housebreaking - is this normal???
 

Hi everyone. I'm hoping you can help me clear something up. My yorkie and I are having some trouble with housebreaking. I got him at 11 weeks. He is now almost 5 months. We seem to be taking 3 steps forward and then 10 steps back. We are training him to go outside only. I'm at home, so I take him out
frequently - approximately every hour, depending on my schedule and how he is acting (sniffing, etc.) When I am gone, he does very well, but occasionally has an accident. Even if I'm gone for pretty long (2 hours or more). At night, he does not have accidents. But during the waking hours, especially when I'm at home, he goes a lot. For example, I kept a diary of yesterday, and he went 14 times - 10 of those were outside. It seems excessive to me, but I realized that I really don't know what is normal, and I've never had a small dog before. BTW he is just finishing a course of antibiotics because the vet thought that he might have a UTI. He did not test him though. From your experience, does that sound like a typical day to you?? Also, he drinks approximately 1 - 2 cups of water a day. Any help would be GREATLY appreciated.

I have a 3 month old and she pees more so during the day and holds it through the night, she seems to only have a little pee at a time, but my problem is she poops sometimes 4-5 times a day. I'm in the process of changing her food and hope it helps with the poop problem.

:aimeeyork Gracie

My 4 1/2 month old used to poop 3-4 times a day, but within the past week it's been only 2 times a day. He has been on Wellness Puppy the whole time. I think it's the age thing. As Gracie matures, I bet she'll poop less on a daily basis.

smyorkie- I crate mine only at night and he is able to hold it from 10pm to 7am. During the day, he is constantly peeing. If you want them to learn to hold it, I think you'll need to crate train them all day. Otherwise, I think it is pretty normal.

Maggie is 6 mos and she pees quite a bit. I have a pad in the sunroom and she uses it between our walks. I had her in my office yesterday with a pad for about an hour and she peed 2x. She is slightly under 3lbs. She's really good about using the pad and going outside.

Just wondering how much your Yorkie weighs? A general rule of thumb for daily water intake is approximately one ounce liquid per pound of body weight. (This can vary depending on exersize/ heat etc.) If he is drinking a lot more than that I would have him checked out at the vet just to rule out any other medical concerns
You say the vet did not test him for UTI but gave him antibiotics for UTI?? Did he have bloodwork done?

Also is he urinating a lot when he goes or is he just lifting his leg and spot peeing (could be starting to mark?) Is he neutered?

Thanks to all who are coming to my rescue. First, he weighed 5 lbs. a week ago last Friday when the vet initially checked him for the UTI. No blood work was done, but he was treated on symptoms because his bladder was not full, and I was unable to get a specimen myself. I took him back on the next Friday, and after they got a specimen, he got a clean bill of health. No crystals, etc. The vet said that either the meds worked, or he never had a UTI. He is drinking approximately 1 - 1 1/2 cups (2 max) of water per day, and is pretty active late in the day when my kids get home. So that is probably when he drinks more. I guess that is why he has to go every 1/2 to 1 hour in the evening. I tried crate training yesterday. He spent almost the whole day in the crate, because he didn't have to go from 6:30 AM until 12:30 PM. After he went at 12:30, I kept him out until I had to leave at 2:00. I took him out after returning at 3:15, but he didn't have to go. So back in the crate with another try at 4:15. Didn't have to go until 5:45. So I kept him out, because he went. That's where things went bad, and consistently go bad.

From what you have said, he drinks quite a bit more than he should, even with a lot of exercise. BTW way, I took him out 3 times after the 5:45 time, and he didn't go once. But he did go in the house 4 times. Does this mean I should crate him for most of the evening too? I guess that is what I need to get over. I feel sad that he won't have much interaction with us when we are all home, and not much activity in the evening.

And finally, I don't think that he is marking, although I initially thought he might be. He is neutered and does not lift his leg. The vet did not think so. Sometimes he goes a lot, usually when it is outside, but other times not (usually inside).

I have a very similar problem with Gus. This has been going on since I got him in March of this year. His several urinalyses showed a low specific gravity which indicates that he is not concentrating his urine, however, his vet thinks he's okay.

After much frustration, and trying many things, I'm currently focusing on what he is eating. He loves to eat stuff from on top and under the ground outside, particularly tree bark, wood chips, worms, and insects. Since limiting this behavior to the extent practicable, without putting something over his snout, there is some improvement.

I also noticed that certain chew things, like Bully Sticks, Dingos, & DentaBone, trigger thirst, and with thirst comes drinking, and urination.

I was feeding him Science Diet for most of the time that we've been together, and am currently transitioning to something else to see if it helps.

I have the same problem .. Wizzy is just a little pee machine . I just got him fixed yesterday so I hope that as he matures he can hold himself a little more . Although he has been holding himself all night in the crate since 8 weeks old and I cant complain about that !