House training a 1yr old male - YorkieTalk.com Forums

luvmy3 · 09-17-2008, 05:32 AM

I have a problem with our 1yr old male. We have been training him since he was 4mo. old. I used a crate to train him, which works well. He can stay clean all night without issues. My problem is that he can not be trusted yet in the house. We have a busy household, like everyone. Around dinnertime, we try to let him run around the main floor while preparing meals, etc. Within the last month, he has been sneeking off to urinate or worse on the carpet. He even left a pile right in the main entry between the living room/dining room (my daughter stepped in it). He never lets us know when he needs to go out! I set up a bell system on the door, but he's not catching on to using it, even though the CAT did

The other morning, I had him in the kitchen with me, he had just been out, and I walked into another room for about 5min, and he urinated on the floor. He will often slip upstairs to "go" too! ANYWHERE upstairs, including my daughter's bed!! What can I do? I'm running out of options. I don't want a dog that has to be in a crate all the time, I would love to trust him and allow him to be more social, but still needing to be watched like a hawk at 1!! Our 9yr old mix never had this issue. Any ideas??
Liz

megansmomma · 09-17-2008, 05:57 AM

It is very frustrating when you are having housebreaking issues but you will not get it under control if he has the run of the house~EVER! You need to confine him to a smaller area or keep him crated or in an xpen if you cannot watch him. Buy him a belly band and get a gate for the kitchen so that you can leave him out during dinner but still watch him. Yorkies are the hardest dogs to train, look at all the posts in this section practically everyone is regarding housetraining.

We had a lab and I swear to you she was housebroken in a weekend! We never crate trained her and it was a piece of cake even though it was the middle of January in Chicago! If she really needed to potty and she was home alone she would jump into the bathtub to go! Never even taught her that trick! These little ones take a huge amount of determination to train and it still takes just about forever! Good luck and don't give up!

Dreamer74 · 09-17-2008, 06:05 AM

We have litter trained ours that way if no one is paying attention and they need to go out they can just use the litter box. Plus it allows us to give them more freedom. My husband hated it at first he said i was training a dog to go the bathroom in the house, now he loves it becuase he knows there are times the floor would be a mess if we did not have it.

maritoma · 09-20-2008, 07:13 AM

You could have written your post for me, i have the exact same issue, my guy is also 1 and i have him confined to the kitchen, also did the crate since 4 mos. Just today i went down to my office, left him in the kitchen, he had gone out at 9 this morning, peed and pooped. Came in had breakfast, while I was out of the room he pooped on my rug and peed on the outer shell of his bed (i had taken out the cushion to wash). How do you like that? I'm thinking they are untrainable, for potty only, because he learns everything else.

luvmy3 · 09-20-2008, 10:33 AM

I don't know what to do about this. I can't have a dog that will "go" all over the house for the next 15-20years!! If he is in the crate, he barks and whines. If he is allowed to run around, he makes a mess. The day I wrote my last post, my daughter found another pile by her bed. I know he can't run around unsupervised, and we gate off areas of the house that we do not want him to access, but my son (who has autism) will leave doors open or take down gates. He will also open the crate if the dog barks long enough because he is noise sensitive and can't handle it. Do we have any other options other than to rehome him???

luvmy3 · 09-20-2008, 10:34 AM

How do you litterbox train a dog? My husband feels the same way, he should not pee or poo in the house...period...

HillbillyBelle · 09-20-2008, 10:36 AM

I swear, I think there are times when our Yorkies think we are dumb as doorknobs. LOL They do everything in their power to train us. I could not survive in my household without belly bands and Depends. I have had as many as 6 adults and always had someone who would not be trained. I make my (make that Their) bellybands and my boys actually wait each morning to be banded. Of course, the wee treat they get most of the time is a great incentive. Depends work better for us-monthly pads really can smell terrible and Depends cut in half do the trick. My guys are smaller and don't need a whole pad. They get changed during the day just as a baby would and get cleaned with baby wipes and have powder on their pads.
I know the idea is to train them as well as our bigguns, but Yorkies are HARD to potty train. I cannot have a doggy door- we have hawks and I never let my younguns on the deck alone. So, once I get trained we do okay.

