Puppies can be little peeing machines. At least, it feels like it sometimes...

Chinese Cresteds seem to have a reputation for not being the easiest breed to housetrain. So far, we feel that housetraining has gone quite well.

We've had a few accidents, of course. Nemi has peed in our bed three times - all of which were our fault, for not taking her cues (whining, restlessness) and taking her outside. Since she was too small to jump off the bed her options were limited.

We always take Nemi outside after sleeping, playing and eating. Praising a lot when she does something outside, ignoring her if she has accidents in the house.

From her breeder, Nemi was used to newspapers. Knowing that accidents do happen very fast, we placed a few newspapers on the floor, near the exit doors. When she has headed for the newspaper, we've taken her outside. When we've missed the cue, we've just replaced the paper.

Recently, we've begun removing the newspapers. This has got Nemi a bit baffled, as she hasn't yet made the connection that she can tell us that she needs to go outside.

The other day I had left a book open next to my bed. Being a very solutions oriented dog, Nemi quickly made the connection. Newspaper - bookpaper: Same sort of thing. Thus, I found a nice pile of poo on my book in the evening. Needless to say, we have now removed all forms of paper from the floor.

How long it takes for Nemi to make the connection that she should tell us when she needs to go outside, remains to be seen.