Can very tiny puppies be outdoor trained (and other questions)? - YorkieTalk.com Forums

JillK1 · 12-16-2010, 11:09 AM

Hi, I am the new owner of a 12 week Yorkie/Maltese cross. She is a very tiny puppy (1 lb) and will likely only get to be around 3lbs. Right now, she is in a pen in my kitchen that has her bed, food and newspapers. For the most part, she is good about going on the papers but we have had a couple of accidents when she has been playing with me in the kitchen. I don't know her signs well enough yet. I have two questions: can she be trained to go outdoors given how tiny she is and it is VERY cold here in Toronto. Also, does any one have a good crate training schedule for a puppy this size? The excerpt from "Housetraining in 7 days" says to crate her from 11pm to 7am... but I don't think with her tiny bladder she'd make it that long!
I would appreciate any tips. I just want to make sure I'm setting her up to win. I am discouraged by things I have read that say these little dogs can never really be housetrained.
Thanks so much
Jill

trin7 · 12-16-2010, 11:42 PM

Welcome to YT! I heard the same scary stories about Yorkies - they are extremely smart, but they can't be house trained. If they are so smart, why can't they be house trained? It was a bit confusing to me. Darwin is just under two and has been totally house trained since about 7 months old. He is about 7 1/2 pounds and seems very big compared to our newest pup, Mabel. She is 7 months old and I believe is now completely house trained and almost full grown. She is just a little over three pounds and doesn't give any signals about needing to go out yet but I take her out every four hours now. When we first got her, it was every 1 1/2 hours. I think it is much more about training ourselves then it is in training them. When a pup has such a tiny bladder, they do need to go out more often but when they are over half a year I believe you can leave them much longer. Mabel has never peed in her crate and I have gotten away with about 11 hours. I try not to do this too often, but it was nice when I wanted to go to bed early. Mabel doesn't like the cold and our walks are as short as possible. As soon as she is done I pick her up and get her home. It gets pretty cold here too, not as cold as Toronto, but we have lots of snow. I've bought boots for Mabel but they still aren't here. She tends to run on three feet most of our walks. Good luck and I'll keep an eye out for your pictures of your new little pup!

NAUTILUS1900 · 12-17-2010, 02:44 AM

My little Jean is 1 and a half year old and weighs 3 lbs. I started taking her out as soon as she had her shots (About 3 months old) when she was weighing about 1 lb. Off course I live in a very hot country and I don't have weather problems, but now that the temperature is really low I don't take her out for long because she is really cold. When I take her out I make sure that she is well dressed and she enjoys it very much.

JillK1 · 12-17-2010, 09:55 AM

Hi Maria and Trin7
Thanks so much for your responses. It is interesting that you have both outdoor trained your dogs. That is great to know. The question is whether I will be able to do that since it is SO cold out. Maybe I'll have to peepad train her for now and then start outdoor training in the Spring?
Trin7 - what is/was your crate training schedule for Mabel? I'd appreciate any guidance.
Thanks again
Jill

candigirl · 12-17-2010, 11:43 AM

Hi Jill, congrats on ur new bundle of joy. I live in Toronto too and know exactly what u mean , it's freezing out and will only get colder so I'm pee pad training my Lexie who's now 2lbs at 10 weeks. I held her in my arms when I went to answer the door once and the cold breeze sent her running up my chest clinging onto my shoulder for dear life, so I know there's no way she could tough it out long enough to potty outside for now. As for the schedule I'm in the same boat with figuring her out at night, she cannot hold it through the night and needs to go at least twice. For now I leave her crate door open and she comes out and potties when she needs to then goes back in to sleep.

Jemma · 12-17-2010, 02:58 PM

Pee pad the pup in my opinion. Right now she doesn't even have the weight to fall back on for any kind of warmth. Much too cold.

