute she is peeing again on the carpet. i dont understand why she doesnt do it all outside. sometimes she will pee twice outside and then still come in and pee inside. she also will pee several times (sometimes 4-5 times) in an hour. of course this is happening inside. when we go out and its a time that she normally poops and she doesnt poop i will bring her in and keep her leashed to me. i give her plenty of time outside! i know that she wont go if she is leashed to me. after about 5-10 minutes i try again. i do this for about an hour. after an hour i take her off her leash...i have stuff i have to do too! i watch her carefully though and when i see her begining to go i will startle her and put on her leash and carry her out again. again, she still doesnt go. it becomes this never ending cycle! she will normally pee almost everytime she goes out but sometimes there are a lot of distractions and she wont go. the dog next door runs up and down along the fence barking everytime she goes out. the neighbors houses are very close and she gets distracted looking and watching people outside. i usually jerk the leash and quietly tell her "go potty." usually once she gets distracted like this there is no helping her, she just wont go once this happens. she will sit down and just watch everything around her. this is what just happend a few minutes ago, so as i sit at the computer typing this she is still leashed to me.

i also have a few other things that i wanted to get some advice about also.

1. she bites really bad. she does this playing but it hurts! i have serval bite marks and puncture wounds on my hands. ive tried to teach her bite inhibition. i will yell "ouch" or "no" and then try to ignore her until she has calmed down but the biting is just not getting better. i have also tried to give her something to bite instead of my hand and then praise her for chewing on it. does anyone have any other advice?

2. she also bites her leash really bad. she only does this when she is distracted when outside to use the bathroom. i normally firmly say "no" and then stand still and ignore her until she stops. this normally doesnt work. does anyone have any suggestions on this?

3. i think that she is marking territory. i have seen her pee on her bed several times and when she goes into a new room that she is not usually in she will pee first thing when she walks in there. anyone have suggestions on this?

i am going to carry her out again right now and see if she will potty now! maybe by the time i get back in i will have a response. :fingerscr

sorry this post is so long but i just wanted to make sure i covered all the details. thanks to everyone for your advice i have recieved already!

i also wanted to add that i was able to teach her to sit, shake, and lay down all within an hour one day. she now does this regularly whenever i tell her to so why is the potty training so much harder? i know that you all dont have all the answers but i'm just so frustrated!

I have a bunch of articles that may be helpful, it is easier than printing it out again. Also, it seems like you may have been jumbling everything up and confusing her.
Do you use a crate with her?
What have you used to clean up the smells? Is it possible that there are other spots from other animals in your home? What do you do when she does go outside?
Let me know what info you are still looking for after you read the articles and I will post it for you.

Have you not taken her to classes yet. There is so much that they get from them besides basic cues that you just can't duplicate at home.

yes, she has a crate that she stays in at night and when i am not home. she doesnt use the bathroom in there. i clean the spots with natures miracle i think its called. when we go outside i put her on a leash and stand there quietly occasionally saying "go potty." i think these are the questions you asked. if you have other questions about the situation please feel free to ask.

no she hasnt gone to classes. i cant afford that right now! :(

Well check out the articles and let me know what else you need. You may also want to check out some training locations that you would like to attend and see whether you could make payments, the classes would be well worth it for both of you.

where are your articles posted?

tenderfoot also has a dvd out that might be cheaper than training too... (tenderfoot is our resident trainer...:) )

Here's her website: www.TenderfootTraining.com

stacy b, i read the articles on your website. i assume these are the ones that you were refering to. i've read alot of imformation like the articles you have posted and its seems that i know a lot of that stuff and i feel like i am doing those things but it still isnt happening. i know i'm not doing it perfect and the reason she messes up is my fault not hers but its just so frustrating. hopefully she will get it eventually! :fingerscr
thanks to you and prin for responding!

