HELP! She's driving me UP THE WALL!

[Elbow]

Okay guys...I need some serious advice here. I have tried everything with my dog...she's 1 year old now....and she is actually doing worse at potty training. Here's the scoop:

About a month ago, we had a problem of Elbow going in the house...she had severe diarrhea all the time...and we found out it was the bag of food we had just opened. We changed the food and she hasn't pooped in the house since. However....this has caused a sudden change in her training because now she pees in the house...wherever she wants...whenever she wants. An example....we take her out for a walk before we go to work...at around 6 am.....she eats....and we come home around 4:30-5pm....sometimes there's pee...sometimes there isn't (but she refused to pee on the puppy pads...on the newspaper...etc...she just goes right beside it!)....I take her for a walk immediately when I get home...she pees...and poos....then she eats dinner. Around 8 pm....my husband and I take her for a walk...and again before my husband goes to bed around 11 pm. However...throughout the night, she pees all over the house!! The problem we are having with her is in many layers. We used to live in a condo, and so she would sleep right beside my bed on the floor since the place was so small....so she got used to that...and now she wants to sleep upstairs with us. So...all night long, she pees in my son's room, which is carpeted...and it drives me bonkers! She never gets a drink after dinner.....yet she still pees all night...even with 2 walks between dinner and sleeping! Here are a couple of examples. Two nights ago, I woke up to my son crying...it took me 30 minutes to console him...and after he quieted down, my dog woke up...walked into his room...peed...and went back to sleep!!! Then..this morning...she started whining to let us know she has to go outside to pee at 4:30 am!!!! WHAT IS GOING ON???

I am going to buy a cage for her tonight!! I can't stand it...but any ideas how to crate train her now that she's a year old? I want her sleeping either in the kitchen in her cage or in the basement in her cage! I am 7 months pregnant...and about to go ballistic on her! I can barely sleep as it is with the baby constantly moving...I don't need this extra aggravation! Also, we plan on carpet cleaning before the baby comes, but I want to make sure the dog is always downstairs from now on...how do I train her to stay downstairs????????

[Mueyinter]

Crate training is always a good idea. Maybe get an Xpen to keep her confined to the downstairs?

[Ladylavender]

A word of caution, Yorkies are companion oriented. They actually need companionship of either their pack or their family. To separate her from the "pack" or family will only make her more anxious and create even more problems for you. So trying to keep your yorkie on the 1st floor or the basement, is not going to be a really good idea and will not really solve your problem.

I think getting a crate is a excellent 1st step and/or even getting an x-pen may help you get better control of this housebreaking thing. But when you confine her, make sure that she can view the activities of the househould so she does not feel alone.

If you get the cage type crate, make sure that you get a cover for it. You can either use a towel or a blanket. Putting it over the cage/crate will make your puppy feel more secure and there should be less whining or barking. But please expect some of that to go on. It may take up to a week before she will get used to being in there. I would attempt to keep her in your room or your son's room or somewhere where she can hear you and know she is not by herself.

To make her like the crate, throw some food in there and during the day keep the crate door open and let her have easy access to it. She will go in and out of it during the day, especially if there is food in there and she will get comfortable with the idea of it. You may even want to put her in there for 5 or 10 minute increments with the door closed to get her used to being in there.

I would continue to try to incorporate her with the family though. to keep her separated from her pack may be the 'death' of any chance of a successful relationship for you and her.

[Elbow]

I will definitely try to do that...but if I'm not at home and I want her to be in the crate...what do I do? Do I just stick her in there? Or do I introduce the crate with the food inside for several days and let her go in herself....and come home and put her in 5 to 10 minute increments? At night, when she is sleeping, can I put her in there? If she is in the crate upstairs overnight, will she hold her pee long enough to get outside in the morning?

Also...we tried to crate train her when we first got her and she just pooed in the crate every day...and peed too.....now that she is better at going outside...will this happen? If so, does that pretty much mean the crate is no longer a good method of training her?

[yorkieusa]

Yorkies will go to the bathroom in their crates.

You didn't plan on leaving her in there day and night, did you? I didn't quite catch that.

[Elbow]

Hi...I had wanted to keep her in the crate during the day when we are not at home...and during the night when she sleeps...I would prefer it if she could sleep in her crate...

I just don't get why she won't pee at regular times or on a regular schedule. It just baffles me!

[ariz4me]

Hi,

I know how you feel. I have Bandit. He's five years old and housebreaking has always been a nightmare. We have tried crates, pens, etc. We take him out every four hours and he will come back into the house and pee or poop on the floor. I was worried that there was something physically wrong with him so we took him to the vet to be checked. After many tests, everything came back fine. My vet told me that Yorkies are very difficult to housebreak. I have two other dogs - a golden and an irish setter. Both were housebroken before they were 3 months old. Bandit however, continues to be a mystery. We've even put hardwood floors all on my first floor because he ruined our carpets. He now is beginning to pee on the hardwood floors. Bandit sleeps with us at night. He will jump down from the bed and begin to snort to let us know he needs to go out. He's praised all over the place for this. We just don't know why he's not carrying this over to his waking hours. I've even bought puppy pads, diapers, etc. He chews the puppy pads and the diapers. Is there still hope for him? I love him dearly and would never part with him. We just need to know if we are missing something?

Keep your chin up!

