"Fake Pee-ing"
 

I know this might sound weird, but Hercules seems to be fake pee-ing to get treats! :p

We live on the third floor of an apartment, so we put chicken wire up around the balcony and built a little box for him to go to the bathroom in. Our original intention was to get some sod to put in the box, but it's out of season. So instead we're using the pee pads. When he goes outside we then go inside and give him a treat. It's just too cold to give him the treat outside and wait for him to decide whether he's going to eat it or play with it.

So he's getting used to getting treats when he goes outside. But he hasn't completely gotten the idea that he has to go to the bathroom when he's outside too. So sometimes he'll go to the door and get me to take him outside. Then he will jump in the box and squat like he's peeing, yet nothing will come out! Believe me, I watch him like a hawk and he doesn't pee. Then he goes to the door for me to let him back inside and proceeds to go to where the treats are and jump around for a treat. My little boy fake pees on me!!!

I just had to share this story because it is so funny. :D :D

Has anyone else had an experience your yorkie tries to fool you for a treat??

Yep!! :) I had forgotten ... when we were training Toto to the wee wee pad and she was getting the idea ... she would come to let us know that she had gone on the pad and there would be about a quarter sized little wet spot about every 5-10 minutes!! They are smart little characters!! ;)

The Yorkies win! Again!!!! ROFL

My first yorkie Max would do that. He would go to the back door and I would say you gotta go pee pee and he would do his little dance and away he would go. I would give him a treat when he would come in. I got worry about him going out so much, so one day I let him out and watched him, he would go down the side walk and them come back in and, he wasn't doing anything he just wanted a treat. I thought what a brat then I thought he is pertty darn smart. Max was my first yorkie that had a great life, he lived to be 17 years old, he was a smart little boy that taught me alot. Maddie and Rudy think when the other one goes out and does there bussiness they should get a treat too, they are smart little things...............Cindy

Bentley has never done this, but in our puppy class they warned us never to use treats as a reward for going to the bathroom as it encourages faking or only going a little at a time.

the praising doesnt seem to be working though, and the treats do........ maybe ill just keep him guessing and use both (usually praise adn once in a while a treat?????)... im glad you told me (of course we sorta noticed because he is now a treat hound as well as a food hound ..... and this was teh same dog that didnt like treats when i first got him)

If you are crate training your puppy, our instructor suggested that you take the puppy out and if he doesn't go within the first couple of minutes, put the puppy in his crate for 5-10 minutes. Then take the puppy out again. Keep doing this cycle until they go to the bathroom. At that point they can come into the house and not go into their crate. With this method the reward is to be out of the crate instead of a treat. It also teaches them to go right away and not sniff around outside for a long time before going.

that is a great idea ........ i should try that too, my toby is going to be on his own for the first time next tuesday (only for 3.5-4 hours, but it seems like forever to me!!!!) I'm thinking about leaving his crate open and shuting him in the hallway/bathroom section of teh apartment so that he can go pee on his own (and there isnt anything really to damage in this area).... what do you think? does that defeat the purpose of the crate? because toby can't hold it for that long, and he SCREAMS when he has to go and he is in his crate..... the whole purpose of the crate thing was to offer "security" for him, adn also to minimize the damage on the house as far as chewing, but i think locking him up in this section of the apartment offers teh best of both worldsl.......

I think I would leave him in his crate if you are not going to be over 4 hours. As long as he goes right before you leave, he should be able to hold it. If his crate is small enough (just enough for him to stand up and turn around in), he shouldn't go in the crate because yorkies do not like to go to the bathroom where they sleep. Here's another reason I would use the crate instead of blocking him off in the house: When we first got Bentley I felt bad leaving him in the crate, so I blocked off the door to the kitchen with a baby gate and we left him in there with his food/water, toys and bed. Well, he hated being left alone and eventually got scared of the kitchen. He would never go in there when we were home because he was afraid of being blocked in there. This was a big problem as his food was in the kitchen and he would never go in there to eat. Since he had never had an accident while we were gone, we decided to try letting him roam the kitchen, living room, and hallway (we just shut all bedroom and bathroom doors) and he is much happier and still is able to hold it. (I don't really understand him as he has never had an accident while we are gone, but will pee right in front of us when we are home). Anyway, if you know he will have an accident if you leave him out, then I would put him in the crate because it will force him to try and hold it and that's an important part of potty training. He also probably won't cry as much because you aren't there to hear him.

