potty, barking, sleeping problems - YorkieTalk.com Forums

lvzfyr · 12-14-2006, 03:42 PM

Hi Everyone, My wife and I just got a new Yorkie and thanks to this forum I think we have been some what successful with training Matilda. A few problems we are having are as follows:
She is 6 months old and we've had her for a month
1. When she is left alone she constantly barks.. I mean constantly, I left and stood outside for a half hour and she never stopped barking and when I do get home she is shaking. I started off by leaving her alone for 10 minutes and have gotten up to hours but like I said she barks the whole time
2. At night she sleeps in a crate and wakes up every 2 hours on the nose. I originally was taking her out everytime she woke up but she wouldn't go to the bathroom at all. Then the one time I just told her to be quiet and go to sleep she pooped in her crate... At what age do they start sleeping through the night?
3. She has a day pen she stays in when we are not home. It's about 10' by 7' and it has her bed, food and pottie pads in it. She does pretty good with making it to the pads btu sometimes goes just off the pad. I figure she thinks she is on but not quite. When we are home and she needs to go she will run towards her pen and poop just outside of it. Any thoughts?

I apologize for this being so long but I wanted to try to get all the info out there. Again, Thanks for the info that we have already gotten off this site!!!
Scott& Tracy

Bnot · 12-14-2006, 07:05 PM

Venus is 6 months too. As soon as I let her sleep in the bed with me, she started sleeping through the night. I also have a pee pad inside a litter box in the bedroom, and pet steps so she can go in the middle of the night also. So could be, she's going to the litter box when I'm sleeping, who knows? But I'm getting a full nights sleep, and she's not going on the bed or floor, so thats the good part!

I don't know what to tell you about the barking. Venus hears my car pull up, and starts hers too. Soon as I step out the car, I hear her. I'm sure she hears the car leave too. I hope she shuts up when I leave! Might want to pull your car a door or 2 down, then sneak back to listen. She might know you haven't left and your outside possibly? I've noticed when I crate Venus before I leave, she raises more h*ll when I pull back up too! But she's not ready to run the house.

I recently bought several kitty litter boxes, and put Venus's pads in them. I cut the front of them out, so she would have a step-in. Was a lot cheaper than the 23 dollar doggie litter boxes. That helps with the missing with the pee pads and keeps them from going on the edge. And much easier to clean than the floor or carpet. I just can't get her to poo on the pads whether they are out of the box or in them! She did for a while, then suddenly quit.

They don't pee off the pad on purpose.. I've noticed with Venus, that 2 feet have been on the pad....but they the wrong 2 feet! They think cause their front feet are on it, they ok. They are trying!

I just have a poo problem now.

Brookef18 · 12-14-2006, 07:22 PM

At 6 months I would think they should go the whole night. I take Chewy (8 months) out as late as I can... No earlier that 10:00 at night. he goes till around 7:00 in the morning. His crate is in my bed room. If he whines I take him out but that has only happened a few times since he was 3 months old.
When he was younger we had his crate up on my daughter other bed s he was able to see her...this seemed to help tons! Maybe if the crate could be where your dog can see you they can settle down for the night!

I potty train out side so I can't help much with the pee pads... he is in a crate when I am not home ( A pretty big crate so he can move around) he never goes in it.

When you leave you can't make a big deal about going out.. I put chewy in and barely say good bye (Heart breaking I know) but once he is in, I don't look at him or talk to him. I make it very matter of fact. he deals with it pretty good, just kind of lays down and snuggles in most times. If he does whine I ignor it because I don't want to make things worse by making a big deal!!!

