Another housebreaking saga...help please!

2 weeks ago, we adopted a delightful, very friendly 18 month old border collie mix. But we do have a housebreaking challenge. At the shelter, they said she had probably been an outdoor country dog, used to peeing anywhere...and so far we have not been able to make her realize that she should only pee outside.

We do take her out often..and she has several walks and runs a day. Whenever she pees outside, we praise her a lot...though the look she gives us says 'what on earth are you praising me for...i'm just peeing!' She then comes home and pees on the carpet. We clean up and spray it with vinegar to mask the smell (though reading the threads, maybe that isn't enough?) We haven't tried a crate...she seems rather old to be subjected to that when everything in her new home is still so new, so I would prefer a different method...if possible.

I keep trying to catch her in the act, so I can say 'No' very firmly, and rush her outside to finish her pee. But so far she is too quick for me. Is this the right approach? Am I just being impatient expecting success after only 2 weeks? I'd love to hear your suggestions!

Others will be able to give you advice about training, I just wanted to let you know that Declan had been in a rescue and was largely outdoors for many months. It took him about two weeks to realize that a/ he could relax and b/The Bizness is not done inside. I was very careful to adhere to a timed routine and withheld water after 8 p.m. until he adjusted. He had a "full work up" at our Vets his first week home so the possibility of a UTI etc had already been errrr... eliminated (pardon the pun) which if you haven't yet done is also worth consideration.

You have to keep the dog next to you or very close by so that you catch them with every mistake they make until they understand the house is not the potty area.

It helps to have a crate for times you can not supervise 100% of the time for example when you have to leave a room to go to the bathroom yourself, fixing dinner, sleeping etc, Now to keep the dog near you you either have to keep them on leash or babygated in the same room as you so that you will catch them if they attempt to take a whiz the second they attempt to go verbal sharp no and you take them immediately outside , the more mistakes they are allowed to make unsupervised the longer it will take to housetrain and as they catch on you gradually and slowly increase their roaming space, if you give them too much atr once theyu will just go off to another room to pee when you are not watching, and then you have to start all over again, I use this method with retired greyhounds, by close supervision I can also tell by the frequency if the dog likely has urinary tract infection

Thank you very much for your suggestions...we have obviously given her too much roaming space to begin with. With your method, how long does it usually take before your greyhounds understand?
I will also phone our vet tomorrow and make sure that when she checked her over she ruled out UTI.
Thanks again...

I hope this is not threadjacking, but I wonder the same thing. Audrie doesn't go potty in her playpen but she does go in the rest of the house if she's not in there. Her playpen then is like her crate, except that she can go outside via doggy door (and does) when she needs to potty.

Is it an unfair assumption that if she is always in the playpen or outside, rather than roaming the house, that she will get used to going outside? Or should I let her out of the playpen and watch her until she tries to go in the house and then take her out/correct her?

With your method, how long does it usually take before your greyhounds understand?
The one caught on in 2 days, others a week or 2

but none get full run of the house alone unsupervised until they have passed a full month with no attempts to mark/go in the house and even then I gradually increase their space so as not to set them up for failure.

Is it an unfair assumption that if she is always in the playpen or outside, rather than roaming the house, that she will get used to going outside? Or should I let her out of the playpen and watch her until she tries to go in the house and then take her out/correct her?

Being in the playpen only teaches her the playpen is not a potty area, she needs to be in other areas of the house with you closely supervising so that she learns those areas are also not potty areas.