Too smart for our good - YorkieTalk.com Forums

ambocken · 01-08-2009, 03:44 PM

about 3 months ago we adopted a 3 year old Yorkie who was used for breeding. When we got her we first got a crate to have her in while we were gone since we were unsure of her abilities in house training etc.

On numerous occasions she would pee in her crate while we were gone (even if it was only an hour). It was totally unpredictable when she would do it. She also HATED the crate and would refuse to go near it when we tried to put her in there. It always ended with us picking her up and gently shoving her in there.

Now we have cleared out an extra bedroom and made it her space for when we are gone. She did great going in there and leting me shut the door.... until she figured out that every time I wanted her to go in there I was leaving.

Now we have to chase her around the house and do everything in our power to get her to stay in the room without running out!!

HELP!! she can not have run of the house but I don't know what to do!
Is it separation anxiety?

QuickSilver · 01-08-2009, 03:53 PM

It could be separation anxiety, but not necessarily.

I think the easiest way to fix the room thing is to change it up a little bit. Put her in the room at times when you are NOT leaving, so the correlation is not as clear to her. Going into the room at irregular intervals should teach her that you will always come back. You may want to treat her upon your return also so she has something to look forward to.

Re: the crate, was it the right size? If she can pee in one corner and sleep in another, it's too big. I think you can change her feelings towards the crate if you go slow. Put nice blankets in it and some special treats she only gets in the crate. Since she's learned to dislike it, I would leave some treats in it and leave the door open. Let her enter and leave the crate of her own accord. Praise and treat her when she goes into the crate. Eventually once she's warmed up to it, you can start closing the door.

Super cute avatar, by the way! She looks like a very happy gal.

jeanietoo · 01-08-2009, 03:54 PM

Why not get an x-pen. When you got the crate she should have been introduced to it gradually. She needs to view it as a pleasant place not a place for punishment. If she's never been potty trained and she's 3 years old it may take a long time or maybe not ever. Wherever you do keep her try to give her treats etc and make it a place that you can spend time with her even when you aren't going away for a long time

JoeyP · 01-08-2009, 04:07 PM

Of Course ... and plus she's getting the added benefit of you chasing her all around the house
It's fun to have a flustered human chasing you up and under and around all the furniture for 20 mins

It doesn't matter if she has put 2 and 2 together that you're going to be going out soon ... she should always come to you the minute you call
rather than trying to figure out a place she'll take to
try and get her to Come on command

ambocken · 01-08-2009, 04:09 PM

I like the idea of treating her when we return.

The crate was the right size. We had to get a couple until we got one that fit her right... But since she was previously owned, she already had the fear of the crate. We are sure she was kept in one for a majority of time before we got her. Plus the time at the rescue in crates/kennels didn't help. We tried treats, toys, special blankets, things that smell like us... everything to get her to go in there voluntarily... and she wouldn't.

ambocken · 01-08-2009, 04:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JoeyP

Of Course ... and plus she's getting the added benefit of you chasing her all around the house
It's fun to have a flustered human chasing you up and under and around all the furniture for 20 mins

It doesn't matter if she has put 2 and 2 together that you're going to be going out soon ... she should always come to you the minute you call
rather than trying to figure out a place she'll take to
try and get her to Come on command

Yes, we are working on this. Since it has only been 3 months since we have gotten her we are working on EVERYTHING!

when we got her she had no training at all and was basically a puppy. Now she is trained to potty outside and has very few accidents. (1 or 2 a week)

You are right though...she should come when called. I hadn't realized how important this part is.

Currently she comes when called about half of the time... but then runs as fast as she can when she knows we are going to put her in the room. We will work on this over the weekend for sure.

shawnzeppi · 01-08-2009, 05:34 PM

I have a similar problem with Ms Daisy who is two. We used to keep her in a crate when at work, but she would make a horrendous mess in it, and get poop all over herself, especially stomping all over it when we first got home. I certainly do consider this separation anxiety. Now we pretty much giver her and her brother the run of the house. He is perfect and only goes on potty pads, but she still has accidents when we are not home, only they are not as bad and not every day. Still most days we will have to clean up an accident, but that is NOTHING compared to the mess we had to deal with when she was locked in a crate. We also tried the puppy fence, and it worked better than the crate, but it was messy too. Our girl is very lovable but a pain with her issues. I find it better to let her run around and search for an accident when we get home (usually not too hard to find). Also, she will go on the pad, but mostly when we put her in the bathroom and close the door on her and wait a couple minutes. She very rarely will venture in there on her own.