Hope this helps!

joannec · 12-15-2006, 05:01 AM

Piper is 7 months old, and we have had him for four months. Right away, when we got him, he did the anxious barking thing when we left him in his room (the tiled kitchen). We used a combination of techniques...the first is leaving him alone for two minutes, then 5, then 10, and keep coming back to him, to decrease the anxiety (a weekend project), the second, and probably less popular method is this--I am the woman in the home, and probably less intimidating, I would stay quiet, in a stern voice, and then lean over him in an intimidating manner, like I am the boss. I will wait, and when he is quiet, praise with a good quiet, and a small piece of treat. I try to continue that until I get further away, and then sometimes after 10 min I will come back, and he will be sitting there, and I will say good quiet, reward him, and take him out. The third, and most invasive technique I will use it to use my two fingers under the chin with a stern quiet, and push him a little to snap him out of the mental state (he tends to press the panic button and start to pace in circles in protest) with a stop, or go play, or no, quiet. After a few times, he knows I am serious. I had to use this after a few weeks at doggy day care. They don't stop barking at that place, and all the dogs barked, and I had to pretty much retrain him. He now whines a bit, sometimes he might cry this sad howling cry (I don't let him sleep in my room yet because he is also indoor potty trained), but he stops. I ignore that. He cries himself out like a baby in maybe two minutes time. I have a relative that is a behaviorist, and he says a dog only has seperation anxiety if he is causing harm to himself i.e, barking all day until he is hoarse, or foams. Then you may need more serious help.

About missing the puppy pads. I have watched, and sometimes Piper goes for his "good potty" and he is there on the paper, but not good enough! He pees at the wrong edge, and it is on the floor. I don't get upset because he was there, he tried, and he has no clue what a paper edge is, so I give him credit for the effort! He can't be perfect. I figure little kids miss the toilet all the time, so what is the difference, right? Hope this helps!

SnowWa · 12-15-2006, 11:49 PM

My 8-week old pup slept with me from the first night on - he just snuggled up and slept all night right from the start - and almost never wet during the night. Around 6 am when he first woke up - I took him outside "immediately" and he'd always pee.

Plus because my pup was a little boy - I put a bellyband on him and let him have run of the house from the first day on. He never cried or whinned. He just ran around and played and slept most of the day away.

Good luck! Carol Jean

Shelby&Seymour · 12-16-2006, 03:50 AM

Obviously your puppy knows that she is suppose to poop on the pads.... in the pen... cause she goes on the outside of it when she has to go! ( At least you know that she knows what the pads are for!) Maybe you could place a pad on the outside of the pen, when you are home,... just for these "emergency moments" and then gradually move the pad to the area that you want it to be.... maybe by the door? This may help!

Our little male (Seymour) gets up during the night... every-night. He either needs to get a drink or use the bathroom....... or sometimes one of each. I really think it is the individual dog. Our female (Shelby) never needs to wake up and she is the last one out of bed in the morning. My suggestion is only a small amount of water in the evening ..... maybe try sleeping in the day pen instead of the crate at night. She may feel more at "home" in the pen! Could you move the daypen to the bedroom in the evening?

Eventually she will settle into a routine. You sound like a great owner who cares enough to ask questions and wants to do what is the best for a furkid! Good Luck! Merry Christmas to your family and Matilda!

ChicagoSoul · 12-16-2006, 05:47 AM

Have you tried puppy training classes? Its really helpful if you can find some reputable ones. Some of them also offer private in house training that focuses directly on your baby's issues.

Another good resource is your breeder. She might know your baby's personality well and she also might have enough expertise to help you.

I am by no means an expert, but just comparing to the behavior of my puppy, who is four months old, I can say that your problems are not breed related, but rather training and personality related, which means that they should be addressed based on your individual circumstances.

My puppy slept through the night completely separate from me (I am on the third floor, she is on the second in her own little bed, not playpen and not crate) since day three of her arrival at fourteen weeks.

Initially I purchased a playpen for her, put her little bed inside on one end and her wee wee pad on the other side of the playpen. For the whole night, I slept on the floor in the sleeping bag by her side. However, I've never took her out of her playpen at night. Initially, she wined slightly. However, I put my hand on the little window in the playpen so that she can smell it and see that I am near, and she went to sleep fine. She woke up three times this first night to check if I am by her side. Once she saw that I was there, she was totally fine and went back to sleep.

In the morning, she was really excited to be out of the playpen to play. I realized that she just does not like to be constrained at all. However, I felt it was still too early to live her alone. So, the second night, I placed her in her playpen again and put it on the third floor by my bed. Again, she did not like it initially, but I never took her out. Once she saw my hand on the playpen, she was fine sleeping alone.