Micah my love · 12-17-2010, 03:13 PM

I would never risk a tiny to go out in the freezing cold, If she got sick she has nothing to fight with i always stress this keep them warm as toast and pee pads work great

Jemma · 12-17-2010, 03:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Micah my love

I would never risk a tiny to go out in the freezing cold, If she got sick she has nothing to fight with i always stress this keep them warm as toast and pee pads work great

my way of thinking

JillK1 · 12-17-2010, 06:21 PM

Thank you all so much for the help so far. To those of you that use peepads, do you have any suggestions how to go from newspapers to using them? I tried putting one on top of the papers and she just chewed it up!
Also, when you go away or to a friends house do you take a peepad for your pups to use? Does that seem to work?
Thanks so much!
Jill

trin7 · 12-17-2010, 06:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JillK1

Hi Maria and Trin7
Thanks so much for your responses. It is interesting that you have both outdoor trained your dogs. That is great to know. The question is whether I will be able to do that since it is SO cold out. Maybe I'll have to peepad train her for now and then start outdoor training in the Spring?
Trin7 - what is/was your crate training schedule for Mabel? I'd appreciate any guidance.
Thanks again
Jill

Hi Jill - I started Mabel off by taking her out every hour until she was six months. I didn't realize it but it was taking her longer to pee and I was out in the cold waiting and waiting. It finally dawned on me that just maybe she didn't need to go out that often. I increased the amount of time to every 3 hours and now I take her out at 8:30, 12:30, 4:30, 8:30 and as I'm a night hawk I usually take her out around 12:00 am but I have been able to leave her in her crate from 9:00 pm to 8:30 am without any mess. Mabel is 7 1/2 months now and I believe (hopefully) that she is house trained. She hasn't given me a signal yet when she needs to go out but I think I take her out often enough it's not really an issue. When Darwin was about a year old when he was on the back of our arm chair making these annoying whining sounds. After about the fourth time telling him to be quiet I realized this was his way of telling me he needed to go out. I'm hoping Mabel will tell me soon in her own way and I hope I'm smart enough to figure it out! About the cold, it's about 12 degrees fahrenheit and Mabel and Darwin both go outside. For some weird reason, Mabel has to hop up onto a snow hill in order to pee or poop. If I don't let her, she takes forever. Put her on a snow hill and she goes really fast. Quirky little thing! For a dog that shivers, this just seems so strange Hope this helps you, good luck!

AprilLove · 12-19-2010, 04:12 PM

Yes you can train her too go outdoors.
Also, if you start with pee pee pad training, you can always transition to outdoor in the spring when it gets warmer.

My Yorkie is trained both to pads for when I am not home and also to ring a bell to go outside. Yes it can be done.

I also had an older Maltese (RIP) who I trained to pee pee pads at the age of 13 after she had been outdoor trained her whole life.

I would recommend washable pee pads, and use her own urine on them to entice her to use them

gemy · 12-19-2010, 04:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AprilLove

Yes you can train her too go outdoors.
Also, if you start with pee pee pad training, you can always transition to outdoor in the spring when it gets warmer.

My Yorkie is trained both to pads for when I am not home and also to ring a bell to go outside. Yes it can be done.

I also had an older Maltese (RIP) who I trained to pee pee pads at the age of 13 after she had been outdoor trained her whole life.

I would recommend washable pee pads, and use her own urine on them to entice her to use them

Great advice, I too am in Toronto, and the first winter when Razz was a pup, we peepad trained him. In the spring and warmer weather, we went outdoors, now even in wintertime he goes outdoors, but he is full grown.

However after his shots were completed we did go out for walks. If he got cold, as sometimes he did, I put him in my parka to warm up.

Your pup will need some warm clothes, but wait until older to buy,(unless you are going to walk in the winter weather) some booties for our extreme days of cold n snow.

