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06-04-2008, 08:12 PM | #1 |
Yorkie Talker Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Johnson City
Posts: 21
| Accident Issues!!! Okay, I really need help. My hubby and I are first time Yorkie owners and our little Daisy is having some issues. We got her in March of this year and she turned one year old a couple weeks ago. Her original owner trained her to go on a pee pad and also outside and at first that worked pretty well for us too. We keep her pee pad in our downstars bathroom which is also next to her area outside of the bathroom where her crate (which we leave open for her to go in/out of), food, and water is. So when we're not home we just put a fence up separating the kitchen and the living room. We have a pretty good sized kitchen for an apartment so she has all that space, the bathroom, and her area to run around in when we're not home. Well, lately she has been horrible about having accidents in the kitchen when we're not home AND when we are in the living room where we can't see her! I guess we're lucky she's not going on our carpet, but I am so frustrated because she was doing pretty good. She had maybe an accident every week or two at first and maybe more than that if her pee pad was too full. Well, last Saturday she went around 6 or 7 times while we were home with her all day and her pee pad was empty!!! My husband suggested that maybe she's trying to assert her dominance (she is at the "teenage age") so we started being more strict with her, making her sit before we let her get on the couch with us, making her sit before we feed her, and that actually seemed to help a little, but now it's getting worse again. She had a bm in the floor when I came downstairs and then peed again later when I came home from work (AFTER I had just taken her outside!!!) Well, I really want her to know she's doing the wrong thing. What we've been doing is just locking her up in the bathroom with her pee pad when we find her accident (time out) for around 15-30 minutes, but today I made her spend most of the evening in there and would not let her come out until she sat and laid down (which she knows how to do). It took an hour for her to obey!!! But I thought, okay, at least she submitted, so I felt okay since she had obeyed me. Well, after cuddling with her and praising her for listening, my husband went into the kitchen and she had peed again while we were watching a movie!!! AHHHHHH!!!! So she's in the bathroom now and I'm thinking about letting her stay there all night, just to let her know we mean business. I really don't know if this is right and I need help! I don't have any children (human), but I am a teacher so I know all about how to deal with kids (for the record, I would not lock them in the bathroom for doing something wrong), but dogs are so different and I am really at a loss. I can't reason with her and I can't explain anything. I know she knows she's doing wrong because if she had an accident she crouches down when we go into the kitchen. I am frustrated and need help!!!
__________________ AkaYorkie |
Welcome Guest! | |
06-05-2008, 04:14 AM | #2 |
Yorkie Talker Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Philadelphia, PA
Posts: 13
| I think the most important thing is that you need to catch her while she is doing it in the wrong place to correct her immediately! |
06-05-2008, 06:18 AM | #3 |
Donating Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: May 2008 Location: NC
Posts: 285
| There could be several things going on: 1. She's marking because she is going in heat (if she is NOT spayed). 2. She has a health issue (possible UTI) 3. She has a touch of separation anxiety. 4. She's clamining parts of the house. How to fix this... 1. Get any enzymatic cleaner like Nature's Miracle to clean the area. 2. Take her out on a schedule...every one to two hours. 3. Monitor her activity by having on leash attached to your belt. 4. Take her to the vet to rule out a medical issue. 5. Get her spayed if she is not spayed yet. 6. Start her in basic obedience classes to get dominance issues out of control. 7. If you can't watch her, crate her. So many people that I know who have tried paper training wind up with issues like these down the road. I truely believe it is best for your dog to only use the potty outside...unless they are sick and just can't go out. |
06-05-2008, 06:27 AM | #4 |
Donating YT 1000 Club Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Chicago Suburbs
Posts: 3,306
| I agree that taking her out would be best, although you said you live in an apartment, but I still think it would help. See, the floor, carpet, etc. aren't that much different than the pad to her. Grass feels, looks and most importantly SMELLS much, much different. There is also the inside/outside distinction. Just the act of putting a leash on, opening a door, etc. is a routine that will help her learn the proper place to go. MOST IMPORTANTLY you are probably not reinforcing her when she does go in the right spot. If she's not getting praised and she's not getting rewarded with a treat then why on earth would she keep peeing on the pad? Some people (not saying you... just some people) think that dogs are like cats and they automatically will take to a pad or a box and train themselves. Pretty much the only thing you can count on is that if you put them in a TINY crate they won't pee ON themselves unless you make them hold it too long. Then you can graduate to a larger crate and eventually the whole house. It also helps to teach them to ring a bell to ask to go out, so that they are rewarded for ASKING to go outside. My dogs go outside and every time they go out I'm standing there yelling "good dog!" and then sometimes when we come back in they get a cookie! This whole process makes pottying outside FUN! You have to find a way to make it worthwhile for her to use the pad, if that is what you decide, rather than just assuming she will use it by default.
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06-05-2008, 12:47 PM | #5 |
Yorkie Talker Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Johnson City
Posts: 21
| Thanks! These all seem like good advice. One thing about going outside, though, is that we take her and she REFUSES to go half the time. I have stood out there with her for twenty minutes and she just stands there looking around. It really is quite frustrating. It's also hard because eventually I will get a teaching position and work 7-4 and my hubby works 9-6 or 8-5, and that is a long time to have her wait to use the bathroom. I really appreciate everyone's advice. We do need to take her to the vet because it's about that time. I hope this is something we can fix soon!
__________________ AkaYorkie |
06-07-2008, 08:15 PM | #6 |
Yorkie Talker Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Johnson City
Posts: 21
| Update time! So Daisy's been doing a little better. When we're home we've started blocking off the part of the kitchen she has accidents in and that helps a lot. She still has a problem when we're not here, but we're trying to figure out a way to block that area, plus keep her in the kitchen and away from the carpet. We've also started shutting the bathroom door when we're home to block off her pee pad. That way she has nowhere to go except outside. Of course when we're gone we'll open it up, but we'll see how that works. She's been doing okay going outside. We're giving her treats when she does and ignoring her when she doesn't. Hopefully we can get a bell soon too and try that. Thanks for the advice everybody! We really appreciate it!
__________________ AkaYorkie |
06-07-2008, 09:10 PM | #7 | |
YT Featured Breeder Donating Yorkie Yakker Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Oregon
Posts: 1,552
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