Pick one method and stick with it. If you are trying several different things at once or are going back and forth it becomes too confusing to the dog. What are you doing as of right now for your daily routine. Maybe there are things you could adjust but I would need to know what you are doing first. How consistant and how long you stick with something before you try something else will change your results.

she eats 3 times a day. she goes out to use the bathroom after she eats/drinks, plays, naps, in the morning, and before bed at night. the only time she is in her crate is at night and if i am not home. i thought that i was only using one method. please explain why it is that you think i am using several and what you think they are?

I think she meant either do what she is suggesting or what tenderfoot suggests but pick one method, not both.;)

Some thoughts on your raw and bleeding hands - is she done teething ? If not, I used to keep frozen well-cooked liver pieces handy when the grrrrls decided my hands were actually tear-apart toys and/or snacks. I also used Bitter Apple or dish soap or perfume on my hands -whatever it took to make them smell and taste blechy (just make sure you put vaseline on first or they'll hear ya screamin' in Brooklyn!!).

As for the leash tug-o-war, on the the advice of another member I have been using a metal chain lead with Ceili and it seems to be working very well so far. :fingerscr . DON'T let this one go, Ceili - now 6 - uses this behaviour as a passive-aggressive means to get her own way and at nearly a 100 pounds to my 110 it's no game for Mum.

Good luck - those of us who have survived know that there's a reason puppies are so darn cute !:angel:

When is she having her accidents. How many a day does she have. Does she have the accidents in front of you or is she able to leave the room to go. If she doesn't go when you take her out, bring her in and place her in her crate for 20 minutes and try again. When you place her in the crate don't make it punishment, be very kind as if she were just going to have a break for a few minutes. What are you usually doing when she has these accidents.
As soon as she gets up in the morning take her out and when she goes praise and treat her as if you have never seen her do such a good job, get excited. Pick a word that you are going to use and as soon as she starts to go tell her what a good girl she is. If she doesn't go, say nothing, bring her in a into the crate she goes for a short time. This will eliminate those accidnts you are having at these times. I would also suggest that you pick up a black light to make sure that you have removed all the scents in the house from her and any other ones that may be there. Use gates to block her off from going into another room out of your sight. This will also help you to figure out her signals and if you are not able to watch her then put her into her crate or a safe room. These tools are there for you to use and will help you out with the potty training. When she is house trained then you don't need to use the crate so much but for now I would. The more accidents she has the more she will think that it is ok and will be much harder to break. You want to be able to control the accidents.

I know lots on this board have more experience and doggy wisdom than me, but your dog is still only 4-5 months old, a young puppy still. Yes, lots of dogs do learn very quickly but some take their own little sweet time ... like my dog ~ but she did learn and is sooo good at everything now. Your dog has already shown lots of potential by doing all the other things you've said you've taught her! Don't give up, before you know it she'll be perfect too :angel:

I would not suggest using a chain leash this time of year. Getting hit by it (you or dog) is like being whipped by a wet towel. What I would suggest you do is stop, step down on the leash making it not much fun to play with. As soon as she stops, take your foot off and continue your walk with a lets go.

StaceyB covered the potty training thing... Try her suggestions with the crating or safe room, be consistant, and I'm sure you'll see improvement.

as for the other q's...

1. she bites really bad. she does this playing but it hurts! i have serval bite marks and puncture wounds on my hands. ive tried to teach her bite inhibition. i will yell "ouch" or "no" and then try to ignore her until she has calmed down but the biting is just not getting better. i have also tried to give her something to bite instead of my hand and then praise her for chewing on it. does anyone have any other advice?

Have you tried playing a different way? meaning, instead of playing so she has access to your punctured hands, play some different games. Hide some treats for her to find, get a toy that dispenses treats, or simply run around with her - she can't nip you if your hands are not within reach.

2. she also bites her leash really bad. she only does this when she is distracted when outside to use the bathroom. i normally firmly say "no" and then stand still and ignore her until she stops. this normally doesnt work. does anyone have any suggestions on this?

my pup was doing this too - to the point I had to buy 2 new leashes. he chewed through them! I ended up squirting him w/ a little squirt gun - worked great.

thanks so much everyone for all the advice! :thumbs up