Potty Training 13 week old Mutt

Hi folks, need some help with potty training my 13 week old rescue puppy. We have had her now for a full month now. She makes no indication of needing to go out at all. The only reason we only have 2-3 accidents a day is because we are home and take her out often. Here is what we do for our potty training, I'd love to get some new ideas or suggestions.
A typical day (I have small children so we do our best but life gets in the way)
Taken out to potty at 4:30 a.m.
Fed breakfast by 5:00
Out again at 5:30
Back in her crate until 6:30
Out at 6:30
Out at 8:30
Usually crated from 8:30-11:30 while we are out
Taken out every hour and 15 minutes before being crated
Taken out 30 minutes after dinner at 5:00
Taken out before bed at 8 and again at 11. Sleeps until 4 in her crate.

She has had several occasions where she has pooped in her crate and rolled in it. I think this is because our older dog was not in the same room with her (willow has her own small room in the garage that we sometimes put her in when we leave but usually she's free to roam.) I think our older lab is her comfort in the crate. But this is sort of a separate issue from just the general house training.
Our lab literally took two weeks before she started going to the door regularly. And has had very few accidents in the house ever - only when she is sick. So while I know 13 week old Maple is still young, I feel like she is learning her other commands and routines well but not making any progress in the potty training. Just tonight my husband took her out (she went) and within 15 minutes of being in the house she pooped. He's fed up with her and something has to give. Please help! She gets lots of praise and a treat when she goes outside and I say "potty Maple" when we get out there. She almost always goes when we are out there but goes in the house too.

I know it's difficult with trying to take care of kids too, but one thing I do when potty training is I keep the puppy on a leash and near me whenever she is not in her kennel.

Does your puppy go potty immediately after coming back in the house or does she wander off and go? If she wanders off, the leash might help. If she goes immediately, do you think she just needs a little more time outside? Maybe she needs to squat a couple of times.

I think you're schedule is good, but if she's having accidents, maybe take her out even more often temporarily. The more accidents you can prevent, the better since you're breaking the habit of going potty in the house.

Here is a post I wrote on puppy potty training that might help you brainstorm: http://www.dogids.com/blog/common-pu...ning-mistakes/

One of the tips in there is to take the puppy out through the same door every time, which you're probably doing. Keeping everything as consistent as possible will only make the training easier.

I have a 12 week old TT bitch I'm house-training at the moment, so I sympathize!

When she's awake, she needs watching CONSTANTLY for any sign that she needs to go, but I take her every half-hour regardless; and always after a play session, after waking up, and after eating/drinking. I don't bring her back in until she has at least wee'd. She must 'ask nicely' (sit quietly for several seconds) before I take her back inside; it's very difficult for a pup to sit quietly if it needs to wee or poop!!

Every pup is different - it might help to make a note of when yours wees/poop, so you can start to see a pattern emerging.

You could keep the puppy on a house-line tied to your waist when the pup is awake as was suggested, or have it somewhere that it doesn't matter too much if it has an accident - the kitchen, or in an ex-pen outside.

Thoroughly clean/de-smell the crate, even if that means destroying the bedding and replacing it. Use a specialist cleaner specifically designed for the purpose; if the puppy can smell it's own poop/wee even slightly, it will consider the crate a toilet and go in it again. Also, reduce the space inside the crate; pups don't like soiling their own bed, so if you block off half the crate, your pup will make a noise when it needs to toilet, rather than using the extra space to do it in.

If the crate is close enough to you that you'll hear the puppy, you can take it outside when it wakes, praise like mad when it goes, and make a mental note of the time.

Next night, set your alarm for 15mins earlier than this, and wake the puppy up to take it out. Gradually slide this time towards morning, 5 mins earlier each night, so the pup has to wait longer and longer before you take it out. If the pup wakes YOU up, re-set the alarm to 15 mins before again, and start over.

My pup's water bowl comes up at 6.30pm. She has a drink of warm goats milk at 7pm (about 100mls), a last trip out and bed at 7.30pm. She is woken for a final trip out at 11pm and then she sleeps until 6am.

I hope that helps - as I say, all pups are different!

Great tips! I like your advice about getting up before the pup wakes you up. This is to discourage whining, correct?

I would also add that some dogs never learn to "ask" to go outside. My 9 year old dog has probably asked me to go outside about 4 times in his life total. He only started whining at the door because he was sick and it was an emergency.

Yes, you are right - taking the pup out before it wakes is better because the pup hasn't whined, and therefore it doesn't make the connection; I whine, I get taken out!

Also you naturally help the puppy to 'hold on' longer because you extend the time between visits outside.

My 10 yr old boy doesn't ask to go, either, he knows we'll take him and he waits until we do. It's only when he's unwell that he asks!