Welcome to YT

angeleyes · 12-19-2010, 05:07 PM

I too have a Morkie and Belle was 2 pounds at 12 weeks. We live in Minnesota where it is also very cold and snowy. There was no way I could or would take her out to pee. I bought a pee pad holder to put the pads in. I would put her on the pad about every 1 1/2 hrs. or sooner if she was circling. I would always say "go potty" and when she did she got alot of praise and a small treat. I also learned that these little ones are prissy in that they do not like a really wet pad, at least Belle doesn't. I started putting a folded in half newspaper on top of the pad and when that got wet I'd just change newspapers. Saved lots on pads. I also learned that they do not like to pee and pop on the same pad. It took me awhile to pick up on that but others have said theirs don't do both either. At night I started right away with Belle sleeping beside my bed in her crate. I used a trick that I did with my Schnauzer before Belle and that was covering the entire crate with a blanket when she was in there at night. Belle never fussed or made a sound until she had to potty. I would get her out and put her on the pad and after she peed, she'd go right back in the kennel. As they grow you can stretch the amount of time between potty trips. I think the covering with a blanket is kind of the same theory as with covering a bird. As for when we go somewhere, Belle has her own little bag, like a diaper bag. I keep 2 pads in there. I take her in the bathroom or somewhere quiet and put the pad down and tell her to go. Yeah, Belle goes on command! I don't take the pad holder when we are away for the day. During the summer we camp alot and I take her pads then for night but she learned to potty outside too. Mommy was so proud of her, the other campers must have thought I was crazy. "So what, your dog peed outside?" Hey, she's not just a dog, she's my baby and she's tiny and I'm proud of her! One other thing I learned with having such tiny babies is their risk of hypoglycemia. I am a diabetic so I always have a tube of glucose in my purse. This works well if they seem to be low on sugar or have been playing hard for a long time. I just put a little on my finger and rub it on her gums, you don't need much. You can buy it in the pharmacy pretty much anywhere. Good luck with your teeny one. Keep them warm and cozy in the cold.

12-16-2010, 11:09 AM	#1
JillK1 YorkieTalk Newbie! Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada Posts: 5	Can very tiny puppies be outdoor trained (and other questions)? Hi, I am the new owner of a 12 week Yorkie/Maltese cross. She is a very tiny puppy (1 lb) and will likely only get to be around 3lbs. Right now, she is in a pen in my kitchen that has her bed, food and newspapers. For the most part, she is good about going on the papers but we have had a couple of accidents when she has been playing with me in the kitchen. I don't know her signs well enough yet. I have two questions: can she be trained to go outdoors given how tiny she is and it is VERY cold here in Toronto. Also, does any one have a good crate training schedule for a puppy this size? The excerpt from "Housetraining in 7 days" says to crate her from 11pm to 7am... but I don't think with her tiny bladder she'd make it that long! I would appreciate any tips. I just want to make sure I'm setting her up to win. I am discouraged by things I have read that say these little dogs can never really be housetrained. Thanks so much Jill

12-17-2010, 02:44 AM	#3
NAUTILUS1900 Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Athens Greece Posts: 172	My little Jean is 1 and a half year old and weighs 3 lbs. I started taking her out as soon as she had her shots (About 3 months old) when she was weighing about 1 lb. Off course I live in a very hot country and I don't have weather problems, but now that the temperature is really low I don't take her out for long because she is really cold. When I take her out I make sure that she is well dressed and she enjoys it very much. __________________ Maria

12-17-2010, 02:58 PM	#6
Jemma Donating YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: NJ Posts: 838	Pee pad the pup in my opinion. Right now she doesn't even have the weight to fall back on for any kind of warmth. Much too cold. __________________ Carol And Jemma Be Kinder Than Necessary, For Everyone You Meet Is Fighting Some Kind Of Battle

12-17-2010, 03:13 PM	#7
Micah my love Donating YT 100K Club Member & Top YorkieTalk Poster! Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: western KY Posts: 108,935	I would never risk a tiny to go out in the freezing cold, If she got sick she has nothing to fight with i always stress this keep them warm as toast and pee pads work great __________________ Betty & Micah my love + Yogi

12-19-2010, 04:12 PM	#11
AprilLove My Three Hearts Donating Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Wrapped around their paws :-) Posts: 7,190	Yes you can train her too go outdoors. Also, if you start with pee pee pad training, you can always transition to outdoor in the spring when it gets warmer. My Yorkie is trained both to pads for when I am not home and also to ring a bell to go outside. Yes it can be done. I also had an older Maltese (RIP) who I trained to pee pee pads at the age of 13 after she had been outdoor trained her whole life. I would recommend washable pee pads, and use her own urine on them to entice her to use them __________________ MaryKay AprilLove Wubs Moosie R.I.P. Bailey & BitsyRoo

