Need Help with my Yorkies!

[nelsons64]

Hello. I'm brand new to this group on Yorkie Talk.

I have two yorkies. One Male and one female. Both hovering 1 year old.

We've been having some troubles with our two beloved yorkies and I need further assistance. I dont know where else to go - so I'm looking for suggestions from seasoned Yorkie Owners!

My two yorkies are very petite. Male is approx 4 lbs and female is approx 5 lbs. They are the sweetest sweethearts and I love them so much! But, we've had them for quite some time and we cannot get them potty trained.

We tried classes at PetSmart - and that didnt help a bit. We took all of their suggestions back home with us and have been doing everything according to their recommendations and it's not helping. Everytime we take one step forward, we take two steps back!

Tonight, this has gotten to the point it's really frustrating!

Let me explain, I'm 8 months pregnant. Tonight I came home with a new baby mattress. I put it in the livingroom and went outside with the dogs. After they finished their business I rewarded them and let them come back into the home. Not 2 minutes later my male yorkie goes over to the mattress and pees all over it. At the exact same time the female yorkie is next to the mattress pooping on my livingroom floor!

Normally I dont see them "in the act" of doing their business. So I scolded them - maybe I got a little too loud as I scared them and they went to hide.

I am having a baby. A baby that will be laying on the floor - crawling - picking everything up and putting into their mouth - etc. Last thing I need/want is for the baby's toys to be unsanitary or for her to pick up dog feces and put in her mouth.

I love my pups and cannot imagine my household without them. But I need advice! I need help! How can I train them to go to the bathroom outside. I've tried everything I can think of and that PetSmart suggested. I need some new ideas!

Thank you in advance for anyone that can help. I really appreciate it!!!

[deonk1]

Hi there, you may want to post this under general training as that thread gets more traffic, than this one...

I have a few questions before I offer any suggestions:
-how old are they?
-are they spayed/neutered
-have they been crate trained/how much access to the house do they have
-are they outdoor trained or litter/pee pad/grid trained?

Once you answer these I'll try and give some advice.

[jeanm1963]

Well, Let me first say congrats on your baby.
Secondly since they are peeing inside and your already pregnant, you may want to try to start using pee pads in a area you dont want your baby to access. Just my opinion.
My dog is 2 she has been outside trained since 6 months old, but I have to tell you it was ALOT of work. In the beginning I got up through out the night, every 2- 3 hours, for a long time. I am able to be home all day so it worked for me.
Had I been working pee pads would have been my choice.
You are going to be very busy with your baby, your going to need lots of rest. You cant very well just let a baby cry or stop feeding it or wake up in the middle of the night to let the dogs outside, it does not really seem possible.
So that said, if you decide to use a pee pad. Buy an ex pen, I happen to like the one that you can make a stop sign shape or a long rectangle. ( this would not be wasteful for you since your can later use it for the baby at the park , outside , beach etc.
Keep them in it , one side, bed toys , food, water. and the bottom area, pee pads. They should NOT pee where they sleep.
Each time you see them pee on the pee pad give them the MILLION dollar treat. Chicken, it has to be something special , something you ONLY give them when they pee/poop. After you see them peeing etc. let them out remember to play with them and give them excersise.
After a while you can open it up keeping all their stuff in there, with any hope they will smell their space and pee pad and continue to use it in that area. Remember set the pen up where you intend to let them have their pee pad.
Outside training is alot of work, if your 8 months pregnant I dont think you will have the time or energy to inforce the training at this time. JMHO
Amazon.com: Summer Infant Secure Surround Playsafe Playard: Baby

[jeanm1963]

This one also may come in handy if you want a place for the dogs and you can use later on if the baby is on the floor having tummy time?
Its inexpensive, room for 2 dogs and very cute!
Amazon.com: Best Pet Folding Play Pen - Medium -...

[Jennxling]

Congrats on your new baby!! How exciting!

As for potty training, it takes a LOT of work and around 6 months to get them potty trained, but they will occasionally still have accidents. To begin, you would need to learn their peeing/pooping schedule and take them out whenever you think they are gonna go. After they go, praise them. Also, use a word (for example, "go potty") to link to the action. You should try crate training them, where you crate them and let them out to go potty when it's time. Thus, you really need to learn their schedule. They will go usually 15-30 minutes after they eat, they wake up, etc. It takes A LOT of patience and consistency. Once trained, they are WONDERFUL dogs!!! Good luck!!

