I'm far from an expert, but I just thought I'd throw in my .02 worth. Max NEVER peed on a pee pad. When we first got him, we'd put him in the bathroom if we went out with a pee pad, his food and water, and close the door. NEVER once did he use a pee pad! We were lucky at the time, b/c we were in a house that had tile and some aggregate flooring (don't ask, but I've got pics, LOL)...but the thing at first that made me shake my head is that I'd take him out, thinking he needed to "go" ....he'd run around chasing butterflies, running after shadows..whatever....everything BUT pee or poop....he'd wait til he got into the house to do that
. I had read that it's not any use to scold them for things like that and I am a true believer of that philosophy. Once they've done it, it's gone out of their mind. So, I just kind of tried to pay close attention and take him out at the 'crucial times"....when he first woke up, after he ate, after any running around (exercise, not errands
), if he was over excited by anything..that sort of thing. He STILL does not sit in front of the door and bark when he needs to go out, he'll sit in front of the door and just wait there patiently til I open it up, but I pretty much know when he needs to go. And this is pretty much how I break it down: IMMEDIATELY upon waking up after sleeping all nite....OR INSTANTLY after he eats in the morning. (it used to be the first thing he did, but maybe now that he's a little older, he can hold it longer so he prefers to eat FIRST and GO after?), and then if I notice him standing near the sliding doors, I'll just open them for him and see if he wants to run out to the back yard..if he has to go, he will....if not....he won't, but at least he's got the opportunity. And I always let him out just before we go to bed at night. He may or may not go, but it sometimes helps me not have to get up at 2 or 3 AM to let him out (and sometimes he'll sleep all thru the night) but if he gets up and jumps down from the bed, I know to just get up, open the door and let him go..and he does. I know it was more work than I remember, but now it really seems like it was pretty simple to train him. When it was really cold outside, he did prefer to poop on the carpet
but he's pretty much grown out of that now so the ONLY time we have any 'accidents' would be if it were OUR fault that we weren't paying attention to him, which is never.
We put Max in a crate next to our bed the first night we had him, and he was really good. But I felt so bad, that we have kept him in bed with us ever since. I will say that sometimes, we don't get the BEST sleep we could (esp. if we're staying at my mom's where the bed is just barely big enough for all of us, but maybe neither of us is such a sound sleeper that we'd actually roll over and crush Max....and he always moves when he needs to. Anymore, I couldnt' even imagine crating him at night. And if we get another Yorkie, it will sleep with us too
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