potty accidents when not at home... - YorkieTalk.com Forums

hunniebunnie · 12-24-2005, 10:47 AM

how long does it take to potty train a yorkie not to have accidents not only at home but in other homes as well?

bunjee is nearly accident-free when he's at home, but while at my in-law's home, he's had 3 accidents with me watching him like a hawk. and the other day at my friends house, i lost track of the number of accidents he's had in her home. then there's the one at the hotel lobby, after holding it outside for 6+ hours.

is there a good way to help prevent indoor accidents no matter where we are?

amyann · 12-24-2005, 11:06 AM

We know when they should be able to hold it but sometimes they just don't feel like to.

Is your puppy peewee pad trained or paper trained? Our puppy is paper/litterbox trained (we put newspaper in her litterbox) so it was easy for us. All we need to do is put paper down in an area indoor when we were visiting friends or family (or even in the office) and show it to her. As long as she knows where it is, she would go there. She had never had an accident 'cause she was always looking for the paper.

We have to keep an close eye on her though if it was a quick visit and no paper has been put down for her. You might want to give it a try, may it be paper or peewee pad. Since he is so reliable at home already, it should be easy for him to pick up the idea.

By the way, we can never get her to go outside doesn't matter how many hours we spent out there. She will wait to get indoor and find her litterbox or paper. Please let me know if you can get yours to go outside within a reason time frame. Good luck.

hunniebunnie · 12-24-2005, 12:08 PM

bunjee is wee-wee pad trained and won't go outside either. not without a potty pad anyways. obviously he's okay with going potty indoors without a potty pad, but he won't go outdoors without one. the other day, we were out walking or just hanging out for 6+ hours and he held it until we started walking through the lobby of a hotel.

the only time i've been able to get him to go outside is if i laid down a potty pad. last night we were out at starbucks when bunjee started to do "the potty dance", which grew to be really really anxious when i took the potty pad outta the bag and started to lay it down. he went on the potty pad about 30 secs after i laid it down.

at my in-law's, i'm trying to get him to go outside by placing the potty pad on the patio only. at my friend's place, we had several potty pads throughout the house which he used 1/2 the time. and the other half, it was "anything goes"

my trainer says that i should get him to go outside, but i'm having second thoughts about the idea. i'm thinking, if i get him to go exclusively on potty pads, i do prevent the possibility of him stepping in other dogs' pee and poop when we're outside. as well as keep his paws clean 'cause he doesn't need to be walking around on dirt.

FirstYorkie · 12-24-2005, 01:07 PM

HunnieBunnie - alot of people here use and recommend belly bands. I've never tried them myself.

If you're perfectly happy having pup potty inside, I don't see the advantage of teaching him to potty outside. I wonder why your trainer recommended it?

amyann · 12-24-2005, 01:09 PM

Maybe you can try to limit the area he can get access to at your parents' or friend's house at first. He can have more freedom when he is more reliable. Someone else here had said something about having too many pads down can create confusion too.

When we first started, we put the paper down and our puppy doesn't have full run of house whenever we are not at home. She needs to learn how to get from where we were at the moment to her paper. We walk her thru that and it work out OK if we are not too too far from it. It's someone else's house and she can't remember the potty route very well at the beginning (if it's too big a place). Keep in mind how tiny they are. Any house could seem huge to them. You would need to watch him too and WALK him (not carrying) to his pad when he does the potty dance. “Walking” being the key 'cause he needs to learn how to get there on his own when you are not watching him.

We kind of give up on the idea of making ours go outside. You are right. It could be messy and they do get dirty and smelly sometimes. Besides, it is more than job well done if you can train him to always go on the pads no matter where he is. We are not keeping our hopes up for our little girl to go outside any more. If it happens, great. If not, OK. As long as she is house trained -- Yahoo!

Maybe your baby boy is still a bit too young to take in the whole world. Take it slow when you are out visiting friends and family like you did as you were potty training him for the first time and he would do fine. Good luck on your house training.

hunniebunnie · 12-24-2005, 06:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FirstYorkie

HunnieBunnie - alot of people here use and recommend belly bands. I've never tried them myself.

I bought a couple belly bands but he always manages to wiggle out of them. anyone know how tight they should be?

Quote:

Originally Posted by FirstYorkie

If you're perfectly happy having pup potty inside, I don't see the advantage of teaching him to potty outside. I wonder why your trainer recommended it?

ideally, i'd like for him to potty on command, whether it's inside or outside. i'm afraid that if he's trained to go only inside, for days when we're out for a longer period of time, rather than potty outside when we're out, he'll choose to make a mess in the car.

my trainer's philosphy is that you don't want the puppy to get used to using parts of your home as a toilet. but to treat the entire home, any home, and any indoor area as his "extended crate" and take his business outside.

although, like amyann, i hate having him track dirt into the house and getting all sorts of crap on his legs and paws. that seems more messy than if i can just get him to go on the potty pad and then wipe him up afterwards.

amyann · 12-24-2005, 07:51 PM

My puppy doesn't go on commend in her litterbox or on paper until she was almost 6 months old. Now she would when asked. It's funny to see just one tear-drop size of pee pee on her paper - she certainly tried. It takes time to train them but don't give up. He will learn to go on commend eventually.

