Pug-Zu

Well her other owner said she is trained to use the puppy pads if she doesnt take her out in time and that she never goes on the floor at her house.  But here, she is ignoring the pads, she has already pottied on the couch, in the hallway twice, in my bedroom, and on some presents under the christmas tree.  She also pooped beside the christmas tree.  I have been taking her out every 1-2 hours but apparently im going to have to start watching her more closely!
She is not spayed, could she possibly be marking?  Or could it be just becuse its a new house and shes kind of anxious?  I have heard that smaller dogs can be very hard to housetrain.  She does not know any commands at all and does not listen to anything.  Don't worry though, I can deal with it all.  Should I start trying to train her now or should I give her a few days to get used to everything first (I mean basic command training, I know I should do housetraining right away)?

edited to add:  maybe I will try just using the puppy pads in stead of a litter box.  She would probably use the cat's box at some point and  I wouldn't want to start problems with her. 

Spiritdogs, the lady is giving her up because she is just too old to keep up with a puppy.  She doesn't have energy to play with her much and so the puppy then chases her cat nonstop and her cat doesn't want to play.

my cat on the other hand would really appreciate a playmate after she gets used to Tasha, and my kids will use up a lot of Tasha's energy as well.

can anyone recommend a good product for getting urine smells out?  oddly her urine really doesnt have any smell it so it doesn't bother me but I don't want Tasha to think she has toilets all over the house.

Sorry I keep posting a lot but does anyone have tips on training her to use the puppy pads in my house since she doesnt seem to know how?  I guess I need to go read some posts in the training section )
 

She is adorable.

You should be able to get a good enzyme remover at most major pet supply stores (Petcetera, bosley's, etc...). "Nature's Miracle" is pretty good. Should take care of any scent she might pick up.

By the way, this really is just a coincidence but neat, Tasha means "Christmastime".
I knew that before I decided on the name, but it isnt the reason I chose the name.
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Spiritdogs, thank you for the book suggestion, I just went to that website to look at it.  I like how it lets you view the table of contents and the first page online!  Tasha actually came with a similar book.  I havn't had a chance to really look at it yet, but I might get the book you suggested too   I'm going to check Barnes and Noble first though. 

I'm really glad Tasha is already crate trained.  It gives the cat all night long to prowl the house in peace while she gets used to Tasha being here.

And Tasha finally listened to me!  I had to use the bathroom in the night and it woke her up and she came out of her crate.  When I went back to bed I pointed in her crate and said "Go to bed."  and she went right in!!  Of course she still tried to follow me out the door, hehe.
 
She is currently using a collar and leash.  Is that ok or does she need to have a harness?

And she is not yappy at all, at least not in my opinion.  She barks when shes excited (sometimes during play, and when we have a visitor she runs to the door to meet them), and she barks at the cat.

RwBeagles, I'm a softie for brown/chocolate colored dogs myself

Thanks again everyone for all the help and encouragement

Lilea,
 
If she's already crate trained this can help you a lot in housebreaking her. Anytime you can't watch her (every second) you can put her in the crate. Chances are she'll take a little nap, or play and then yell to get out. That's when you take her out, right away and with treats. You need to give a treat as soon as she finishes (within a couple of seconds). This should help you a lot in housebreaking.
 
I know some people have had success with pee pads. I never have. The pups would shred them, move them all over the house and then pee where they felt like it. The litter box doesn't get dragged around.

She seems to be interested in pooping on wood.  I was thinking maybe I will get one of those litter pans and line it with a puppy pad and layer some pine shavings in it.
 
After all the weeing all over the house yesterday, she made it the entire night (about 9-10 hours!) in her crate and this morning the entire bathroom was still dry!  I had put a puppy pad in there with her.
 
It snowed over night and she totally did NOT want to go outside this morning.  Poor thing was shivering :/  I think it would be really good if I can train her with a box of shavings.  Going to buy the pan today and start.
 
The cat hid in a bedroom all day yesterday but today, although she is still growling the puppy, she is out and about and seems very interested in her![sm=clapping%20hands%20smiley.gif]

I'm not sure if anyone else mentioned this, but if you are worried that cat boxes might be too small you can also buy one of those big plastic under-bed storage things and use that as a litter box. We had a cat once who thought she was as big as a truck and could not manage to fit her butt into any litterbox, so we had to buy her the biggest storage tub we could find almost (d even then she sometimes managed to hang her rear out.) She was the best cat ever, but truly as smart as a turnip.
Anyway, you could consider one of those things.

I'm laughing so hard at your cat.  That is a great idea, it's one of those things that is so simple and obvious you don't think of it! 

I was thinking maybe I will get one of those litter pans and line it with a puppy pad and layer some pine shavings in it.

Pine shavings are a huge mess and I think (but I'm not sure) that they are unhealthy for the small pets who usually use them. FWIW I tried newspaper and puppy pads (at different times) under the litter when I was trying to perfect my method. The pups tore the under-layer out and shredded it as they do when there is no litter - except that they made a big litter mess while doing it.

Yes, I realized the messy part about pine shavings shortly after I put some in the litter box.  And you are right they are bad for the small animals that live in them (unless they are kiln dried) but thats because they are constantly breathing the strong smell from the oils they contain.  Using them just for litter would be perfectly safe   I think I will just stick to the puppy pads in the bathroom with her when she is stuck in there (she uses them in there but ignores them the rest of the time) and just taking her outside the rest of the time.

She was a very...special cat. Truly the sweetest, most loveable cat I ever knew, but sometimes she made you wonder if there was just cotton fluff inside her head.
Glad I could help! The storage container might even be cheaper than a real litterbox. Ours was, but of course we bought it a long time ago. It was about five or so dollars for one that was probably big enough for 4 cats. Ha.
Oh and by the way, your pup is just the most adorable thing in the world.
Michelle

ORIGINAL: KingBingoIV

She was a very...special cat. Truly the sweetest, most loveable cat I ever knew, but sometimes she made you wonder if there was just cotton fluff inside her head.
Glad I could help! The storage container might even be cheaper than a real litterbox. Ours was, but of course we bought it a long time ago. It was about five or so dollars for one that was probably big enough for 4 cats. Ha.
Oh and by the way, your pup is just the most adorable thing in the world.
Michelle

 
Thanks, yes she is adorable   I think she has a lot in common with your cat as far as the cotton fluff .....

She follows me everywhere now.  Every little step she has to be right there with me, and if I'm sitting then shes on my lap.  It is so sweet.  She is using the puppy pads now too.  I put several down throughout the house instead of just having one under a table in the kitchen and it worked!
The cat still hates her

Here are new pictures
 
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