HillbillyBelle · 09-20-2008, 10:42 AM

p.s My hubby has stopped complaining about their potty habits. After all, I reminded him that he goes potty in the house all the time. He has no sense of humor at all about that...

magoo · 09-20-2008, 10:56 AM

my buddy was two years old before he started to go to the door and bark when he has to go out. I think Yorkie 's are stupid dog and very little bladders . But if im not listing to his signals he will go in the house.:

Smarty Bones · 09-20-2008, 11:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by luvmy3

I don't know what to do about this. I can't have a dog that will "go" all over the house for the next 15-20years!! If he is in the crate, he barks and whines. If he is allowed to run around, he makes a mess. The day I wrote my last post, my daughter found another pile by her bed. I know he can't run around unsupervised, and we gate off areas of the house that we do not want him to access, but my son (who has autism) will leave doors open or take down gates. He will also open the crate if the dog barks long enough because he is noise sensitive and can't handle it. Do we have any other options other than to rehome him???

how frustrating! are you able to belly band
him when not supervised? if the barking can also be controlled, what a wonderful companion he could be for your son i hope. a former coworker of mine has a yorkie mix who's so affectionate and protective of her daughter, who has autism. I wish you the best

Smarty Bones · 09-20-2008, 11:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HillbillyBelle

p.s My hubby has stopped complaining about their potty habits. After all, I reminded him that he goes potty in the house all the time. He has no sense of humor at all about that...

good point. now that i think about it, it'd be really hard for me to have to tell someone else when I have to go and then wait for them to take me out. i'm someone who gets really focused on a project and will all of a sudden realize that I've been ignoring my own signals and have to go NOW

djpimptress · 09-21-2008, 06:32 PM

I know that it can be really frustrating.. I don't think that Leo was completely potty trained until a bit over 1 years old... he was potty trained by 6 months but would have occasional accidents esp. when i left him at home (i think it was more spite)

anyways.. the way i did this was scold him when I caught him in the middle of peeing/pooing and picking him up and bringing him outside. Right when he started positioning himself to poo, I would pick him and RUN outside.. (sometimes poo would drop on the way) but he would get the idea that outside is the place to go. Because just yelling at the dogs after they go doesnt mean they know where they can go - they just think they cant go anywhere. Once he finished his business on the front steps, I would praise him and tell him hes a good boy (even though he initially tried to go inside and some turds or drips fell..haha)

When we went out for walks, everytime he did his business, I would give him a treat (milkbones or small piece of cheese)
eventually, everytime he lifted his leg or pooed, he would sit and wait for a treat because he knew he did a good job

Eventually, he realized that he should be going outside. I think its important to make sure your pup realizes that they need to go outside and not only think that they arent allowed to go.

Also, i never crated him.. he would whine too much. I would just watch him and the times he had accidents, i would clean up with a cleaner that you can buy at the pet store- it has a special ingredient so that the dog doesnt smell his urine and go on that spot again.

Anyways, i hope this helps and please try this before rehoming him

Edit to add: one more thing- dont scold him after he has done the act, only scold him if you catch him in the middle of peeing or pooing. He wont be able to associate why you are yelling at him and it wont be effective. But if you do catch him, make sure you say NO very firmly and move him outside and praise him.

09-17-2008, 05:32 AM	#1
luvmy3 Yorkie Yakker Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Pa Posts: 54	House training a 1yr old male I have a problem with our 1yr old male. We have been training him since he was 4mo. old. I used a crate to train him, which works well. He can stay clean all night without issues. My problem is that he can not be trusted yet in the house. We have a busy household, like everyone. Around dinnertime, we try to let him run around the main floor while preparing meals, etc. Within the last month, he has been sneeking off to urinate or worse on the carpet. He even left a pile right in the main entry between the living room/dining room (my daughter stepped in it). He never lets us know when he needs to go out! I set up a bell system on the door, but he's not catching on to using it, even though the CAT did The other morning, I had him in the kitchen with me, he had just been out, and I walked into another room for about 5min, and he urinated on the floor. He will often slip upstairs to "go" too! ANYWHERE upstairs, including my daughter's bed!! What can I do? I'm running out of options. I don't want a dog that has to be in a crate all the time, I would love to trust him and allow him to be more social, but still needing to be watched like a hawk at 1!! Our 9yr old mix never had this issue. Any ideas?? Liz

09-17-2008, 05:57 AM	#2
megansmomma Donating YT 10K Club Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: S. W. Suburbs of Chicago, IL Posts: 12,235	It is very frustrating when you are having housebreaking issues but you will not get it under control if he has the run of the house~EVER! You need to confine him to a smaller area or keep him crated or in an xpen if you cannot watch him. Buy him a belly band and get a gate for the kitchen so that you can leave him out during dinner but still watch him. Yorkies are the hardest dogs to train, look at all the posts in this section practically everyone is regarding housetraining. We had a lab and I swear to you she was housebroken in a weekend! We never crate trained her and it was a piece of cake even though it was the middle of January in Chicago! If she really needed to potty and she was home alone she would jump into the bathtub to go! Never even taught her that trick! These little ones take a huge amount of determination to train and it still takes just about forever! Good luck and don't give up! __________________ “Never argue with a fool, onlookers may not be able to tell the difference.” Mark Twain

