[yorkietalkjilly]

Welcome to YT! Hope you enjoy it here, learn & have a bit of fun. Tibbe was 9 mos. old and wild from a lifetime of cage-life when I got him. I kept him crated when I left the room or couldn't watch him for pre-potty behavior or every time left home, but the rest of the time I just devoted primarily to watching him, playing with him, teaching him to obey certain commands and do certain tricks, put him on a regular schedule of eating and even drinking(for about 2 weeks on the water at night) and - no kidding - took him out about every 30 minutes when I was home for at least 2 - 4 weeks, slowly increasing the time between over time.

All the rest of the time he was out of the crate with me, cuddling or he was following me about - all under my constant, watchful eye. When he would start to circle around, sniff the floor excitedly as he kind of ran about, look anxiously at me or at the back door, out he went even if it wasn't time yet. Outside, as he was going No#1 or 2, I would attach a call phrase to it and say that over and over as he eliminated. If he didn't "go" after 10 minutes, we cam inside but if I knew it was about time for him to "go", I watched him constantly for pre-potty behavior and would ask him if he wanted to "go potty?" when I saw that behavior. After a bit, he would start to go around in circles when he did. Outside, he had heard me repeat the appropriate "go" phrase so much with each action, soon he attached the phrase to the action & was trying his best to do whichever one I said. He was always taken out first thing in a.m., last thing at night, after play, meals, grooming, naps, periods of high excitement(such as after someone arrived from outside or left), etc.

Soon he found that he loved leaving his scent outside for other dogs in the neighborhood to smell and would hold himself for long, long period to wait to go outside! Unless he is sick, by the time I had had him one year - yes, that is now long I trained him - he is totally clean in the house. So dedication, confinement when you can't be within eyeshot of him and a good schedule for eating, exercising, napping, training your dog will work every time, despite his age unless perhaps he is so old and/or ill he cannot hold his bladder/bowel.