yorkielvr41 · 01-08-2009, 05:52 PM

I don't believe you should ever leave your dog free to roam the house while you are away. Those furr butts will get into anything and I mean everything. This can be especially hazardous if you store cleaning products in cabinets or placed they can reach. Part of them being in a play pen or secluded area when you leave is to establish your leadership. I don't believe in crating and only use them to potty train for maybe 20 mins , ( i feel awful thinking about my baby in a tiny little crate for 7 hours) I agree with making her comfortable with the bedroom, by you spending play time with her in there and giving her treats while she is in there. I also recommend an expen, there she can have her pee pee pads toys and even her crate if she wanted to take a nap. I know it's easier said than done, but consistency and patience are the key

yorkielvr41 · 01-08-2009, 05:55 PM

One more thing, Try and not make a big deal about you leaving or entering the house. They will react to that i.e. you upset when you leave= dog being upset

shawnzeppi · 01-08-2009, 06:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by yorkielvr41

I don't believe you should ever leave your dog free to roam the house while you are away....

It comes down to a matter of degree. My yorkies get to run around the entire entry level, but are blocked via doors and baby gate from the upstairs and basement. All HAZMAT is of course, out of reach/behind doors. It's not hard to manage that in the least. We have hard wood on this level with some mostly washable rugs, and when our girl has an accident, she goes on a rug. Not a good thing at all, but manageable. Experiment and do what works without risking health of the dog IMO.

ambocken · 01-08-2009, 06:56 PM

Unfortunately for us, expens and baby gates do not work for us. We have a jumper... and I swear she has springs in her legs! We borrowed them from a family member who no longer needed them and she looked at us like it was a joke... them jumped right over! (I think she should be signed up for agility training at some point!! )

The room we keep her in has a futon in it and we often snuggle with her there, do many training sessions and play games with her in there. She also has a TV, perch to the window and her crate (which she hates) in the room. there are no hazards in the room as we cleared everything out when we decided it would be "Gracie's room".

QuickSilver · 01-08-2009, 09:08 PM

I think some people here have had success tying two baby gates together, but I don't know the specifics, and I'm not sure it would hold if your dog really launched herself at it. Actually, now that I think about it, I think some people have doubled up on the x-pen to prevent their dogs from climbing over the barrier.

It sounds like you guys already spend time in the room, so when are these chase sessions happening? Is she noticing other cues that indicate you are leaving? I would think you could play with going in and out. Walk into the room with her, give her a treat. Close the door when you're inside with her. Close her in by herself, then open the door after ten seconds and walk back in. Etc. It might also help if you close the door and then move around nearby so she can hear that you are still in the house and likely to come back soon.

Also, have you tried giving her treats that involve a lot of attention, like a bone, or a kong, or one of those treat-dispensing puzzles?

01-08-2009, 03:44 PM	#1
ambocken Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Minneapolis, MN Posts: 245	Too smart for our good about 3 months ago we adopted a 3 year old Yorkie who was used for breeding. When we got her we first got a crate to have her in while we were gone since we were unsure of her abilities in house training etc. On numerous occasions she would pee in her crate while we were gone (even if it was only an hour). It was totally unpredictable when she would do it. She also HATED the crate and would refuse to go near it when we tried to put her in there. It always ended with us picking her up and gently shoving her in there. Now we have cleared out an extra bedroom and made it her space for when we are gone. She did great going in there and leting me shut the door.... until she figured out that every time I wanted her to go in there I was leaving. Now we have to chase her around the house and do everything in our power to get her to stay in the room without running out!! HELP!! she can not have run of the house but I don't know what to do! Is it separation anxiety?

01-08-2009, 03:53 PM	#2
QuickSilver Thor's Human Donating Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: San Francisco, CA Posts: 5,929 Blog Entries: 31	It could be separation anxiety, but not necessarily. I think the easiest way to fix the room thing is to change it up a little bit. Put her in the room at times when you are NOT leaving, so the correlation is not as clear to her. Going into the room at irregular intervals should teach her that you will always come back. You may want to treat her upon your return also so she has something to look forward to. Re: the crate, was it the right size? If she can pee in one corner and sleep in another, it's too big. I think you can change her feelings towards the crate if you go slow. Put nice blankets in it and some special treats she only gets in the crate. Since she's learned to dislike it, I would leave some treats in it and leave the door open. Let her enter and leave the crate of her own accord. Praise and treat her when she goes into the crate. Eventually once she's warmed up to it, you can start closing the door. Super cute avatar, by the way! She looks like a very happy gal. Last edited by QuickSilver; 01-08-2009 at 03:54 PM.