09-17-2008, 06:05 AM	#3
Dreamer74 YT Addict Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: New Mexico Posts: 457	We have litter trained ours that way if no one is paying attention and they need to go out they can just use the litter box. Plus it allows us to give them more freedom. My husband hated it at first he said i was training a dog to go the bathroom in the house, now he loves it becuase he knows there are times the floor would be a mess if we did not have it. __________________ Lady Bella & Sir Budsley- AKA Buddy, Member of the LGC

09-20-2008, 10:33 AM	#5
luvmy3 Yorkie Yakker Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Pa Posts: 54	Can they be trained?? I don't know what to do about this. I can't have a dog that will "go" all over the house for the next 15-20years!! If he is in the crate, he barks and whines. If he is allowed to run around, he makes a mess. The day I wrote my last post, my daughter found another pile by her bed. I know he can't run around unsupervised, and we gate off areas of the house that we do not want him to access, but my son (who has autism) will leave doors open or take down gates. He will also open the crate if the dog barks long enough because he is noise sensitive and can't handle it. Do we have any other options other than to rehome him???

09-21-2008, 06:32 PM	#12
djpimptress Yorkie Talker Join Date: May 2008 Location: toronto Posts: 19	I know that it can be really frustrating.. I don't think that Leo was completely potty trained until a bit over 1 years old... he was potty trained by 6 months but would have occasional accidents esp. when i left him at home (i think it was more spite) anyways.. the way i did this was scold him when I caught him in the middle of peeing/pooing and picking him up and bringing him outside. Right when he started positioning himself to poo, I would pick him and RUN outside.. (sometimes poo would drop on the way) but he would get the idea that outside is the place to go. Because just yelling at the dogs after they go doesnt mean they know where they can go - they just think they cant go anywhere. Once he finished his business on the front steps, I would praise him and tell him hes a good boy (even though he initially tried to go inside and some turds or drips fell..haha) When we went out for walks, everytime he did his business, I would give him a treat (milkbones or small piece of cheese) eventually, everytime he lifted his leg or pooed, he would sit and wait for a treat because he knew he did a good job Eventually, he realized that he should be going outside. I think its important to make sure your pup realizes that they need to go outside and not only think that they arent allowed to go. Also, i never crated him.. he would whine too much. I would just watch him and the times he had accidents, i would clean up with a cleaner that you can buy at the pet store- it has a special ingredient so that the dog doesnt smell his urine and go on that spot again. Anyways, i hope this helps and please try this before rehoming him Edit to add: one more thing- dont scold him after he has done the act, only scold him if you catch him in the middle of peeing or pooing. He wont be able to associate why you are yelling at him and it wont be effective. But if you do catch him, make sure you say NO very firmly and move him outside and praise him. Last edited by djpimptress; 09-21-2008 at 06:35 PM.

09-20-2008, 07:13 AM	#4
maritoma Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: East Hanover, New Jersey Posts: 154	You could have written your post for me, i have the exact same issue, my guy is also 1 and i have him confined to the kitchen, also did the crate since 4 mos. Just today i went down to my office, left him in the kitchen, he had gone out at 9 this morning, peed and pooped. Came in had breakfast, while I was out of the room he pooped on my rug and peed on the outer shell of his bed (i had taken out the cushion to wash). How do you like that? I'm thinking they are untrainable, for potty only, because he learns everything else.

09-20-2008, 10:34 AM	#6
luvmy3 Yorkie Yakker Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Pa Posts: 54	How do you litterbox train a dog? My husband feels the same way, he should not pee or poo in the house...period...

09-20-2008, 10:36 AM	#7
HillbillyBelle Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: MD Posts: 111	I swear, I think there are times when our Yorkies think we are dumb as doorknobs. LOL They do everything in their power to train us. I could not survive in my household without belly bands and Depends. I have had as many as 6 adults and always had someone who would not be trained. I make my (make that Their) bellybands and my boys actually wait each morning to be banded. Of course, the wee treat they get most of the time is a great incentive. Depends work better for us-monthly pads really can smell terrible and Depends cut in half do the trick. My guys are smaller and don't need a whole pad. They get changed during the day just as a baby would and get cleaned with baby wipes and have powder on their pads. I know the idea is to train them as well as our bigguns, but Yorkies are HARD to potty train. I cannot have a doggy door- we have hawks and I never let my younguns on the deck alone. So, once I get trained we do okay.

09-20-2008, 10:42 AM	#8
HillbillyBelle Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: MD Posts: 111	p.s My hubby has stopped complaining about their potty habits. After all, I reminded him that he goes potty in the house all the time. He has no sense of humor at all about that...

09-20-2008, 10:56 AM	#9
magoo Yorkie Yakker Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: York Posts: 58 Blog Entries: 1	my buddy was two years old before he started to go to the door and bark when he has to go out. I think Yorkie 's are stupid dog and very little bladders . But if im not listing to his signals he will go in the house.: