Newbie!!

[HABritain]

Good afternoon ~ I am new to this site and hoping to gain some knowledge on a few things. I rescued my Jaxson from our local shelter and am at a loss!! My other yorkie, which I no longer have, was high strung and extremely hyper, which is what i hear about most. Well, my new one is COMPLETE opposite. Not sure what he has been through or even his age. He is extremely calm, doesn't bark, doesn't jump on company, doesn't bounce around the house, very very well mannered other than usign the restroom. We are having issues with crate training and house breaking. He seems to pee outside but REFUSES to poop outside. He chooses to poop when I put him in his crate. Is it just anxiety or what?? Any suggestions??

[MandiesMom]

Hi and welcome to Yorkie Talk! I'm from Alabama, too. Bless you for rescuing Jaxson!

He's probably just adjusting. How long have you had him now? As you said, no idea what he's been thru in the past so I would think patience and love and understanding are all you can do right now. There is a sticky around here somewhere with advice and tips on working with rescues. I will try to find it and come back and post it for you

Here, this may help:
http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/yor...free-book.html

[HABritain]

Thanks for having me!! I brought Jaxson to his new home only about 3 weeks ago. He is so "mild" .. Just really working on this. I have tried alot of different things, but have some new ideas!! Any help would be greatly appreciated!!

[Ldyrev1]

Hi and welcome to YT! You will love it here. I think your baby is adorable!

[Teresa Ford]

Maybe he was trained as a puppy. It sure sounds like he was. As far a potty reward him for poop outside. You can pick up his poop and put out side in a spot you picked out don't let him see you put it out. Do not just let him out. Take him out on a leash and walk him to the poop and let him sniff and say Good Potty. Continue to do this (it take about 21 repetitions for it to click) He may wonder how his poop got out there, but he will understand it makes you happy. If he poops out side praise and treat (always keep a treat in your hand, mouth or pocket so you can treat instantly when he poops out side. Hope this helps.

[Wylie's Mom]

WELCOME to YT and bless your heart for adopting Jaxson .

I wouldn't be surprised if some of his personality is still repressed right now. Who knows how he became homeless or what transpired. Also, shelters are often extremely stressful for dogs - the noise, the fear, the smells, the anxiety from being caged up. Some former shelter dogs take a while to come out of their shell again. Do you know how long he was in the shelter?

Hang in there with the poopy thing - I'm sure it'll get better over time; I agree with you that it could be some kind of anxiety. He will get there with your guidance.

We have some rescue folks on this board, and they may be able to offer some insight too.

[marlenemaria]

Thank you for taking him into your heart and home.

I'm sure once you move past this little hiccup he is having you will both have a beautiful life together

[SusieQ36305]

Hi. From Dothan here. Your Jaxson is so cute! I have three yorkies. The last one I adopted from someone who had adopted her. She is very mild mannered as well. She came from a breeding nightmare I was told. I have never had luck potty training any of mine. We just hit and miss and try to keep things as clean as we can, LOL. I have heard from more than one source that yorkies are incredibly stubborn on potty training. I didn't know if this was true or if I am just no good at it. Good luck with Jaxson. He is a cutie.

[My baby Milo]

Welcome to yorkie talk. You will learn a lot of things here at yorkie talk. My Milo still poops on my rugs if im not looking. He is very sneaky.

[yorkietalkjilly]

Welcome to YorkieTalk. I hope you enjoy this site as it has taught me so much, I'm always happy to see new Yorkie owners.

I imagine your little guy is still settling into your home, probably has a lot of insecurity and is a bit shut down. He likely won't really come out of his shell until he's more secure and has come to realize he can trust you and the surroundings. Does he have other dogs or cats or children in the home? Are you married and does he get along with your spouse? When do you take him out to poop?

He could have spent all of his life or a good deal of it in his crate and to him that is the only place he knows to go. Or, it could be the only place he feels secure in. I would simply start taking him out every 30 minutes when you are home. Sounds exhausting, right? It will be - but it will likely catch your dog one of those times he really needs to poop, he'll get a gentle praise and a nice treat from a smiling mommie who he can tell is thrilled to death and by the time it happens a 3rd or 4th time, will begin to associate going out with treats, smiles, happy mommie and - and this is big, he will start to appreciate a clean nest in his crate. After a few more times, he'll start to learn by association and begin to try to retain his stool when in the crate until he is let outside. It will be slow going but he will get there if you don't expect too much too soon.

The every 30 minutes is actually the quickest, sure-fire way to imprint your dog that going outside is something he can do. Dogs usually readily pee outside in order to spread all of the hormones and pheromones and other scents that broadcast their history, cause a social response among other members of their species and apparently even speak to recent travels and activities in some way. They enjoy marking their territory with urine outside. Pooping isn't quite as natural for the domesticated dog, especially one that has probably grown used to crate pooping.

After two or three weeks of 30-minute imprinting the outside trips and treating and praising him every time he goes, you can stretch the times out to 45 minutes, an hour and then just when he starts to circle, sniff intensely or search about, standing looking intensely at you or scratching at the door - all indicators he needs to go outside. And even if you catch him in the act of pooping in his crate or in the house, just say "No" or "uh oh"(not harshly), scoop him up and take him outside, even if he's finished going by the time you got to him. You want him to get the message that outside is always associated with peeing or pooping. Eventually, with those frequent trips outside, smile, happy, treating mommie when he goes outside and liking his clean nest, he will learn to hold his potty until he is taken outside. A well-housebroken dog can hold their bladder and bowels for over 12 hours but they have to work up to that ability. Good luck to you.

[yorkietalkjilly]

P. S. When your dog begins to "own" his own territory and sees it as home, he will begin to growl, bark and guard it. Also, his good manners may get a little frayed at times as he's freed up from insecurity to be his true self. That doesn't mean he's become a bad dog - just a dog that knows he is at home.