01-08-2009, 04:07 PM	#4
JoeyP YT 1000 Club Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Miami, FL,USA Posts: 1,005	Of Course ... and plus she's getting the added benefit of you chasing her all around the house It's fun to have a flustered human chasing you up and under and around all the furniture for 20 mins It doesn't matter if she has put 2 and 2 together that you're going to be going out soon ... she should always come to you the minute you call rather than trying to figure out a place she'll take to try and get her to Come on command __________________ Mike and Zach's Dadd

01-08-2009, 04:09 PM	#5
ambocken Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Minneapolis, MN Posts: 245	hmm I like the idea of treating her when we return. The crate was the right size. We had to get a couple until we got one that fit her right... But since she was previously owned, she already had the fear of the crate. We are sure she was kept in one for a majority of time before we got her. Plus the time at the rescue in crates/kennels didn't help. We tried treats, toys, special blankets, things that smell like us... everything to get her to go in there voluntarily... and she wouldn't.

01-08-2009, 06:56 PM	#11
ambocken Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Minneapolis, MN Posts: 245	... Unfortunately for us, expens and baby gates do not work for us. We have a jumper... and I swear she has springs in her legs! We borrowed them from a family member who no longer needed them and she looked at us like it was a joke... them jumped right over! (I think she should be signed up for agility training at some point!! ) The room we keep her in has a futon in it and we often snuggle with her there, do many training sessions and play games with her in there. She also has a TV, perch to the window and her crate (which she hates) in the room. there are no hazards in the room as we cleared everything out when we decided it would be "Gracie's room".

01-08-2009, 03:54 PM	#3
jeanietoo YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: pennsylvania Posts: 783	Why not get an x-pen. When you got the crate she should have been introduced to it gradually. She needs to view it as a pleasant place not a place for punishment. If she's never been potty trained and she's 3 years old it may take a long time or maybe not ever. Wherever you do keep her try to give her treats etc and make it a place that you can spend time with her even when you aren't going away for a long time

01-08-2009, 05:34 PM	#7
shawnzeppi YT Addict Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Springfield, va Posts: 457	I have a similar problem with Ms Daisy who is two. We used to keep her in a crate when at work, but she would make a horrendous mess in it, and get poop all over herself, especially stomping all over it when we first got home. I certainly do consider this separation anxiety. Now we pretty much giver her and her brother the run of the house. He is perfect and only goes on potty pads, but she still has accidents when we are not home, only they are not as bad and not every day. Still most days we will have to clean up an accident, but that is NOTHING compared to the mess we had to deal with when she was locked in a crate. We also tried the puppy fence, and it worked better than the crate, but it was messy too. Our girl is very lovable but a pain with her issues. I find it better to let her run around and search for an accident when we get home (usually not too hard to find). Also, she will go on the pad, but mostly when we put her in the bathroom and close the door on her and wait a couple minutes. She very rarely will venture in there on her own.

01-08-2009, 05:52 PM	#8
yorkielvr41 Yorkie Yakker Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: NY, NY US Posts: 63	I don't believe you should ever leave your dog free to roam the house while you are away. Those furr butts will get into anything and I mean everything. This can be especially hazardous if you store cleaning products in cabinets or placed they can reach. Part of them being in a play pen or secluded area when you leave is to establish your leadership. I don't believe in crating and only use them to potty train for maybe 20 mins , ( i feel awful thinking about my baby in a tiny little crate for 7 hours) I agree with making her comfortable with the bedroom, by you spending play time with her in there and giving her treats while she is in there. I also recommend an expen, there she can have her pee pee pads toys and even her crate if she wanted to take a nap. I know it's easier said than done, but consistency and patience are the key

01-08-2009, 05:55 PM	#9
yorkielvr41 Yorkie Yakker Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: NY, NY US Posts: 63	One more thing, Try and not make a big deal about you leaving or entering the house. They will react to that i.e. you upset when you leave= dog being upset

01-08-2009, 09:08 PM	#12
QuickSilver Thor's Human Donating Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: San Francisco, CA Posts: 5,929 Blog Entries: 31	I think some people here have had success tying two baby gates together, but I don't know the specifics, and I'm not sure it would hold if your dog really launched herself at it. Actually, now that I think about it, I think some people have doubled up on the x-pen to prevent their dogs from climbing over the barrier. It sounds like you guys already spend time in the room, so when are these chase sessions happening? Is she noticing other cues that indicate you are leaving? I would think you could play with going in and out. Walk into the room with her, give her a treat. Close the door when you're inside with her. Close her in by herself, then open the door after ten seconds and walk back in. Etc. It might also help if you close the door and then move around nearby so she can hear that you are still in the house and likely to come back soon. Also, have you tried giving her treats that involve a lot of attention, like a bone, or a kong, or one of those treat-dispensing puzzles? Last edited by QuickSilver; 01-08-2009 at 09:10 PM.