BruceR817 wrote in news:b9ff3dfd-c127-
:

Actually, he doesn't sniff much or show much in the way of signs
inside before he goes like what he does when he goes outside, so
by you the time you see him squat, its too late to do anything
about it except take him outside and clean up the mess.

In which case, I'd be tethering him to me. I think the most
important part of house training is making sure the dog doesn't have
an opportunity to make mistakes, because every single accident
undermines whatever success you've had. It's a pain in the neck, but
the more you can minimize accidents (personally, I shoot for 0), the
more quickly he'll be housebroken.

Also, you say you take him out frequently, but you don't say *how*
frequently. Apparently, it's not frequently enough. I'd add more
outside trips, making sure to go out with him and praise him when he
potties.

As for the play pen, my guess is that it's too big. A combination of
tethering and crating, instead of putting him in the play pen, should
work better, at least until he's more reliable. You can expand his
range once he starts to get the idea, including slowly adding back
play pen time.

--
Shelly
http://www.cat-sidh.net (the Mother Ship)
http://esther.cat-sidh.net (Letters to Esther)