My hubby and myself recently (January) bought our first puppy, apparently a Jack Russel cross Westie but we recon he is more Westie than Jack Russel. Anyway we have provailed to potty train our enagetic pup but for some reason he isn't quite getting to grips with it.
He can be outside for hours, or we leave our back door open for him to come and go outside freely but once we shut the door he wees on the floor. We have just purchased a bell to put on the door handle as advised on here cause he wont tell us he needs to go out. We also try and put him outside regulary with our little command of "wee wee".
I trained my dogs by putting them outside at regular intervals, and since there were boys in the house, i had the boys go outside and pee with the dogs. I think it kind of showed them to, but having another dog go with them could help more. If you take him outside every day at two to three hour intervals, there is a chance he could go. Do it right after he takes a drink to. That's all I got, since thats how my dogs were trained, and i have two very great dogs.
My dog was having the same problem and hence I decided to get it trained it from a good trainer. As I lives in New York my friend told me about the Boom Towne and I consult about my dog to them and found the good and you should also see for a good trainer who could assists you.
the reason your dog lets go once he comes in the house is simple: he relaxes. he's still a puppy so he still remembers that mummy used to clean him after he did his business so it was logical that he would do it when he was near her.
i'm sorry, but you have to put more effort into this than just passively letting him in and out and waiting for him to figure it out on his own!
you can't just pitch him outside and go back to your TV show and let him in a while later expecting magic to have happened. what will have happened is he'll have gone outside, sniffed around, sat and scratched, and the whole time wondering why he's out there all alone when his family is inside in the warm.
regularly and often - OFTEN! i'm talking at least every hour, if not every half-hour! - you leash him up, grab a bag of premium high-value treats, and you take him to the designated "duty" spot, and you wait. if you have to, make a circuit of the yard and go back to the "duty" spot. when he goes, praise him - but don't say "good boy!" you don't want to associate "good boy!" with "go ahead and pee". use your warmest, happiest tone and behaviour and say "pee!" or "potty time!" or "do your business!" or whatever feels comfortable for you to say in front of other ppl. while he's peeing, present a treat. some dogs will take it, others won't, but present it to him anyway. then take him back in the house.
repeat this every hour. if he doesn't go in fifteen minutes, take him back inside for a half-hour and then bring him out again.
YES, this is intensive work - but that's what happens when you have a dog. if you want a dog that is invisible when you don't want to be bothered with him, cute when you do, and doesn't impact your life at all, get an Aibo.