[nelsons64]

WOW thank you so much for some really detailed great information. I really appreciate it. I'm also thankful to hear that it took others quite a while to train their yorkies as well. This is the first puppy that we've ever had - we've always adopted from animal shelter.... so this is our first stab at training a dog. I'm thankful that there is such a wonderful site that allows us to talk about our beloved yorkie family :-)

[Norma Ralston]

Congrats on your new baby. Yes, it took quite awhile to train the two Yorkies I got
about a year and one half ago. They definitely shouldn't have the run of the house
until you can trust them. They are so adorable. I agree with all the others who
posted on advice for you. Good luck.

[msipiqn1]

be diligent in taking the dogs out and talk to them before you go out..for instance, ask them if they gotta go pee pee.. then when they do tell them good pee pee outside.. it will get to the point they know what that means..and they will start going to the door.. but like the others said you have to take them out..alot and make sure they do their business.. your male if he isn't fixed he will mark regardless.. mine marks my garbage can that is his thing.. i however don't let it go un noticed.. he has gotten tons better but if your female isn't fixed he is going to be territorial..your female she is kinda doing the same thing i think they are confused..its going to hard but with the going out alot it will help..good luck with the new baby and doing the pee pee thing.. i am getting a new puppy tomorrow so i will be practicing what i preach!!

[alaskayorkie]

I like the advice on this site.

Errorless Housetraining | Dog Star Daily

[Ringo1]

Congratulations on your new baby! I had the same concern as you - only my son was about 5 or 6 (but still playing on the floor) when my elderly maltese became incontinent. Whole nuther story - but I know why you are concerned.

Lucy is two years old and has just begun to let me know that she wants out. She will paw on the vertical blinds on the back door ~ like she sees my Westie do all the time. Before that ~ we just put her out about every two hours like a puppy. She finally gets it!

Is your male neutered? That might help if he is 'marking' inside your house. My cousin had an unaltered male yorkie and he was horrible about marking.

The expen is also a good idea.

Try to really work on this now because you are going to be so busy when your baby arrives.

[gracielove]

I agree with what these people are telling you for the most part. Little dogs have little bladders and especially when they are young they need to go more often. Controlling when they eat and drink will help you gauge when they are going to have to go. Hope they are spayed and neutered because hormones can cause problems with potty training.
Buying the frames that go with pee pads helped me a great deal. Then she could not drag the pads around and play with them. A dog that is not totally trained should never be left unattended in the house. Not for a second. One dog I had remained leased to me for about 6 months until she was totally trained. I know you cannot do that but I'm saying if the dog continues to have unattended accidents you are not going to accomplish anything.

[gracielove]

Another tip: When you want your dog to pee outside make sure the dog knows what you are out there for. Don't play, don't let the dog wander. That is for after business is done. Stand in one place and say "go pee" or whatever you want as the word to signal to your dog that it is potty time. Don't do anything else until business is taken care of. Once it is done then big rewards and play or walk time. Dogs do understand commands, it just takes time for them to make the connection in their minds between what you say and the action expected of them.

[tjdmom]

The first thing to keep in mind is that this is not their fault it is your fault. Your dogs want to please you but you are not communicating what you want in a way that they can understand. I commend you for coming on here and asking for advice. My advice would be to first of all find a very special treat for them that they love and will do anything for. Mine like cooked chicken. I just cook an extra piece when we have it for dinner and then cut it into little pieces. Cooked liver is good too or even cheese. Every dog is different so you need to find something that they each LOVE and then only treat appropriate pottying with these treats. For regular training use something else that is not quite as good. You need to take them out every 2 hours and stay out long enough for them to go and when they do you have a big "party" and treat them. This will be good practice for you when you have your baby and you are potty training them too! It so very important to be consistent. I would also feed them twice a day and don't leave food down in between as it will make it easier to predict when they have to go out. If they don't eat in a half an hour then put it up until dinner time.
If you have to go out, crate them or block them in a room so that they don't have free access to the whole house.
Good luck!

[jessisw]

i was wondering when it was present to happen! hahahahaha And honest a gen of advice for those that are looking at the gowns - not all styles are that well made. When you are shopping or having your gown bespoke, control the fundamental seams and hems etc because sometimes they are absolutely dodgy.