I'm don't think clicker training is really that successful for potty training. The clicker is an excellent tool to enable you to teach a dog a long series of steps. What it essentially does, is mark the behavior that is to be rewarded, the word, "Yes", can be used in the same way. For potty training success, most people don't give the dog a chance to have an accident. Some used crate training, and take the dog out every couple of hours and place him either outside, or on a pad, if he goes, he gets a treat, and praise, and is allowed to supervised play outside the crate for 15 or so minutes, then back in the crate. If he doesn't go, he goes back in the crate, and you try in another hour. Some people use a playpen with a pee pad, and dog seems to get this on their own. You can't put a 4-month-old dog in a large room with a pee pad, and expect him to find the pee pad when he needs to go. There are too many other things that get his attention.
He's teething now, and his mouth hurts, and has a great need to chew. I recommend Merrick Bully Sticks for this, they are 100% digestible, and will keep him satisfied for hours; I had to buy these online. Target has some excellent chew toys, a doggy teething ring that Joey loved, and may of these chewing toys are much tougher than regular dog toys, be careful with the raw hides and other chewing sticks, some are not 100% digestible and can cause an obstruction. When he bites, say, "No", place him on the floor, and give him a chewing stick or toy. Or you could say "no" and push your hand slightly further into the mouth causing a slight gag reflex. We did this once and Joey stopped biting us. Just remember that they are teething, and will outgrow the biting. One of the reasons the YTCA recommends that Yorkies stay with the mother until 12 weeks is that the final few weeks the mother teaches the inhibition of the biting reflex or how hard to bite. So hopefully your baby isn't biting too hard, as those baby teeth are really sharp and can cause some real pain.
The great thing about Yorkietalk, is if one thing doesn't work, someone else will have different tips, on what worked for their dog. Welcome to Yorkietalk! |