By third night, I felt that she knows where I sleep. She also knew that I won't leave her alone. So, I left her on the second floor not constrained, which she loved. I put her toys by her bed on the rug. With respect to wee wee pads, I observed her behavior during the first two days closely and I saw the spot on the second floor where she would always go. So, I placed her wee wee pad there. It was in the corner of the room, relatively hidden. I guess they like it like that because, when I had a pad in the middle of the room not far from where she slept, she did not like it.

Anyway, it's been two weeks now. She sleeps completely alone, never cries, never wakes me up. She also uses her wee wee pad to pee very consistently. It's a little more complicated with pooping. She poops in three different places, including the pad, but we are working on it.

Some people on this forum suggested using a Purina Second Nature Litter box with a pad inside so that the pet knows that its place is different, i.e., enclosed, than the rug or the floor. I haven't had it initially. I just had a pad on the floor. I am trying it now to get her use it for pooping.

So, you can try my approach to sleeping. I think your baby just does not feel safe for some reason. Maybe it was left alone at breeder's place? Anyway, your baby needs to know that you won't abandon it.

With respect to barking, it is one of the problems that get routinely addresses at puppy classes. So, you might find them instrumental. With my puppy, she had never barked, not once during her four months of existence and she is super friendly and social. So, I think it is a socialization issue. Barking is a reflex. She must have learned that it is useful for protection. You helped her learn that it helps in her strive for survival, i.e., she is save when you are around and you come back each and every time she barks.

lvzfyr · 12-16-2006, 07:31 AM

Thank you so much for all the replies. We are trying alot of the suggetions we have read and hopefully things will iron themselves out. She loves being in bed with us and I' positive she is smart enough to get her way and get in bed so it's going to take alot of self restraint on our part. Again thanks for the advise and hope everyone has a great Xmas!!! Here is a picture of little Mattie

12-14-2006, 03:42 PM	#1
lvzfyr YorkieTalk Newbie! Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Southern California Posts: 2	potty, barking, sleeping problems Hi Everyone, My wife and I just got a new Yorkie and thanks to this forum I think we have been some what successful with training Matilda. A few problems we are having are as follows: She is 6 months old and we've had her for a month 1. When she is left alone she constantly barks.. I mean constantly, I left and stood outside for a half hour and she never stopped barking and when I do get home she is shaking. I started off by leaving her alone for 10 minutes and have gotten up to hours but like I said she barks the whole time 2. At night she sleeps in a crate and wakes up every 2 hours on the nose. I originally was taking her out everytime she woke up but she wouldn't go to the bathroom at all. Then the one time I just told her to be quiet and go to sleep she pooped in her crate... At what age do they start sleeping through the night? 3. She has a day pen she stays in when we are not home. It's about 10' by 7' and it has her bed, food and pottie pads in it. She does pretty good with making it to the pads btu sometimes goes just off the pad. I figure she thinks she is on but not quite. When we are home and she needs to go she will run towards her pen and poop just outside of it. Any thoughts? I apologize for this being so long but I wanted to try to get all the info out there. Again, Thanks for the info that we have already gotten off this site!!! Scott& Tracy

12-14-2006, 07:22 PM	#3
Brookef18 Donating YT 1000 Club Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Cape Cod Ma Posts: 1,710	At 6 months I would think they should go the whole night. I take Chewy (8 months) out as late as I can... No earlier that 10:00 at night. he goes till around 7:00 in the morning. His crate is in my bed room. If he whines I take him out but that has only happened a few times since he was 3 months old. When he was younger we had his crate up on my daughter other bed s he was able to see her...this seemed to help tons! Maybe if the crate could be where your dog can see you they can settle down for the night! I potty train out side so I can't help much with the pee pads... he is in a crate when I am not home ( A pretty big crate so he can move around) he never goes in it. When you leave you can't make a big deal about going out.. I put chewy in and barely say good bye (Heart breaking I know) but once he is in, I don't look at him or talk to him. I make it very matter of fact. he deals with it pretty good, just kind of lays down and snuggles in most times. If he does whine I ignor it because I don't want to make things worse by making a big deal!!! Hope this helps! __________________ Brooke (Chewy's and Sadie's Mom) visit us on dogster dogster.com/dogs/700047

