At a loss, don't know what to do, about to get rid of our dog!

[LadyMadonna51]

Seems we all have part and parcel of the same problem . Wizard is 7 months old now and is still a pee & poo work in progress . Having had shepherds who were house trained at 10 weeks old , I find you need a lot of patience to head into a year for successful house training . It helps somewhat to know we are not alone in this .. sure hope one year old is the magic number . These little guys are so smart in so many other ways that I just do not get why they cannot get the potty thing right ... patience is a virtue .

[krisknr]

I haven't read all the responces but I am threwing my 2 cents in.
Training Brutis my 1 yr old yorkie mix was driving me crazy but he is finally trained!!!
I did use the leash method so I could watch him at all times then slowly went to keeping him in one room with me then 2 ect. If he pottied in the new space I closed it off for a week or 2 again.
When the cold weather hit here we went back to one room and it is going to stay that way until I feel safe that he will only go out side even though it is cold.
Don't give up!!

[ginabella]

My Reagan is now 9 months old - he came home when he was 3 months old. The breeder (a terrific woman) crate trained him so I have been very very lucky. After nearly 6 months I can count only about a dozen times that he he had an accident in the house - and they were all my fault and once cause he wasnt feeling very well - so I cant blame him. I am just so amazed that he is perfectly content in the crate - and that he has a bladder of steel. he always lets me know if he has to go outside. As he gets older I will keep expanding the area that he will have access to in the house. I do keep an eye on him if he is out of my sight.

When he wakes up in the morning - he stretches for a few minutes - not in any immediate rush to get outside, suprisingly. Even when I come home from work - same thing - no rush to get outside but I take him out and hang out with him in the backyard. In evenings weekdays and on the weekends he spends all of his time he has the run of the kitchen, living room and my ofice.

When I walk him he does what I call "faux peeing" lol - he will lift his leg a half dozen times only actually urinating the first few. He is not yet spayed - when should I do that? I am hoping that it doesnt cause a setback in his house training but should I expect that he will?

Thanks
Gina

[Shelby&Seymour]

I don't know about "holding it", but my little Seymour is 4 years old and he STILL gets up at night to go to the bathroom. He will wake us up about 3 hours after we go to bed. Yes, he does go out before we go to bed, too. I think he just has a small bladder and now the habit of getting up to empty it is just routine.
Does he drink a lot of water?

[ginabella]

I always have water out for him but he doesnt drink all that much. He doesnt even care much for the food that I give him - so I usually mix a tablespoon of wet in with the dry.

He goes to bed around 10 or 11 and usually wakes me up around 6 or 7 - although sometimes he gets me up at 5 for a quick walk and then he goes right back to bed.

[Babz]

Hi there.

I'd just like to say, Mocha is 8 months old and fully trained about a month ago. I fenced her and used a pee pad with the tray for about 2 months. She used to go on mats but now no more. If you use the tray, it might help him know the difference between where he should go and where he shouldn't. She used to have accidents like twice a day for MONTHS. Situation was very much like yours. I did not give up.

Fencing him might be the answer here. Keep him in a pen, have water, food, pee pad, and his toys in there. I know you said your husband doesn't want a dog that has to be kept in a pen, but this is not forever! If he doesn't wanna do it, then what does he want to do instead that will help with this problem? Please remember, it's most likely not the dog. When people has trouble housebreaking a dog, most of the time it's the humans that are making mistakes with their training methods.

To be honest, I am very bad with discipline and consistencies too. Trust me, I am the very worse dog trainer ever. But I trained her alone. ALONE. I also cleaned up all that pee/poo alone. So if I can do it, I fully believe you can do it too.

Don't give up. Rehoming him should be the very last option. I truly do not believe a Yorkie is any more trouble housebreaking than any other dog. Mocha is my very first personal dog, my very first housebreaking, but I DID IT. YOU CAN TOO!! Good luck!!

[crystalsmom]

There is lots of good advise here but one thing that I don't think was mentioned. When he does pee it HAS TO BE CLEANED with one of the wonderful cleaning products just for that purpose you can buy at pets mart or other pet stores. This scent will stay there forever and it tells them this is where I should go. (regular household cleaning products will not work)

Tethering is a great idea and this idea goes back hundreds of years so keep that up. Now I do believe that a yorkie can be 100% trained but if two people are working, five days a week, you will have to live with some miss haps and we must realize it is not the dogs fault.

