To answer Gloria - Lily was never trained to paper or anything in the house. Prior to me, she was raised in a cement floored garage. I don't think the problem is that she can't hold it, it's that she jut goes whenever she wants to wherever she is, in the house, on the deck, whatever. Although she knows to go "outside" (which means on the grass) and where outside, and runs for it when I'm taking her out there, otherwise its purely a case of "oh i need to go, i'll go here". She doesn't really give any signal, because her nose is on the floor all the time - in the house, outside, on our walks, wherever - so nose on the floor doesn't help me. I just have a routine of taking her outside (which means down on the grass, not just on the deck) at regular times and most of the time she goes there.
Lily only runs to the door when I let her out of her crate, because she knows we are going "outside". There is no effort whatsoever to get my attention or to go to the door or anything like that other than first thing in the morning. She totally ignores paper, pads, whatever on the floor. I've even got bells hanging on the door where she can reach them and she has got that message when we are going out she will paw them, but if she's inside and needs to potty, there's signal at all. I'm kind of stumped. Anne
