HELP!! I am at my wits end with litter training!!

[Magneticgal]

Hi everyone!! I know this is a prevailing theme here. My Lexie is almost 10 mos old and STILL NOT TRAINED!! Of course my mother keeps telling me to give up the whole litter box thing and train her to go outside.(which I have been honestly contemplating!) She does very well as far as peeing in the box. BUT she has it in her head that she can poop wherever the mood strikes(anywhere,anytime!) It is SO frustrating!! I do have her on a feeding schedule and watch her.. it is hard to watch her every second and I guess I feel really guilty leaving her in her playpen when I am home, since she is in there while I am at work. Her playpen is fairly small, but it has a small bed for her (pink, of course!!) and her litter pan, along with her bowl of water. I should also mention that she holds her poop for me until I get home so she can go on my carpet. (what a darling!) It is a bad situation because if I ever want to go on vacation where I can't take her, no one will watch her since she isn't trained!! This is crazy and I am growing quite weary. I am almost resigned to the fact that she will NEVER be trained!!! I love her so much and need to get this situation resolved. ANY advice would be most welcome and appreciated!! Thank you all in advance.

[ilovelouie]

Im not sure that I have any advice for you because my tow (1 1/2 yr old and 10 months old) still are constantly peeing on the only carpet left in my house. I even put pee pads in there and they go all around it ugggggggggggggggg! They also just kind of poop wherever they want....somethimes on the paper when they feel like it errrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr! I just dont get it. I correct them when I see it..by making them look at it and I say NO POOP or NO PEE, and then i carry them to the pee pad and say POOP HERE!..... I dunno why they dont get it. But I will be glad to hear your responses. I love them so much and this is the ONLY thing they do wrong.....ahhhh life would be perfect if they learned. LOL.
good luck hun.

[xBUTTERCUPx]

i had the same problem about 3 weeks ago and i started using expens. i put his bed, food/water on one end and a pee pad on the opposite end. i kept him in there for half of the day, even when i'm home so he can get used to going on the pads. after about 3 weeks i just leave the door open and when he needs to go, he just run in the pen, do his business, and then get out.

[Erin]

When I need Loki to poop and don't have time to wait around for him to do it on his time, I walk him. Within 2 blocks he'll poop. Guaranteed. I agree with your mom. I personally think asking a dog to poop in a litter box is ridiculous. Loki waddles around and will go in 2 or 3 different spots within 5-6 feet. He has to pace and turn in a little circle before he goes in the perfect spot. He would never go in a box. If she hasn't pooped when you get home then either wait to take her out until she does, keep her on a leash, or take her for a walk.

Dogs that are trained indoors don't get that inside/outside distinction. Floor with newspaper feels just like floor with tile to them. Carpet feels just like a pad. At least GRASS is an entirely different smell and feel. And inside/outside transfers to other people's houses.

ilovelouie why are you letting them have free roam? Have you tried crate training? Do your dogs know what NO POOP means? If you are showing it to them then you caught them too late - just pick it up because they won't understand. Dogs are fascinated by poop, they think it's cool. They probably think you think it is too by pointing it out. If you are really catching them in the act and moving them to the pad, then praise them when they are done. We kept a leash on Loki even in the house sometimes so that we could just grab him and take him to the yard when he started sniffing. And with the leash they can't leave your sight either.

Has anyone attempted outdoor training? They are Yorkies but they are still dogs. They do take a long time to train and it is hard work, but it's possible. At 10 months I'd still be expecting "oops I didn't make it" accidents occasionally, just like a kid who is still learning. But if your dog acts like he has no clue where the doggie potty is even at 10 months, maybe you should re-think the inside training. Just a thought? I'll help anyone that wants help with outside training, but if you think your dog will know the difference between "It's OK to potty in this corner on a pad" and "It's not OK to potty in this corner on the rug" then good luck. Try bells, they work.

[Magneticgal]

Originally Posted by Erin

When I need Loki to poop and don't have time to wait around for him to do it on his time, I walk him. Within 2 blocks he'll poop. Guaranteed. I agree with your mom. I personally think asking a dog to poop in a litter box is ridiculous. Loki waddles around and will go in 2 or 3 different spots within 5-6 feet. He has to pace and turn in a little circle before he goes in the perfect spot. He would never go in a box. If she hasn't pooped when you get home then either wait to take her out until she does, keep her on a leash, or take her for a walk.

