Any Dog Whisperers Out There?

Instead of pushing him out to door and letting him go in the yard leash him and walk him to his potty spot. Every time he goes where he is supposed to praise and treat him.
When you are not at home you need to keep him crated until he has no more accidents. If he isn't used to being crated yet you will need to crate train him.

Once he has no more accidents in the house you can try to slowly ease off the crate if you want to, however some dogs will to best if you keep up with the crate.

That is the most effective method I know.
Good luck.

2 things.
1) Read up on "crate training". It can make a HUGE impact on getting him potty trained, and should probably be your first step.
2) Of COURSE he doesn't want to go outside!! Dogs are pack animals and being outside (alone) is NOT what ANY dog would want, if he could be inside with his pack instead. He probably assumes the "doors gonna hit him in the a__" if you get my drift. Take him outside on a leash for his potty business (teach him a command to do his business) and go outside WITH him as a pack. He should enjoy being outside if his pack is with him. Play with him out there. Make it fun, except for the down to business part.

We tend take care of business first, and THEN play. It helps encourage our dog to do it quickly so she can play, rather than delaying so she gets to be outside longer than maybe I have time to be or want to be (in this heat). :)

By the way, most dogs can hold it for quite a long time, if they are so inclined. Ours can hold it for more than 8 hours easily. Heck, she does that every single night. Not that I think it is "nice" or a good idea to make a schedule that MAKES that happen daily. Normally, the only time I "worry" about if we need to get home for the dog is if we've been away ALL DAY. Like she only got one chance outside first thing in the morning, and is home alone until late afternoon. And then, not because she CAN'T hold it longer, but because it is cruel to expect her to try.
The only accidents she has ever had (since being potty trained as a puppy) were when she was sick. And even then, she only had one pee accident, during a seizure. She held the rest until we literally carried her outside so she could relieve herself. She was embarrassed. Seriously.
:)

I am more of a dog yeller but but I will try.

About the only way to train a dog that is going to be left for that long is crate. If you give them the home they will make a bathroom so you have to give them a small enough space that they can not make a bathroom. They will never use their home as a bathroom unless they are completely desperate so crates work.

My Golden held it in her crate for 14 hours when we had to go to the hospital for an emergency. That should give you some idea of why people will tell you this works.

You can try kenneling him when you are not home. If you get a properly sized kennel (big enough for him to turn around, not big enough for him to run around), he will likely not mess the kennel. Dogs do not like to mess right where they sleep! I would also suggest getting some baby gates so you can restrict the areas that the dog has access to while you are home. Keep an eye on him and put him right outside if you see him "squat," just like you would with initial puppy training. The more they go in the house, the more they think it is OK to go in the house. Kenneling and vigilance while you are home will reinforce that he needs to go outside only.
Best of luck, I know how frustrating that can be. Just be grateful yours is tiny- my problem pooper was a Mastiff :)

Some dogs will never be able to hold it half a day. In fact, that is a lot to ask of MOST dogs. One of our dogs could easily go a half day. Our other dog can't go 2-3 hours. They are different dogs, with different bladder needs. This could be explained by a few things, one of them being anxiety. Do you walk your dogs every day. Seriously, EVERY day? A good, exerting walk. This is something dogs NEED, no matter the size, temperament or breed. If you can't give a daily walk, you should not have dogs. He could be very anxious with a lot of pent up energy. Anxious dogs will pee and poop. He went from being an outdoor dog, to now being a family dog. That is a HUGE change for an animal. The fact that you have to push him out the door, shows me he is insecure and anxious right now. Dogs need to feel comfortable with where they go. He is clearly uncomfortable in your yard, but comfortable in your house. Take him outside, play with him, interact with him. Make him trust his new surrounds. It's only been a matter of weeks. He now has new expectations, is probably in great need of exercise, and all of this leads to anxiety.

My advice is simple. WALK your dog, and be patient.

Crate training & leash walks w/ "pee command" every 30 minutes when home.

