Amy and Grybai are absolutely right. I had a very hard time housebreaking Ginger, because she was left alone for 9 1/2 hours a day. Someone suggested that rather than leaving her in a crate, I gate her in a room (I used the kitchen) and put down puppy pads. It definitely made a difference, she was housebroken a few weeks later. Now it may not be that quick for Tink because she is still very young. (I tried a puppy pen, but she kept climbing out and meeting me at the door, so I had to get a gate that had slats that only went up and down, not across.)