I love belly bands as well and with a male so great for visiting but when you get in the dog's mind, they can't understand why it is ok to pee sometimes and at other times not. It really reinforces the problem.....yet I know if it means the difference between keeping the dog or not, I'd go belly bands too.

All of this is just my opinion and I am no expert. Good Luck with this little guy.

[erika1948]

I hate to tell you this but my Rocky is 12 years old and still pees wherever he pleases. I have wee wee pads all over the place for him when I am working and he gets to go outside also. It's awful because sometimes I don't realize that he's gone right away. Rugs or hardwood floors - it makes no difference. I have a 14-1/2 year old female minerature poodle with heart disease and she has rarely had an accident in her life. I think she is alot smarter than he is. I love him to death though and will just see him through to the end. I think in his case it is territorial. I will say that I can no longer use my hall runner or any throw rugs because they both think they are wee wee pads and are fair game. Good luck!

[ladyjane]

Originally Posted by erika1948

I hate to tell you this but my Rocky is 12 years old and still pees wherever he pleases. I have wee wee pads all over the place for him when I am working and he gets to go outside also. It's awful because sometimes I don't realize that he's gone right away. Rugs or hardwood floors - it makes no difference. I have a 14-1/2 year old female minerature poodle with heart disease and she has rarely had an accident in her life. I think she is alot smarter than he is. I love him to death though and will just see him through to the end. I think in his case it is territorial. I will say that I can no longer use my hall runner or any throw rugs because they both think they are wee wee pads and are fair game. Good luck!

I am sitting here laughing out loud! Sounds like my life. I gave up on throw rugs long ago.
The only thing good about the damage I had from Hurricane Ike is that it finished off the wood floors .. I will never have wood again! Porcelain tile is my next move.
Only a true yorkie lover would write what you did....and put up with what we put up with!

[zenzele]

..."I know we've been very slack about watching him all the time. I keep telling my husband that we need to keep one eye on him at all times and if we can't, he has to be contained to one little area. My husband hates to do that, though, and doesn't want a dog that's always gated somewhere. I keep trying to tell him that I don't want that either, but for now, it's what's best for him and us and that it won't be like that forever (hopefully). But we just don't do it. I know I need to take a stand and gate him into his play area when we aren't watching him constantly, but I just don't."

I am not trying to be rude or judgemental, but honestly when I read your post a portion copied above I got very upset for your Yorkie...the problem is not the Yorkie but the Owners!!! YES an 8 month old PUPPY needs to be contained that's part of the housetraining process!! You and your husband are getting upset at a dog acting LIKE A DOG!! You are the problem because you are not containing nor giving proper training to your dog. PLEASE READ Before and After Getting Your Puppy by Ian Dunbar it discusses crate training, how to NEVER have tiolet or chewing issues BECAUSE YOU TAKE PROACTIVE (NOT REACTIVE) STEPS AND PREVENT THEM FROM HAPPENING.
If you and your husband don't want to take the time to train your puppy then definitely rehome him with someone who will. I know I sound harsh but I am really ticked off for that INNOCENT Puppy!!

p.s. Regardless of how old your dog is he should NEVER have total complete unsupervised free rein of your home, both for his protection and to prevent damage... would you give a 2 year old human child unsupervise complete free rein of your home??? NO! Why a dog or puppy then???

[zenzele]

Originally Posted by ladyjane

I am sitting here laughing out loud! Sounds like my life. I gave up on throw rugs long ago.
The only thing good about the damage I had from Hurricane Ike is that it finished off the wood floors .. I will never have wood again! Porcelain tile is my next move.
Only a true yorkie lover would write what you did....and put up with what we put up with!

I'm not on a soap box here and I am a true Yorkie Lover and can tell you that I don't put up with these issues you are talking about... I have a 7 yr old Yorkie (will be getting a 5 month old puppy soon) and we don't have these issues because 1. I take her to the puppy pads regularly, 2. I expect her to be trained and took the time to train her... does she tell me when she want to go?? SOMETIMES... but because it is "sometimes"... I don't wait for her to tell me... I TELL HER !! by TAKING her to the puppy pads. I hate people who sell their Yorkies short... do you realize that Yorkies are among the most intelligent dogs and easy to train??? Do some research and quit underestimating (and spoiling ) your dog because he/she is CUTE! Check out Jilli.com. the Yorkie that plays poker... see You tube video OF HER or go to Jilli.com!