12-15-2006, 05:01 AM	#4
joannec Yorkie Talker Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: IL Posts: 23	barking problem Piper is 7 months old, and we have had him for four months. Right away, when we got him, he did the anxious barking thing when we left him in his room (the tiled kitchen). We used a combination of techniques...the first is leaving him alone for two minutes, then 5, then 10, and keep coming back to him, to decrease the anxiety (a weekend project), the second, and probably less popular method is this--I am the woman in the home, and probably less intimidating, I would stay quiet, in a stern voice, and then lean over him in an intimidating manner, like I am the boss. I will wait, and when he is quiet, praise with a good quiet, and a small piece of treat. I try to continue that until I get further away, and then sometimes after 10 min I will come back, and he will be sitting there, and I will say good quiet, reward him, and take him out. The third, and most invasive technique I will use it to use my two fingers under the chin with a stern quiet, and push him a little to snap him out of the mental state (he tends to press the panic button and start to pace in circles in protest) with a stop, or go play, or no, quiet. After a few times, he knows I am serious. I had to use this after a few weeks at doggy day care. They don't stop barking at that place, and all the dogs barked, and I had to pretty much retrain him. He now whines a bit, sometimes he might cry this sad howling cry (I don't let him sleep in my room yet because he is also indoor potty trained), but he stops. I ignore that. He cries himself out like a baby in maybe two minutes time. I have a relative that is a behaviorist, and he says a dog only has seperation anxiety if he is causing harm to himself i.e, barking all day until he is hoarse, or foams. Then you may need more serious help. About missing the puppy pads. I have watched, and sometimes Piper goes for his "good potty" and he is there on the paper, but not good enough! He pees at the wrong edge, and it is on the floor. I don't get upset because he was there, he tried, and he has no clue what a paper edge is, so I give him credit for the effort! He can't be perfect. I figure little kids miss the toilet all the time, so what is the difference, right? Hope this helps!

12-15-2006, 11:49 PM	#5
SnowWa YT 2000 Club Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: USA Posts: 2,991	My 8-week old pup slept with me from the first night on - he just snuggled up and slept all night right from the start - and almost never wet during the night. Around 6 am when he first woke up - I took him outside "immediately" and he'd always pee. Plus because my pup was a little boy - I put a bellyband on him and let him have run of the house from the first day on. He never cried or whinned. He just ran around and played and slept most of the day away. Good luck! Carol Jean __________________ http://tinypic.com/ipxhmb.jpg A Yorkie is worth a thousand words.

12-14-2006, 07:05 PM	#2
Bnot YT 1000 Club Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Mobile AL Posts: 1,347	Venus is 6 months too. As soon as I let her sleep in the bed with me, she started sleeping through the night. I also have a pee pad inside a litter box in the bedroom, and pet steps so she can go in the middle of the night also. So could be, she's going to the litter box when I'm sleeping, who knows? But I'm getting a full nights sleep, and she's not going on the bed or floor, so thats the good part! I don't know what to tell you about the barking. Venus hears my car pull up, and starts hers too. Soon as I step out the car, I hear her. I'm sure she hears the car leave too. I hope she shuts up when I leave! Might want to pull your car a door or 2 down, then sneak back to listen. She might know you haven't left and your outside possibly? I've noticed when I crate Venus before I leave, she raises more h*ll when I pull back up too! But she's not ready to run the house. I recently bought several kitty litter boxes, and put Venus's pads in them. I cut the front of them out, so she would have a step-in. Was a lot cheaper than the 23 dollar doggie litter boxes. That helps with the missing with the pee pads and keeps them from going on the edge. And much easier to clean than the floor or carpet. I just can't get her to poo on the pads whether they are out of the box or in them! She did for a while, then suddenly quit. They don't pee off the pad on purpose.. I've noticed with Venus, that 2 feet have been on the pad....but they the wrong 2 feet! They think cause their front feet are on it, they ok. They are trying! I just have a poo problem now.

