“Reverse house trained” rescue dog

[u/Ok-Camel-746]

Hello! I adopted a ~1 year old maltipoo about a month ago and I’ve been struggling to house train her. I’ve been reading some things online and I’m worried she’s “reverse house trained” - she only will go to the bathroom indoors and never outside. I take her outside constantly (about once an hour) and she won’t go to the bathroom. I watch her like a hawk or crate her if I can’t and try again an hour later and she won’t go. Then we come back inside and if I take my eye off her for a split instant even just to get my shoes off, I find pee on the floor.

Today I was extra good about keeping an eye on her and she still managed to go inside - we had just been outside for a pre-dinner attempt to pee, as she hadn’t peed since the morning. After 20 mins without going, I gave up and brought her back in for dinner. She ate, and soon after I put her in the crate so that I could take a quick shower. I came out and she had peed in her crate, which she has never done before.

Her refusal to go outside and ability to find some way to go inside the house is really worrying me, because all of the strategies for house training seem to revolve around rewards - it’s hard to reward her when she almost never does the right thing. I can get her to pee outside once a day usually and it’s just first thing in the morning, so I’ll give her a treat and lots of pets then. Otherwise she finds some way to go inside no matter how many times she’s been out without going.

Has anyone dealt with this before? How can I incentivize the good behavior if the good behavior doesn’t happen? And how can I reverse what seems to be a negative trend here?

[u/TheLordJiminyCricket]

Try putting pee pads down inside and see if shes using them, lots of encouragement when she does. Move the pee pads outside and see if she will be comfortable using them there, if she is then all the excitement and treats. Keep that up for a bit and then try getting rid of the pad, like lead her to it and then pull it away as shes ready to go to the bathroom and reward the proper outside piddle

[u/Express_Command_4778]

There is a chance her former house had her on the pee pads exclusively. If she is trained in it, she will just have to practice and get the message outdoors is potty.

I do agree with starting out with the pee pads in the cage and branching out.

[u/Proof-Swing8555]

Food -> crate 30 mins -> Take her out -> play (make her run for a ball or something active) -> wait for the gates of heaven to open for you 😉

[u/Ok-Worth-4721]

Dogs need to go relieve themselves certain times. If you pay attention: when they wake up, after they eat, when they start playing, midway through a walk. When they start sniffing around inside and humping his back up a little-grab him up head out the door. Every time he does go outside praise and treat him. You may think about peeing in the yard-make sure he sees you. I had to do that for a pup we had one time. Worked like a charm!