LOL, "Be quick!" ended up being mine! (I HATE listening to people say "potty, c'mon go potty, let's go potty" all the time ... And it's cold and wet here most of the year. So I really MEANT 'Be quick!')

Black light to clean up the rest with BLEACH. If there's any scent left, it's like installing a bathroom somewhere (if you build it, people will use it... If a dog can smell it, he will use it).

Crate train that boy.

I second the idea of going on walks with him. One of the reasons he resists going outside with you may actually be because he was kept outside all day. He has no reason to believe that you won't leave him there. He could be afraid that if he goes out, he'll stay out and he'll lose his chance to spend time with you inside again.

Taking him for walks is a great bonding experience. It will help him learn to trust you and understand that he comes back inside after the walk. This could then help him gain a little more confidence and freedom in going out by himself.

We got our dog 10 months ago. The shelter told me to walk him even before I took him inside to the house. What a great idea! I had the rest of the family greet us in the front yard, then took him around the block. It helped to settle him down and build a bond from the beginning. Still, it was only a few weeks ago that he started going outside without me, and that is only for a few moments. I don't think he's ever done his "business" without me outside.

Be patient and kind and he should come around. So much to adjust to! New people, new being inside, new doggie sister, new life. For a dog that has never been trained it can be quite confusing. Walk him a lot and then just take him outside frequently, use a go potty command and by all means, stay/play with him. Since he is small, you might want to carry him out for a while until he wants it to be his idea.

Good luck! And kudos for giving a dog a second chance at the good life.

If you can buy or borrow a black light, you may be able to find what it is that still needs cleaning in the laundry room. Is there a way it could be the sub-flooring?

Your boy dog is totally different from your girl dog. Have you taken him to the vet to make sure that all his plumbing is in working order? Is he able to get by a whole day in a kennel?

In all your abundant spare time (that's a joke, but you do need to adjust your schedule for this), focus on him for a while. He probably doesn't want to go outside because he's answering the call of nature while he's inside - which shows how sensible he is. He thinks there isn't a problem! So don't just push him outside; go out with him. Put him on leash. Give him a command to do his thing in the place you've chosen for him (he won't understand that for a long while), and, if he does do something, praise him and reward him with just a taste of a treat (he doesn't need a whole snack). Play with him a little outside after he's done his thing. Take him out every couple of hours and do the same. Do this every day. Hold down your irritation with the whole business (however justified you may be!) and show an in-charge but friendly demeanor. Expect it to take a while.

For what it's worth, many years ago a dog showed up in our yard, and ended up staying for twelve years. But it took months for him to be house-trained. Buster had no training, and he had not had a very happy life. He used our house as a bathroom until we were tearing our hair out. Apparently, after a long time he realized that he was *not* going to be abandoned or shoved out, and he just turned around and did it right. Then we had to tackle obedience training, which was another long job. But he was a lovely and loving dog. I was sad when he passed away from cancer at age thirteen.

If he's in a kennel all day he won't get the idea he can go all over the house even if he did go in the kennel. They say they won't go in the kennel but I have had dogs go in it. If it's too big where they have room to walk around and go in it they often will do that. I would keep him in the kennel, the minute you get home take him out and say 'good dog' and give a treat. Then watch him all night in a small area or re kennel him until he gets the idea. He will get it but I've read that daschunds and chihuahua dogs are really bad to housebreak. We had one that never got it and he had to find a new home. :-(

I just wanted to echo the crate-training and frequent walks every body else is suggesting.

In case you're reluctant to try crate training or think it's cruel, let me assure you it's not. Someone at a shelter once explained it to me this way: A crate is sort of like a wolf or fox's den to a dog. It's a safe, secure place to be, and it relieves them of the stress of having to patrol a larger area while you're away.

When I crate-trained my first dog we'd gotten to the point where she knew that the first 10 minute of my being home would be consumed by my being angry (stupid, I know), and then we could have fun. After we started crate-training, no more accidents! Happy me! Happy dog!

Good luck!