[zenzele]

Originally Posted by ginabella

My Reagan is now 9 months old - he came home when he was 3 months old. The breeder (a terrific woman) crate trained him so I have been very very lucky. After nearly 6 months I can count only about a dozen times that he he had an accident in the house - and they were all my fault and once cause he wasnt feeling very well - so I cant blame him. I am just so amazed that he is perfectly content in the crate - and that he has a bladder of steel. he always lets me know if he has to go outside. As he gets older I will keep expanding the area that he will have access to in the house. I do keep an eye on him if he is out of my sight.

When he wakes up in the morning - he stretches for a few minutes - not in any immediate rush to get outside, suprisingly. Even when I come home from work - same thing - no rush to get outside but I take him out and hang out with him in the backyard. In evenings weekdays and on the weekends he spends all of his time he has the run of the kitchen, living room and my ofice.

When I walk him he does what I call "faux peeing" lol - he will lift his leg a half dozen times only actually urinating the first few. He is not yet spayed - when should I do that? I am hoping that it doesnt cause a setback in his house training but should I expect that he will?

Thanks
Gina

HALLELUJAH!! A post that captures the essence of Yorkies and that clearly demonstrate that a housebroken Yorkie is due more to the OWNER'S expectation and effort than anything else!!!! Bottom line if your dog is not housetrained YOU are the problem NOT the Yorkie, because you have FAILED to communicate what is needed from the client.

[krisknr]

zenzele
I agree with you for the most part. I had always had big dogs who I potty trained in a couple of weeks. It took me months to potty train my Yorkie. Not because he is dumb but because he was so little I couldn't tell he was peeing!!! He never sniffed around!!! He could pee and poo so fast that I didn't even know he did it!! That is why I finally put him on a leash. He would try to go away from me to go potty so I knew when to take him out. Other wise I don't think I could have watched him close enough to potty train him.
He still doesn't give any sign he has to go out. I just let all the dogs out when we get up, after we eat and every 2 hours or so. Or when my lab comes over and tells me he has to go out.
Little dogs are sneaky pottiers which is why I think they are so much harder to potty train!!

[ladyjane]

Originally Posted by zenzele

I'm not on a soap box here and I am a true Yorkie Lover and can tell you that I don't put up with these issues you are talking about... I have a 7 yr old Yorkie (will be getting a 5 month old puppy soon) and we don't have these issues because 1. I take her to the puppy pads regularly, 2. I expect her to be trained and took the time to train her... does she tell me when she want to go?? SOMETIMES... but because it is "sometimes"... I don't wait for her to tell me... I TELL HER !! by TAKING her to the puppy pads. I hate people who sell their Yorkies short... do you realize that Yorkies are among the most intelligent dogs and easy to train??? Do some research and quit underestimating (and spoiling ) your dog because he/she is CUTE! Check out Jilli.com. the Yorkie that plays poker... see You tube video OF HER or go to Jilli.com!

Actually you are on a soap box. Not every yorkie is 100% trained....don't care what you say!
I do not sell my yorkies short, but I owe you no explanation.

[zenzele]

Originally Posted by ladyjane

Actually you are on a soap box. Not every yorkie is 100% trained....don't care what you say!
I do not sell my yorkies short, but I owe you no explanation.

No dog is 100% train and neither are human children, but that is still NO EXCUSE for not training your dog nor a child. I'm not asking for an explanation, like everyone else on this site we are all expressing our opinions agree or disagree. My opinion is that I don't like owners to blame the dog for being a dog but don't try to train the dog, that's not fair to the dog.

Take a look at the website Jilli Dog - the world's only poker playing dog - one of America's top trick dogs that's a trained dog not an "extra-ordinary" dog... the average owner, myself included don't and won't have a dog like that, but anyone that thinks a Yorkie is all looks and no brain need to see this website. Besides any trainer will tell you is all you need is 5 minutes a day REPEITION not time spent is the key.

I am not an owner of a supertrained dog, my dog knows 2 basic commands Sit and Stay and you know what... those 2 commands alone go along way. So I'm not an owner of a super trained dog, nor advocating that anyone have one, I am the owner of a dog that I can prevent (for her and everyone around her wellbeing) from being out of control.