The trick is, I think, ask him to go before you take a walk outside. If he doesn't, no walking. If he does, say "lets go" in a very happy tone and go for walks right away. It's like a reward system and my baby pick it up real quick. Peeing on command means going for walks or a car ride to somewhere fun - how sweet is that. Again, it might take time for him to pick up the idea since you have been trying to get him potty outside. I guess what works on mine could work for yours since we both went down the same path for house training (have them trained for potty indoor and trying to get them go outside).

My vet did tell me to let her go potty outside ASAP (when she was 12 weeks old). The reason being "if they get used to doing it indoor, it's very very hard to re-train them to go outside". Since we don't have a private yard and she has not had all the shot at the time, I didn't want to take the chance of her getting sick or worse. Besides, it can get really cold out here and my friend's Chihuahua got frost bite one day while going potty in their back yard. It was terrible. He was just freezed out there (unable to move) and had to be carried back in and treated. I guess potty in door is not such a bad idea in my area.

When properly trained, puppy doesn’t really look at our house as a big toilet area. I know some people might disagree with that but at least mine would only go where her box or paper is. Every pup is different of course. Regardless what your trainer said, whatever works best for you should be the answer you are looking for. I mean, we all know the theory (going outside is better than doing it indoor) but that's easy to say than done. So go with your guts. Only you know what works best for you. Good luck!

hunniebunnie · 12-26-2005, 01:48 AM

amyann, i don't have a yard or even patio at my condo either. so outside training is a bit difficult with a puppy. i think i'll be happy if he can reliably go on the potty pad wherever we are. thanks for your advice!

FirstYorkie · 12-26-2005, 06:25 AM

my trainer's philosphy is that you don't want the puppy to get used to using parts of your home as a toilet. but to treat the entire home, any home, and any indoor area as his "extended crate" and take his business outside.

That makes sense. Now that you mention it, I have read that indoor potty-training can be confusing to the pup - he might not understand why he can potty in a part of the house and not others. Seems like alot of people here have successfully pee-pad trained their dogs, though.

ideally, i'd like for him to potty on command, whether it's inside or outside. i'm afraid that if he's trained to go only inside, for days when we're out for a longer period of time, rather than potty outside when we're out, he'll choose to make a mess in the car.

For pottying on command, choose your command (I use "go potty") and say it everytime you see him pottying appropriately - WHILE he is pottying. It does no good to say it beforehand if he hasn't learned the command. If you have been saying it before, I'd probably actually change the command I used. After many repetitions, he'll understand what the phrase means and you can use it for a command.

Good luck!

12-24-2005, 10:47 AM	#1
hunniebunnie Follower of Yorkietology Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Cali-fo-nee-ya Posts: 1,325	potty accidents when not at home... how long does it take to potty train a yorkie not to have accidents not only at home but in other homes as well? bunjee is nearly accident-free when he's at home, but while at my in-law's home, he's had 3 accidents with me watching him like a hawk. and the other day at my friends house, i lost track of the number of accidents he's had in her home. then there's the one at the hotel lobby, after holding it outside for 6+ hours. is there a good way to help prevent indoor accidents no matter where we are?

12-24-2005, 01:09 PM	#5
amyann Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: CO Posts: 235	Maybe you can try to limit the area he can get access to at your parents' or friend's house at first. He can have more freedom when he is more reliable. Someone else here had said something about having too many pads down can create confusion too. When we first started, we put the paper down and our puppy doesn't have full run of house whenever we are not at home. She needs to learn how to get from where we were at the moment to her paper. We walk her thru that and it work out OK if we are not too too far from it. It's someone else's house and she can't remember the potty route very well at the beginning (if it's too big a place). Keep in mind how tiny they are. Any house could seem huge to them. You would need to watch him too and WALK him (not carrying) to his pad when he does the potty dance. “Walking” being the key 'cause he needs to learn how to get there on his own when you are not watching him. We kind of give up on the idea of making ours go outside. You are right. It could be messy and they do get dirty and smelly sometimes. Besides, it is more than job well done if you can train him to always go on the pads no matter where he is. We are not keeping our hopes up for our little girl to go outside any more. If it happens, great. If not, OK. As long as she is house trained -- Yahoo! Maybe your baby boy is still a bit too young to take in the whole world. Take it slow when you are out visiting friends and family like you did as you were potty training him for the first time and he would do fine. Good luck on your house training. Last edited by amyann; 12-24-2005 at 01:11 PM.

