Hello! My 5 month old teacup yorkie has been with me since January, and since then we have been struggling with the housebreaking. I have her going on puppy pads now because the weather has been too cold for training outside. She stays in a playpen when no one is around to watch her, and is at my neighbor's house while I am at work. When I am at home, I let her out of the playpen and try to keep an eye on her. However, she slips off when I am not looking and goes to the bathroom next to the kitchen floor and behind my dining room table. These are her 2 favorite spots, despite the fact that I have cleaned those areas with Nature's Miracle to the point of drenching the carpet with it to mask her scent. When I catch her in the act I scold her, and put her on the puppy pad. When she goes on the puppy pad by herself, I praise her thoroughly. I am getting frustrated that these tactics are still not working.
Now that Spring is coming, I'd like to transition her to going outside on my deck (I live in a condo) on a designated puppy spot. I put wire "fencing" around the deck's rails so that she can't fall off (I am on the second floor), and plan to install a kitty door since she's so small. The question is, how do I transition her to going outside, especially when I work during the day and can't consistently train her to do so?
If I moved her puppy pad outside, and showed her where it was, and praised her when I could for going out there, would she eventually get the idea? I would take the pad out of the equation in due time of course. Any suggestions or help would be greatly appreciated!