Dogs that are trained indoors don't get that inside/outside distinction. Floor with newspaper feels just like floor with tile to them. Carpet feels just like a pad. At least GRASS is an entirely different smell and feel. And inside/outside transfers to other people's houses.

ilovelouie why are you letting them have free roam? Have you tried crate training? Do your dogs know what NO POOP means? If you are showing it to them then you caught them too late - just pick it up because they won't understand. Dogs are fascinated by poop, they think it's cool. They probably think you think it is too by pointing it out. If you are really catching them in the act and moving them to the pad, then praise them when they are done. We kept a leash on Loki even in the house sometimes so that we could just grab him and take him to the yard when he started sniffing. And with the leash they can't leave your sight either.

Has anyone attempted outdoor training? They are Yorkies but they are still dogs. They do take a long time to train and it is hard work, but it's possible. At 10 months I'd still be expecting "oops I didn't make it" accidents occasionally, just like a kid who is still learning. But if your dog acts like he has no clue where the doggie potty is even at 10 months, maybe you should re-think the inside training. Just a thought? I'll help anyone that wants help with outside training, but if you think your dog will know the difference between "It's OK to potty in this corner on a pad" and "It's not OK to potty in this corner on the rug" then good luck. Try bells, they work.

Hi Erin,

I was glad to see you live in Chicago,because I am from Northeast Ohio. My point being is that you KNOW what nasty winter weather is like. I guess I am a typical nervous new mom, wanting to protect my baby from all of the elements. How does he handle to rain/wind/snow/cold,ect. How did you teach the bells? And the biggest question of all... how do I now make the transistion? I will be honest, another reason I opted to do litter training for her is because that way if I am unable to make it home for lunch, she isn't stranded all day without a place to go. I have a small litter box in her playpen (which she DOES use during the day for peeing- never poop)
I am wondering if I do outdoor train, then would she still be able to use that during the day? Or is it all or nothing and would it make her more confused? I am at a point where I AM willing to consider other options. This obviously isn't working and I am getting desperate. Now is the time as far as outdoor training, since it is spring! I really appreciate your help and advice on this!!

[Erin]

Loki loves the snow. He has a winter coat, which is bad because it just means he will stay out there longer and play in it. I had a harder time with him wanting to go outside and eat/play in the snow more than I did last summer with it being nice outside. I only remember 2-3 days last winter that we kept the blow dryer by the door, on those sleety nasty days. Oh, and we'd shovel part of the yard for him so it wasn't 6 inches of snow, but he'd go in the deep part anyway. If you act like it's no big deal, your dog will too!

Rain is no biggie, he gets wet. No wetter than you or I would get running to get in a car or get the mail. If it's cold I put a shirt/coat on him, if not I just wipe his paws. No big deal. When FIRST housetraining we had more accidents on rainy days, but I didn't give in, even if I ended up standing in the rain with him (which worked, maybe he was scared at first?) Anyway, it's not a problem now.

The hot weather is honestly the worst, because he gets hot so fast. We keep him super short too. Again he just goes outside quickly and back in.

The best thing we could have done was train him on a leash. We don't have a fence and all of our neighbors (townhouse) have dogs so I'm not about to let him off leash. When he was a baby we'd walk out there on a short leash with him. Now he's on "auto-pilot" and I hook him up to a flexi lead and he just takes off outside and runs right back when he's done. It's no-nonsense since he can't run around and play on the flexi. He rings his bells no problem. They catch on - once they figure out it makes you come to the door and let them out! Just take their paw or nose and ring the bells, then make a big deal about it and say "OK! OUTSIDE!" and open the door. For a few days I had to remind Loki to ring his bell before I opened the door (if I saw him sitting there) After that he had it. You can even tell how badly he needs to go. If bad he will swat at them like crazy until someone comes running!

Don't know about during the day, you may just have to try it. If she's not reliably going in the litter pan now she's not going to during the day. Check into some backup - I bet some friendly retired neighbor is more than willing to play with her for the cost of the gas it would take you to get home! I've had 3 people in our neighborhood offer just while out walking Loki. And our next door neighbor has a lab who can handle 7 hours just fine, but if one of them is late they call me (I get home at 4:30) and I let him out. Or if he is sick my husband lets him out during the day. We do this because we love their dog and are "dog people" and would rather run next door than let him suffer. I'd seriously ask around!

