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Originally Posted by sportschick  Hi I got my 7 mo. old Yorkie last week. I made the mistake of letting her have the run of the house and all the training she got at the breeders went down the toilet (pun intended). She peed on the carpets and on the floors. I just felt so bad locking her in the pen when I was home. The breeder is wonderful, talking to me every day trying to help me through this. I also work, so I have to leave her alone and she is crying and crying when I leave. She freakin cries when I leave the kitchen. She pees and poos in the pen when she gets up and I put her in there, but after I let her out, she pees on the floor. Does the same thing at night.
This a.m. she peed on the floor and I put her in the pen and went in the other room to try and take a nap and she went NUTS. Whining, barking and flinging her bed, toys, pushing the pen. I just sat on the couch and cried because I am SO EXHAUSTED. She gets up so early and fights me on everything. After she has a tantrum she sits there and looks at me like why are you mad at me and punishing me? She wasn't like that at the breeders, she was well behaved, but she also was in a pen with another puppy for 3 months. I know everything is new to her and everyone keeps telling me that I have to be the boss and stand my ground with her. I know I have to contain her in the pen and I know I have to get the harness on her (that should be a real blast) and get her walking even if it is cold out because she is so HYPER and is getting worse and worse and worse. I also know that she has to adapt to MY schedule and it is going to take time.
But, I am feeling like I made a mistake getting her and that I can't do this and I should just send her back to the breeder who can find her a better home because I feel like a total failure at this. I feel like she is the one who is ruling me. It will break my heart if I have to do that because I love her (but I don't like her very much right now). All she wants to do is be with me and play, she licks every part of me when I sit on the floor and play with her, but I can't have her peeing on the floors and carpets and I can't have her throwing tantrums when she doesn't get her way.
Have you guys gone through this and felt this way? Please help. |
I felt the same way when I got Peek A Boo
(not many people know this)...
In short: You are not responsible for her backsliding in potty training. Just about all Yorkies will do this in a new home. They need to be retrained for each home you put them in. So: Not your fault.
You need to get her on a puppy feeding/pottying schedule. Feed her at regular intervals and take her out at the 'key' times and every one or two hours. Key times are: when they wake in the morning, after each meal, after playtime, after naps, before bedtime, and anytime before you put her in her pen and when you let her out of her pen.. Start this asap and do as much as you can... best to start on a weekend. On potty training: reward the good pees and poops with praise and treats. Ignore any mistakes. Ignore any mistakes. They are your fault. And I mean no grumbling, no stink eye or sideways glares... just clean it up. You need to watch her for any signals she may give that she has to go. Learn them and that's half the battle.
Her tantrums are from too much time in the pen. She is getting confused. When you're in the house, she wants to be with you. She's mad and acting out because she wants you to love her, and she's not feeling that being in the pen when you're home. Yorkies love 'being with' their owners. It's what they do.
I get that you don't like her behavior, but you love her. I was there too. Make sure you take time to sit with her and talk to her and tell her you love her. My boy was so bad, some days he did nothing right (or to my liking). I made a ritual to sit with him each night and I told him 'What a Good Boy' you are!' Many days I lied to him, but I hated being mad at him all the time. He was picking up on my feelings and that was half of our problem. Finally, after a week or two, I noticed tiny changes in his attitude and behaviors. I took one problem at a time and figured out ways to improve on it. He was 5 years old when I got him, so he had some baggage that we had to work through. I think this is the one most important thing I did that really began to turn him around.
One thing he did that drove me nuts was he would go out to potty, he would pee then come back in the house and poop somewhere. WHY?????
How to fix this? I went out with him, but he was still too nervous. Okay, so I'll let him in but watch him, and then take him out again. This started working. PITB, but hey, it was working. He still makes two trips back to back on occassion, but not often anymore.
I also had what I thought was 'my ideal dog' in my head. I had to forget that and allow him to be who he was, and accept him as he was. No dog is perfect... although we believe they are.
You have to bond with her too. Find something she does well and praise her for it. Praise goes such a long way with these guys. You two are miscommunicationing... she does not know what to do to make you happy, and you are having trouble being happy with anything she does. So start small, and praise and reward her. This is how you tell her you like what she's doing. Smile and laugh around her, and include her in your day to day.