12-16-2006, 03:50 AM	#6
Shelby&Seymour "Pumpernickel & Cheese" Donating Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Southeast USA Posts: 2,481	Obviously your puppy knows that she is suppose to poop on the pads.... in the pen... cause she goes on the outside of it when she has to go! ( At least you know that she knows what the pads are for!) Maybe you could place a pad on the outside of the pen, when you are home,... just for these "emergency moments" and then gradually move the pad to the area that you want it to be.... maybe by the door? This may help! Our little male (Seymour) gets up during the night... every-night. He either needs to get a drink or use the bathroom....... or sometimes one of each. I really think it is the individual dog. Our female (Shelby) never needs to wake up and she is the last one out of bed in the morning. My suggestion is only a small amount of water in the evening ..... maybe try sleeping in the day pen instead of the crate at night. She may feel more at "home" in the pen! Could you move the daypen to the bedroom in the evening? Eventually she will settle into a routine. You sound like a great owner who cares enough to ask questions and wants to do what is the best for a furkid! Good Luck! Merry Christmas to your family and Matilda!

12-16-2006, 05:47 AM	#7
ChicagoSoul Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Chicago Posts: 119	Have you tried puppy training classes? Its really helpful if you can find some reputable ones. Some of them also offer private in house training that focuses directly on your baby's issues. Another good resource is your breeder. She might know your baby's personality well and she also might have enough expertise to help you. I am by no means an expert, but just comparing to the behavior of my puppy, who is four months old, I can say that your problems are not breed related, but rather training and personality related, which means that they should be addressed based on your individual circumstances. My puppy slept through the night completely separate from me (I am on the third floor, she is on the second in her own little bed, not playpen and not crate) since day three of her arrival at fourteen weeks. Initially I purchased a playpen for her, put her little bed inside on one end and her wee wee pad on the other side of the playpen. For the whole night, I slept on the floor in the sleeping bag by her side. However, I've never took her out of her playpen at night. Initially, she wined slightly. However, I put my hand on the little window in the playpen so that she can smell it and see that I am near, and she went to sleep fine. She woke up three times this first night to check if I am by her side. Once she saw that I was there, she was totally fine and went back to sleep. In the morning, she was really excited to be out of the playpen to play. I realized that she just does not like to be constrained at all. However, I felt it was still too early to live her alone. So, the second night, I placed her in her playpen again and put it on the third floor by my bed. Again, she did not like it initially, but I never took her out. Once she saw my hand on the playpen, she was fine sleeping alone. By third night, I felt that she knows where I sleep. She also knew that I won't leave her alone. So, I left her on the second floor not constrained, which she loved. I put her toys by her bed on the rug. With respect to wee wee pads, I observed her behavior during the first two days closely and I saw the spot on the second floor where she would always go. So, I placed her wee wee pad there. It was in the corner of the room, relatively hidden. I guess they like it like that because, when I had a pad in the middle of the room not far from where she slept, she did not like it. Anyway, it's been two weeks now. She sleeps completely alone, never cries, never wakes me up. She also uses her wee wee pad to pee very consistently. It's a little more complicated with pooping. She poops in three different places, including the pad, but we are working on it. Some people on this forum suggested using a Purina Second Nature Litter box with a pad inside so that the pet knows that its place is different, i.e., enclosed, than the rug or the floor. I haven't had it initially. I just had a pad on the floor. I am trying it now to get her use it for pooping. So, you can try my approach to sleeping. I think your baby just does not feel safe for some reason. Maybe it was left alone at breeder's place? Anyway, your baby needs to know that you won't abandon it. With respect to barking, it is one of the problems that get routinely addresses at puppy classes. So, you might find them instrumental. With my puppy, she had never barked, not once during her four months of existence and she is super friendly and social. So, I think it is a socialization issue. Barking is a reflex. She must have learned that it is useful for protection. You helped her learn that it helps in her strive for survival, i.e., she is save when you are around and you come back each and every time she barks.