Potty Training

When we adopted Benton in July, he was approximately 12-16 months. So, we really didn't have a puppy on our hands. The greatest thing about that? No accidents in the house! Since we've gotten the fence, though, we are working on another part of potty training. No, he's still not making messes inside the house. The problem? He's not really utilizing the outside in the fenced-in area, either.

He's always been particular about where go goes to the restroom (sorry if this is TMI). When we first moved to our house, we had the infamous bathroom strike for 36 hours. There was no more plush sod and landscaping everywhere like our apartment complex had. Clearly, he was able to get over that. He's even gotten better about not caring if he gets his paws wet after it has rained. Now, he just has to learn that he can go outside in our fenced-in area. He still gets one long walk in the mornings, and I've noticed that he seems to get pretty antsy around that time, probably because he's been waiting for it for a bathroom break.

A couple of thoughts I have as to why this may be an issue:

1. Maybe he sees the backyard as an extension of our house and feels like he shouldn't go there?
2. He's on strike because he wants to get a walk around the block every four hours like he used to get
3. I'm much too lenient, and it's hard for me to make him "wait it out" until he has to go, which is what Kevin thinks we should try. I usually end up giving in and walking him probably two additional times throughout the day when he refuses to go in our backyard.

Any suggestions? I'm sure most people have no trouble getting a dog to adjust to a fence. Benton's just special, I guess. :)