Hah, that is TOO FUNNY! The little guys are just way too smart for us, sometimes, eh? We praised Yoda like CRAZY when he went pee/poo outside, but only once in a while we gave him a treat, usually we'd just play with him after or do something fun for a bit.

Dogs are definitely very smart when it comes to getting treats.

I had trouble getting my dogs to come when I called them. So I started giving them treats when they'd come back into the house.

So - you guessed it. If they want a treat, they go to the door and scratch to go outside. And, of course, I open the door and let them out - but then instead of going out, they just immediately turn around and come back in - for their treat, of course!

That's okay. I figure they've still earned it.

Carol Jean

PS: I do think pretending like they've pee'd is the smartest thing I've heard yet. Definitely give them a treat for doing this. Just how smart can a dog get!

Our Yorkie, Krissy, did the same thing when she was being potty trained. I think it's ingenious how they figure out how to get extra treats!

They are smart little buggers. :D Remmy did this when he was a pup. With Chance I really did not train him with treats just lots and lots of praise.

And I thought I was crazy!!!

Pixie started doing this two weeks ago! :eek: Its windy and a bit nippy at night here right now and she is not a fan! So when we run outside for out night time potty breaks, she stands by the door and looks at me like I am nuts.... I teller her... Go Potty! and she gives in and runns out to the grass and squats real quick and then runs back to the door! and in we go! but then no more than three minutes later shell use her pad in the house! Little bratt! She just squatted to humor me so I would let her back in out of the cold wind!

I don't normally give treats for potty time however, I applaud (not everytime) and carry on and that seems to satisfy her. Anyway, this AM I caught her squatting in my bedroom and I said "no" and picked her up to take her to the pee pad and I said "potty" . I sat down on the toilet to wait and she copped a squat on the floor. She stayed there for a few seconds but did nothing. I guess that was to make me feel better---lol or to just fake me out. I didn't say anything to her so I think she has me fooled ;P

Glad to know I'm not the only one!!! Jaxon has learned that peeing on the paper means treats which has really helped with training. But if we lock him in the gated area, he'll do a little squirt on the run just to be let out again. I figure it's not really a bad thing as long as he keeps going on the pads. He always seems to just miss the pad with poops but hoping he'll get there eventually. With the warmer weather I'm hoping to start training with bells to go outside.

That's so funny . Royce does that to me too . He goes on his pad for two seconds really quick then looks at me with a smile on his face as of saying ok i peed give me my cheerios . It makes me laugh the expression on his face but i dont give up until he actually pees . And I think as well i should stop giving treats for peeing otherwise he will turn into a porky, i think praising is enough . they are really smart

I started giving Tike treats to get him to potty out side. When I started this he started doing good out side. I know about when he has to poop and he always likes to poop downs stairs,not out side so I would say go poop now and yesterday he squated like he was and he tried to fake me out. He has fake going pee but now poop.

I didn't give Buckeye treats while training him but I did Ahia. while training her, Buckeye would get a treat also (outside). It didn't take him long before he would pee, then right away, turn to me expecting that treat.
and........
while on a walk, if they wanted to take their time and I was in a hurry for some reason, would say "lets go home and get a treat". I would come back into the house and forget the treat. they would follow me or sit right there and remind me of that treat. I would say "what is wrong with you?". I then woulod remember what I told them..... they have a better memory than I do.
She would do that fake peeing also.
soon found out that I had to give smaller treats because of gaining too much weight. I didn't think they were too fat but the vet said they had too much meat on their bones.

Too funny, My little guys don't do that but our doberman would do that all day long just to get the treats. Sometimes he would come inside get his treat and then insist he had to go back outside.

Mandi has been doing this too. She sometimes will turn in a circle and start squatting and then run to me to get a treat--the little bugger--she thinks she has this all figured out. "If I even think about peeing Mom should give me a treat!" Then when she does go pee my other 2 little dogs run over to me too. They want to help celebrate for Mandi by getting a treat too.

I still think it's a good idea because obviously this is big incentive to them to go potty and shows that they are understanding that we want them to go.

LOL !!! All three of my girls do that fake peeing thing - it's hilarious ! Especially Tessa my cocker - she'll go outside - and sometimes gets a little 'vocal' lol - When I start to say something to her.... she does her squat and pee thing - it's TOTALLY to distract me from saying "NO barking" lol

The yorkie kids have totally picked up that trick from her.