[Sweetums]

I think the problem is that they just can't differentiate well between the floor and a very flat mat. Also it appears that they don't necessarily know when they sniff the potty pad, that their little rear ends are over the mat when they go.

I haven't tried it yet, but I'm thinking of getting one of those frames that holds the potty pad for our pad. I hope that having a frame with rigid sides will help our puppy see where the floor ends and the pad begins.

Also I've been reading that reinforcing helps them retain the idea of going in the right spot. So try to catch your dog in the act of using the pad and give treats the minute you do. Timing is essential. It has to be immediately following otherwise it doesn't work. And I suspect that Yorkies all need reinforcement from time to time due to their inborn tendency to be difficult to train.

I also highly recommend the book called "Don't Shoot The Dog" written by a very reputable animal trainer. She is one of the people who developed the positive reinforcement movement in animal training and has been a professional trainer for years. She makes a really good case for positive reinforcement. She also explains how to train even the most stubborn of animals using positive reinforcement and timing.