Try bells, they do work. But only after they begin to know ahead of time that they need to go. Loki continued to have "oops I didn't make it" once a week or so until he was 10 months - 1 year or so. When he was about 1 year we put up the bells and we had no problems from then on. It's possible they are simply not big/old enough to control their bladders and know when they need to go out.
I think I am misunderstanding you. You do not leave the house when they are in their pens? I know you said you do not want to crate train, but the whole point of crate training is that they won't potty in their crates (unless forced to hold it to long) therefore you don't have to watch them constantly. At first we left Loki unsupervised for 30 mins max. Then it was an hour (grocery store trip or whatever) then 2 or 3. For months he could not go more than 3 hours, but that was long enough to do whatever we needed to do. I still do not leave him more than 4 hours, just because. Also, don't they sleep a lot? Loki slept a lot at that age (still does) and so we'd get things done when he'd sleep. He tends to sleep all day and then be active in the evenings, which is when he gets the most attention (he's efficient that way). So, I don't worry about putting him in his crate for a little while because he'd just be sleeping anyway. All they do in the crate is sleep. Don't the girls sleep in their pens??
Now, if you are asking how to get things done without constantly watching them - perhaps tether them to you? Tie a leash around your belt loop and watch them that way? They are still going to have accidents. They will be too interested in a toy to realize they need to go and they will squat right in front of you and pee. They are just like toddlers.
But again, I'm confused. If they have pee-pads, why does any of this matter - won't they use the pee pads? We never used pads, so I don't know. Do you encourage one over the other. Are the pups confused? Do you want to eliminate the pads? Why do you have to watch them every second if they are in their pens? Are they sleeping through the night? I set an alarm and took Loki out at 2am forever. I also took him out during the night if he woke up (which would wake me up). Now I trust him to wake me up (he sniffs in my ear, goofball) or run downstairs and ring his bell.
Finally - welcome to puppyhood. Yorkie puppies are hard work. If you want a time frame for when it gets better, I'd say that by 18 months their bladders will be in good shape for sure. By 2 years they are fully developed. Loki is 1 1/2 and he's been fully housetrained for months. But, we never used the pads. I can't say how that changes things. |