12-16-2010, 11:42 PM	#2
trin7 YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: BC, Canada Posts: 554	Welcome to YT! I heard the same scary stories about Yorkies - they are extremely smart, but they can't be house trained. If they are so smart, why can't they be house trained? It was a bit confusing to me. Darwin is just under two and has been totally house trained since about 7 months old. He is about 7 1/2 pounds and seems very big compared to our newest pup, Mabel. She is 7 months old and I believe is now completely house trained and almost full grown. She is just a little over three pounds and doesn't give any signals about needing to go out yet but I take her out every four hours now. When we first got her, it was every 1 1/2 hours. I think it is much more about training ourselves then it is in training them. When a pup has such a tiny bladder, they do need to go out more often but when they are over half a year I believe you can leave them much longer. Mabel has never peed in her crate and I have gotten away with about 11 hours. I try not to do this too often, but it was nice when I wanted to go to bed early. Mabel doesn't like the cold and our walks are as short as possible. As soon as she is done I pick her up and get her home. It gets pretty cold here too, not as cold as Toronto, but we have lots of snow. I've bought boots for Mabel but they still aren't here. She tends to run on three feet most of our walks. Good luck and I'll keep an eye out for your pictures of your new little pup!

12-17-2010, 09:55 AM	#4
JillK1 YorkieTalk Newbie! Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada Posts: 5	Hi Maria and Trin7 Thanks so much for your responses. It is interesting that you have both outdoor trained your dogs. That is great to know. The question is whether I will be able to do that since it is SO cold out. Maybe I'll have to peepad train her for now and then start outdoor training in the Spring? Trin7 - what is/was your crate training schedule for Mabel? I'd appreciate any guidance. Thanks again Jill

12-17-2010, 11:43 AM	#5
candigirl YT Addict Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Toronto, Ont Posts: 333	Hi Jill, congrats on ur new bundle of joy. I live in Toronto too and know exactly what u mean , it's freezing out and will only get colder so I'm pee pad training my Lexie who's now 2lbs at 10 weeks. I held her in my arms when I went to answer the door once and the cold breeze sent her running up my chest clinging onto my shoulder for dear life, so I know there's no way she could tough it out long enough to potty outside for now. As for the schedule I'm in the same boat with figuring her out at night, she cannot hold it through the night and needs to go at least twice. For now I leave her crate door open and she comes out and potties when she needs to then goes back in to sleep.

12-17-2010, 06:21 PM	#9
JillK1 YorkieTalk Newbie! Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada Posts: 5	Thank you all so much for the help so far. To those of you that use peepads, do you have any suggestions how to go from newspapers to using them? I tried putting one on top of the papers and she just chewed it up! Also, when you go away or to a friends house do you take a peepad for your pups to use? Does that seem to work? Thanks so much! Jill

12-19-2010, 05:07 PM	#13
angeleyes YT Addict Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Hugo, MN USA Posts: 325	pee pads I too have a Morkie and Belle was 2 pounds at 12 weeks. We live in Minnesota where it is also very cold and snowy. There was no way I could or would take her out to pee. I bought a pee pad holder to put the pads in. I would put her on the pad about every 1 1/2 hrs. or sooner if she was circling. I would always say "go potty" and when she did she got alot of praise and a small treat. I also learned that these little ones are prissy in that they do not like a really wet pad, at least Belle doesn't. I started putting a folded in half newspaper on top of the pad and when that got wet I'd just change newspapers. Saved lots on pads. I also learned that they do not like to pee and pop on the same pad. It took me awhile to pick up on that but others have said theirs don't do both either. At night I started right away with Belle sleeping beside my bed in her crate. I used a trick that I did with my Schnauzer before Belle and that was covering the entire crate with a blanket when she was in there at night. Belle never fussed or made a sound until she had to potty. I would get her out and put her on the pad and after she peed, she'd go right back in the kennel. As they grow you can stretch the amount of time between potty trips. I think the covering with a blanket is kind of the same theory as with covering a bird. As for when we go somewhere, Belle has her own little bag, like a diaper bag. I keep 2 pads in there. I take her in the bathroom or somewhere quiet and put the pad down and tell her to go. Yeah, Belle goes on command! I don't take the pad holder when we are away for the day. During the summer we camp alot and I take her pads then for night but she learned to potty outside too. Mommy was so proud of her, the other campers must have thought I was crazy. "So what, your dog peed outside?" Hey, she's not just a dog, she's my baby and she's tiny and I'm proud of her! One other thing I learned with having such tiny babies is their risk of hypoglycemia. I am a diabetic so I always have a tube of glucose in my purse. This works well if they seem to be low on sugar or have been playing hard for a long time. I just put a little on my finger and rub it on her gums, you don't need much. You can buy it in the pharmacy pretty much anywhere. Good luck with your teeny one. Keep them warm and cozy in the cold.