Hello

[in2boop]

Good morning to all.

I am desperately looking for help with my rescued Staffie.

I rescued Jazzie 4.5 years ago, and we have been very happy all these years. But recently she has been a true pain.
We have recently moved and she refuses to go potty outside unless taken for a walk.
In our previous home she had a doggie door and came and went freely through the family room.
She still has a doggie door, but must go out through the garage to get outside. (I know that she uses it, because I often find her outside sunning herself.)
She was 14 months old and potty trained when I rescued her and only needed to learn how to use the doggie door. Before moving she never had accidents in the house. I'm not even sure these are accidents. She will look me in the face and squat. She makes no attempt to go out to the yard. I am really trying not to lose it.

I am desperate...I am leasing this place and cannot have pet urine and stains all through the house.
I know that her breed is stubborn and temperamental, but I hate to have to get rid of her because she does not want to adapt to her new surroundings.

Jazzie's mom.

[Ari_RR]

If it was me - I would be taking her out, even if for a short walk, more often... Several times a day, every other hour if need be, so she only does her business outside. This will hopefully reestablish the habit of never going inside.
New environment and change is not easy for her to adapt to. Garage may be a scary place, for example....

Anyway, I would go back to basics on this one, and approach house training as if she was a 3 months old baby.

In the meantime, get rid of the urine smell with some high quality scent remover.

Just my 2 cents

[JudyN]

I agree with Ari - back to basics, as if she was a new puppy. You might even want to take her out more often, say every half-hour even, to maximise the chances of her 'going' - in which case praise and reward her as if she's the cleverest dog in the world. Have a read of the toilet training thread here: viewtopic.php?f=20&t=6125

[Erica]

I agree that going back to potty training basics would be the best course forward. If the methods posted above don't work, you may want to consider a vet check (and telling them the issue) as some medical conditions can change dogs' pottying behavior. In this case the stress of the move and a new environment would explain the regression - she simply doesn't know that the old rules apply here too.