Hi all,

So our little guy is just a week shy of six months old. It seems like housetraining has not been going all that well since we got him in February, but everyone I've asked has told us we are doing the right things. I have him ring a bell that is by our front door any time we are going out to "do business." However, we often let him go out the back door because the back yard is fenced in and it is where he has run to whenever he is trying to let us know that he needs out. When he runs to the back door, we know we have very little time, certainly not enough time to run to the bell and have him ring it (I've tried). The problem is he doesn't wait for us to open that door, but just pees right there by the door or on his way there. He does this "walking pee" where he doesn't actually stop, but pees as he is moving, causing him to leave a trail that is several feet long. Is this normal? We still take him out for regular breaks, but these accidents are pretty unpredictable. He can go days without any problems and then he can have 3-4 days in a row where he might have 6-7 accidents each day, usually between 5-7:00 PM. It is very frustrating because I really can't tell what is going on. Even if we just took him out and he went, he'll end up having an accident inside less than fifteen minutes later. I don't scold him when he has an accident, I just take him out to finish up. Also, he had not had any "number two" accidents since the very first day we got him, and he always lets us know when he has to do that by calmly sitting in front of the back door to be let out. Until this morning anyway. I found he did that right in front of the fireplace this morning, never even tried to go to the door. Do they actually regress on housetraining at any point? Also, are there any additional tips for what we can do? I take him to the same spot every time we go out (unless it is one of the emergencies where he runs to the back door), praise him when he goes, and give him a consistent command when he goes. What am I missing here?

I'm new to all of this myself and was just reading up on some areas that we are working with Akira. My one thought...If he already rings the bell and he will go to the back door to ask to go out, why not move the bell to the back door and combine the 2 things he is already doing? This may make things easier to prevent accidents. For the first little bit you may want to bring him out on a leash to try and get him to potty in one area of the back yard. If you catch him in the act, you can give him a stern "NO" and then take him directly to his potty spot. Hope you're having more success already as I notice this is a bit of an older post.

That would certainly be the smart thing to do, wouldn't it?
In the past few weeks he seems to have demonstrated greater control, actually waiting longer at the door to be let out (except last night, first accident since that post). I guess there isn't really a problem with moving the bell to the back door except that whenever I go outside with him it is to the front yard where he has a clearly designated spot that he always uses, while in the backyard he goes anywhere. Also, there isn't a spot to hang the bell. I don't want it to ring every time I open the door, just when he touches it. At the front door it hangs on the railing going up the stairs, so it only gets bumped when I make him bump it.
So, overall, yes, moving the bell would be the logical choice and perhaps I should just do it. Thanks!