BTW I only let Loki go about 4 hours in his crate. I've honestly only done 7-8 hours once or twice and it was an emergency. But he held it. So if something like that were to happen, you might be OK. But she'll be expecting a LONG walk when you get home

[risingjoyce]

hi
a lot of people siad and what i read that yorkies are hard to train and might not fully be trained well mine got trained it did take time but then wham everything clicked into place

[LuvMySissy]

Hi there. Southeast Michigan checking in here. Sissy is 9 months old and not completely trained. She does well with peeing outside, but I can still miss her signals when she needs to go. She poops mostly inside though. The has two places that are her standards to go, both on throw rugs. So at least they are machine washable.

I, too deal with weather issues. We have a fenced yard, but our garage is detached and in the back yard. I have to keep the gate closed cause otherwise she is only interested in taking off to places unknown and will run in the street. And she is sooooo fast for such a little thing. So, the gate stays closed and I go out with her EVERY time, morning/noon/night, rain/sleet/snow. I have to watch her because there are a couple spots in the fence where she can squeeze under if she tries hard enough. Such a little pistol.

I am considering the bell method also - hanging bells upstairs and downstairs so no matter where we are she might tell me she needs to go instead of the subtle hints that I sometimes don't get. She will hold it all night when she is downstairs in her room, or on the odd occasion when I'm gone and she is enclosed.

[Erin]

Originally Posted by LuvMySissy

Hi there. Southeast Michigan checking in here. Sissy is 9 months old and not completely trained. She does well with peeing outside, but I can still miss her signals when she needs to go. She poops mostly inside though. The has two places that are her standards to go, both on throw rugs. So at least they are machine washable.

I, too deal with weather issues. We have a fenced yard, but our garage is detached and in the back yard. I have to keep the gate closed cause otherwise she is only interested in taking off to places unknown and will run in the street. And she is sooooo fast for such a little thing. So, the gate stays closed and I go out with her EVERY time, morning/noon/night, rain/sleet/snow. I have to watch her because there are a couple spots in the fence where she can squeeze under if she tries hard enough. Such a little pistol.

I am considering the bell method also - hanging bells upstairs and downstairs so no matter where we are she might tell me she needs to go instead of the subtle hints that I sometimes don't get. She will hold it all night when she is downstairs in her room, or on the odd occasion when I'm gone and she is enclosed.

She's probably holding it because she's sleeping. Loki can hold it anywhere from 4-10 hours while he's sleeping, but while awake he goes out every hour or so. Bells are awesome. Our front door is near the stairs, so the sound carries upstairs. Also, I made my own bells so I could add more rows of bells and make them louder! I hang them on a suction cup on the window next to the door (The only window in the house Loki can see out of while standing/sitting - it's his window) because that's where he did best with them.

[typerk]

Well going outside won't solve the problem in the least. You want a dog to go where you want her to go. At 10 months you should have been off the "watching her every second phase." I would crate train her like she is a new pup. This is why I stress good crate training all the time. You don't want a dog this old still having accidents.

[bizzbeth]

Don't fret- litterbox training IS possible!
10 months IS old for a pup to have some bad habits, but my Oliver is 100% little box trained. He's 6 months old right now and has been solidly trained for three months (a week of him testing his limits and pooping on the stairs...) but aside for that he's perfect about goin gin his litterbox.
The great thing about him is that he does both. On walks he'll go outside (or if we're in the yard playing all day) and when we're inside he knows where his litterbox is.
I don't think it's impossible, at all, to expect a pup to be litterbox trained. Some people are surprised, but it makes my life 100% easier. I go to school for part of the day and I live with roommates who can't always be home so Oliver needed somewhere to go when we weren't around. It just makes sense.
Anyways... THe only thing I can say is that consistant training pays off. I was 100% consistant for the first couple of weeks with Oliver. Everytime he was out running the house I ran upstairs with him every 15 minutes or so to show him where his litterbox was and told him to "go potty". THen it's the old routine praise praise praise treat.
A lot of people say their yorkies are never 100% trained... but they really are like all other dogs- they just need consistant training. I'm proud of my boy, but I know it could have easily turned out TROUBLE if I hadn't been ontop of it. Oh i can't image the wreckage! hehe
I wish you luck! If you have any questions feel free to PM me.