[yorkietalkjilly]

I didn't trust Tibbe out freely in the house to roam in rooms when I wasn't with him until he'd been potty-trained for 18 months straight and then he was perfectly clean in the house. That way, by always having him either in his crate or in full view of myself, I was able to have him in the crate or catch him before he made any "mistakes" and take him outside to potty in time. I learned to read his pre-potty body language and know his schedule of when he usually needed to "go". During that 18 months potty training, he spent very little time in confinement as I only put him there when I had to leave the house or get some housework done - otherwise, he was out and about with me watching everything he did as we lived our lives. If I left the room, he had to go with me so I could watch him and I taught him to stay in the room I was in and not roam the house. After he was potty trained, I allowed him to go to any room he pleases as he's not about to potty or pee anywhere in the house. He much prefers leaving his scent outside for all the world to enjoy! In fact, when I'm going to be gone for very long and leave potty pads out for him to use, he'll hold it until I get home no matter how long it takes, poor baby. So, it's incumbent upon me to come home before he can get too uncomfortable holding himself. He's such a good boy!