Hey Everyone,
I could really use some advice or opinions here...
Some background. I live in an apartment complex on the 4th floor of a 4 floor building with a parking garage and parking lot in between the grass area where I would like Kaia to go potty.
I have had Kaia since Sept 5. I have been working with her on potty training. For about a week and a half she was doing great.. She would go #1 and #2 on the designated grass area outside without any issues. Suddenly she started going #2 in the parking garage. I foolishly let her do this about 3 times before telling her NO and bringing her to the designated potty area on the grass. I would then carry her when we got off the elevator through the parking garage and place her half way between the parking lot and the grass area where she would walk/jog to the designated area and go potty #1 and #2. I always use the phrase when we are on the grass "Kaia Potty". Her doing both on the grass continued for a little over a week since her initial incidents.
This morning when she woke up around 630am we went out to the grass area as per usual and she went #1 and I was out there with her for 15 minutes before I assumed she did not have to do # 2 at this time. Half way into the parking garage she plopped to squat and started going #2. I picked her up and said NO but as I was carrying her back out to the grass potty area, the partially eliminated feces dropped to the parking garage.
I got her to the grass area but she did not have to poop anymore. Twice later today we went out to the grass area where she did #1 and # 2 both times. I took her to my parents house and she played and a bit before 5pm she went #2 on my parents lawn no issues (They live in a house with quick access out the front or back door to the grass).
I got her back to my apartment she slept for about an hour then I took her out to potty when she woke up around 6pm. She did #1 no issues and she laid down on the grass for about 10 minutes then I took her for a 10 minute walk across the way to a park (grass surface). As we came back to the apartment complex I brought her to the grass potty area just to see if she had to go potty again and she did #1. It was dinner time for her so I started walking toward the parking garage and she started running. We got into the parking garage and she was jogging toward the elevator area which is the opposite side of where we enter/exit to go to the parking lot and grass area. Again about half way to the elevator she plops and starts doing #2, and I pick her up tell her NO and again the partially eliminated stool was left on the parking garage and I carried her out to the grass area but she did not continue to go # 2. We then walked back in through the parking garage where we went up stairs to my place for dinner without another accident.
I know she is just over 2 months old and is doing amazingly well...but I just can't make sense why she is going in the parking garage. I treat and or praise her everytime she goes #1 or #2 on the grass and never praise her for going in the garage area.
Should I attribute this to her obviously not being fully trained, Kaia not having full control of her bladder and bowels, and Kaia being just a pup where mistakes and setbacks will happen or am I missing something here...
Any advice, thoughts, or opinions would be greatly appreciated.
Aside from her doing this she is a very well behaved pup. She does not bark unless she wants some attention or to play with another dog, she isn't tearing up my apartment or furniture, she seldom has an accident in the apartment, and she sleeps 3-5 hours at night.
p.s. I always clean up the stools in the garage with cleaner and disinfectant and I never notice Kaia smelling around for her scent she just all of a sudden squats and starts doing # 2. Also she has never gone #2 in my apartment, in the hallways, or in the elevator. The only thing I can think of is avoiding the parking garage some how altogether.....
Thanks
Bewildered Scott