Ariz4me

[forgetful]

I put my baby in a small paypen portable with a pillow and blanket on it right next to my bed. Every nite I tell Harley nite nite right from the first nite. He loves his bed he goes in there at nite and actually wags his tail for me to put him in. One thing I know is he cant be wound up we start to play at least 1 hr before bed. Then I always reach in and cover him up. Sounds corny but it works.I also put pads on the one end of the playpen he has only had one accident in there. He holds it to the last minute in the morning , sometimes it is 5am or 8 am, never no. but, I take him directly out side in the morning. Then encourage him to eat and drink, he runs around for about an hour, then pee pee again. I live were there is snow every where and he refuses to poopy outside right now. So out comes the pads. I leave the poop on the pad for a while or move it to the pad if he misses, never say anything to him about the accident, except peepee outside or poopy outside and show him, I dont yell or raise my voice seems to be working well.I used a crate just a little bigger then him the first month, he could just stand or turn around in it, he had 2 accidents in there, I put ;his favorite fleece blanket in there and he didnt do it again. I also left the door open and would put 1 little scoop of food in there , I see him running in it on his own now. I only give treats for outside poddy. I do praise him for the peepee on the pads though. This seems to be working great for me . hope it helps you. Harleys mommy Dee

[livingdustmops]

Have you taken her to the Vet to see if she has a medical problem?

[FirstYorkie]

Originally Posted by ariz4me

Hi, I know how you feel. I have Bandit. He's five years old and housebreaking has always been a nightmare. We have tried crates, pens, etc. We take him out every four hours and he will come back into the house and pee or poop on the floor.

The obvious part of your problem is that taking him out every 4 hours isn't nearly often enough. A small dog may need to go out as often as every hour and, for housebreaking purposes, you may have to do it more often than that until he is reliable.

Something else that I think Bandit needs is a way to tell you when he has to potty during the daytime. He knows how to tell you at night but it sounds like he doesn't know how to tell you during the day. I've had great success with a bell on the backdoor that my dogs ring when they want to go out. If you want more info on that, just ask. Others have trained their dogs to bark at the back door (which works but might lead to demand barking at other times) or to scratch the back door.

It's hard to know what exactly is going on with Bandit without more information. When he's taken outside, does he pee and poop? Does he go out on or off leash? How do you react when he goes in the house? How do you reach when he goes outside? Is he allowed the run of the house or is he contained during the day?

[suz]

Originally Posted by Elbow

Hi...I had wanted to keep her in the crate during the day when we are not at home...and during the night when she sleeps...I would prefer it if she could sleep in her crate...

I just don't get why she won't pee at regular times or on a regular schedule. It just baffles me!

Ok. Maybe I woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning....but I seriously think you should consider either giving Elbow, or selling her to someone who will love her. I just read some of your earlier posts concerning this dog, and it seems to me like you've been havng problems with her for sometime now. You have too much on your hands with your son and a new baby coming, to give her the attention she needs. To even consider putting her in a crate for the entire day and making her sleep in it too is way out of reason to me!! I can't imagine any dog going pee or poo on a set schedule. Like 7:00 am exactly, then having to wait till 3:00 pm exactly. I know I could never go on that type of schedule. I think if you keep doing what you are doing, you will end up hating this poor little girl. Just my opinion,
Suz

[livingdustmops]

Elbow, I know this will be hard for some members on here to understand but I think it is time to turn her over to Rescue. I think you tried based on your different threads but you are at the end of your rope and the only kindess you could do for this dog is by letting Rescue fine her a new home.

Personally, I would think more of you for realizing this is not working out for you and your family and that you have some compassion for your dog. She is young enough to start over. I realize this can be hard but this is a dog that is alone a great deal of the day and now you want her to be alone all night. I have had many young families have to come to this painful decision but they knew they were doing the right thing for the dog.

Please I beg of you to call the Canadian Yorkie Rescue
http://www.canadianyorkshireterrierr...tr_contact.htm

Please feel free to PM me if you would like to talk about this

[Jaspermom]

I agree with Suz a bit. It does sound like you have a lot on your plate right now, and maybe this is not the best time in your life to be working on house training a puppy. Is it possible that there is someone you know who may be willing to take or maybe even share the puppy for you? That way, you will still be able to visit and keep in touch with the puppy's progress, but not have to worry about all the work and all the training.

I am sure you do love your puppy, but you are overwhelmed right now with the baby coming and everything else you have going on. If sharing your pup is an option for you, you might want to consider it. If not and you decide to keep your puppy, then you must convince yourself to have more patience with your furbaby and their potty training. It's a difficult time in almost every yorkie owners life, and it takes a whole lot of love, patience, and understanding to get a pup to be housebroken. We are here for you, and will help to cheer you if and when you need us! You have made a good step by being here, so keep it up and keep trying!

GOOD LUCK!

Originally Posted by suz

Ok. Maybe I woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning....but I seriously think you should consider either giving Elbow, or selling her to someone who will love her. I just read some of your earlier posts concerning this dog, and it seems to me like you've been havng problems with her for sometime now. You have too much on your hands with your son and a new baby coming, to give her the attention she needs. To even consider putting her in a crate for the entire day and making her sleep in it too is way out of reason to me!! I can't imagine any dog going pee or poo on a set schedule. Like 7:00 am exactly, then having to wait till 3:00 pm exactly. I know I could never go on that type of schedule. I think if you keep doing what you are doing, you will end up hating this poor little girl. Just my opinion,
Suz