12-24-2005, 07:51 PM	#7
amyann Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: CO Posts: 235	My puppy doesn't go on commend in her litterbox or on paper until she was almost 6 months old. Now she would when asked. It's funny to see just one tear-drop size of pee pee on her paper - she certainly tried. It takes time to train them but don't give up. He will learn to go on commend eventually. The trick is, I think, ask him to go before you take a walk outside. If he doesn't, no walking. If he does, say "lets go" in a very happy tone and go for walks right away. It's like a reward system and my baby pick it up real quick. Peeing on command means going for walks or a car ride to somewhere fun - how sweet is that. Again, it might take time for him to pick up the idea since you have been trying to get him potty outside. I guess what works on mine could work for yours since we both went down the same path for house training (have them trained for potty indoor and trying to get them go outside). My vet did tell me to let her go potty outside ASAP (when she was 12 weeks old). The reason being "if they get used to doing it indoor, it's very very hard to re-train them to go outside". Since we don't have a private yard and she has not had all the shot at the time, I didn't want to take the chance of her getting sick or worse. Besides, it can get really cold out here and my friend's Chihuahua got frost bite one day while going potty in their back yard. It was terrible. He was just freezed out there (unable to move) and had to be carried back in and treated. I guess potty in door is not such a bad idea in my area. When properly trained, puppy doesn’t really look at our house as a big toilet area. I know some people might disagree with that but at least mine would only go where her box or paper is. Every pup is different of course. Regardless what your trainer said, whatever works best for you should be the answer you are looking for. I mean, we all know the theory (going outside is better than doing it indoor) but that's easy to say than done. So go with your guts. Only you know what works best for you. Good luck! Last edited by amyann; 12-24-2005 at 07:56 PM.

12-24-2005, 11:06 AM	#2
amyann Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: CO Posts: 235	We know when they should be able to hold it but sometimes they just don't feel like to. Is your puppy peewee pad trained or paper trained? Our puppy is paper/litterbox trained (we put newspaper in her litterbox) so it was easy for us. All we need to do is put paper down in an area indoor when we were visiting friends or family (or even in the office) and show it to her. As long as she knows where it is, she would go there. She had never had an accident 'cause she was always looking for the paper. We have to keep an close eye on her though if it was a quick visit and no paper has been put down for her. You might want to give it a try, may it be paper or peewee pad. Since he is so reliable at home already, it should be easy for him to pick up the idea. By the way, we can never get her to go outside doesn't matter how many hours we spent out there. She will wait to get indoor and find her litterbox or paper. Please let me know if you can get yours to go outside within a reason time frame. Good luck.

12-24-2005, 12:08 PM	#3
hunniebunnie Follower of Yorkietology Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Cali-fo-nee-ya Posts: 1,325	bunjee is wee-wee pad trained and won't go outside either. not without a potty pad anyways. obviously he's okay with going potty indoors without a potty pad, but he won't go outdoors without one. the other day, we were out walking or just hanging out for 6+ hours and he held it until we started walking through the lobby of a hotel. the only time i've been able to get him to go outside is if i laid down a potty pad. last night we were out at starbucks when bunjee started to do "the potty dance", which grew to be really really anxious when i took the potty pad outta the bag and started to lay it down. he went on the potty pad about 30 secs after i laid it down. at my in-law's, i'm trying to get him to go outside by placing the potty pad on the patio only. at my friend's place, we had several potty pads throughout the house which he used 1/2 the time. and the other half, it was "anything goes" my trainer says that i should get him to go outside, but i'm having second thoughts about the idea. i'm thinking, if i get him to go exclusively on potty pads, i do prevent the possibility of him stepping in other dogs' pee and poop when we're outside. as well as keep his paws clean 'cause he doesn't need to be walking around on dirt.

12-24-2005, 01:07 PM	#4
FirstYorkie YT 1000 Club Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: American in London Posts: 1,739	HunnieBunnie - alot of people here use and recommend belly bands. I've never tried them myself. If you're perfectly happy having pup potty inside, I don't see the advantage of teaching him to potty outside. I wonder why your trainer recommended it?

12-26-2005, 01:48 AM	#8
hunniebunnie Follower of Yorkietology Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Cali-fo-nee-ya Posts: 1,325	amyann, i don't have a yard or even patio at my condo either. so outside training is a bit difficult with a puppy. i think i'll be happy if he can reliably go on the potty pad wherever we are. thanks for your advice!

12-26-2005, 06:25 AM	#9
FirstYorkie YT 1000 Club Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: American in London Posts: 1,739	my trainer's philosphy is that you don't want the puppy to get used to using parts of your home as a toilet. but to treat the entire home, any home, and any indoor area as his "extended crate" and take his business outside. That makes sense. Now that you mention it, I have read that indoor potty-training can be confusing to the pup - he might not understand why he can potty in a part of the house and not others. Seems like alot of people here have successfully pee-pad trained their dogs, though. ideally, i'd like for him to potty on command, whether it's inside or outside. i'm afraid that if he's trained to go only inside, for days when we're out for a longer period of time, rather than potty outside when we're out, he'll choose to make a mess in the car. For pottying on command, choose your command (I use "go potty") and say it everytime you see him pottying appropriately - WHILE he is pottying. It does no good to say it beforehand if he hasn't learned the command. If you have been saying it before, I'd probably actually change the command I used. After many repetitions, he'll understand what the phrase means and you can use it for a command. Good luck!