He thinks... Inside/outside, what's the difference? - YorkieTalk.com Forums

bonovox011 · 02-11-2009, 07:40 AM

Hi Everyone,

Baxter, my almost 12 week old puppy is in the process of potty training and has been pretty good at going outside. We have obviously had some accidents but my question/concern is that he doesn't seem to have any remorse for going inside. I do watch him like a hawk but he still squats and gets a bit out before I can stop him. When I catch him, I grab him the the scruff of the neck near the accident and firmly say "No" and "Bad Dog" then take him outside where he will usually finish and receive a treat and praise for his efforts. Now yesterday I caught him in the act and was walking towards him and he stopped and ran up to me and jumped on me wagging his tail wanting to play.

I guess I have two questions about this:

1. He seems to know the going outside is good, but not necessarily that going inside is bad. Is there anyway to renforce this?

2. Ideally I would like him to go to the backdoor and bark or sit there when he needs to go out, any suggestions on teaching him the communication?

Thanks again,

Walter
Hopeless Father of his furbaby.

Britster · 02-11-2009, 08:21 AM

I'm not the best person to give potty training advice, but 12 weeks is still extremely young! They probably have no idea what they are doing in the first place. Maybe he thinks you're happy with him going potty in general but doesn't realize you only want him to go outside. You're doing the right thing in catching him in the act and punishing him. You can't punish them really if you don't catch them doing it.

But here's my advice...

is he ever crated? Or kept in a small space/pen/bathroom? A 12 week old pup can definitely NOT have free roam of the house. Even if you're watching them like a hawk, you will miss little slip ups and then they leave their scent on carpets,etc. that you may never know are even there.

Get him on a routine and a schedule. Do the same thing every day. Potty breaks every hour or so. Feed him his food and water at the same time after day and let him go potty ten mins (sometimes quicker) after eating/drinking. Let him outside every morning right away to prevent accidents.

Basically, it takes a lottt of patience. And yorkies are known to sometimes take a year to potty train, sometimes more. But I think with patience, consistency and schedule it can happen.

Jackson is about 4 months old and still not potty trained. He's getting the hang of it and will sit by the door but the minute I let him out of his room I blocked off for him, he usually will sneak off at some point and go faster than I can blink, lol

bonovox011 · 02-11-2009, 08:31 AM

He definitely is not allowed everywhere in the house. He sleeps in his crate (in our bedroom) at night but then is allowed on the first level which is the kitchen, dinning room and foyer to front door and back door(minus all the rooms) and the basement living room (minus all the rooms). Perhaps I should restrict even that much room?

I am trying to feed him on a schedule but sometimes (even in the morning) he doesn't eat very much. If he leaves lots of food left should I take that away from him till next feeding time (lunch)? I am scared that he will not get enough sugars because he is pretty active throughout the day.

I think the problem is like you said. He thinks he is doing good by just going potty, I have to get the idea across to him somehow that it is good to go in the backyard and not on mommy's (my girlfriend) favorite area rug. hehe

Britster · 02-11-2009, 08:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bonovox011

He definitely is not allowed everywhere in the house. He sleeps in his crate (in our bedroom) at night but then is allowed on the first level which is the kitchen, dinning room and foyer to front door and back door(minus all the rooms) and the basement living room (minus all the rooms). Perhaps I should restrict even that much room?

I am trying to feed him on a schedule but sometimes (even in the morning) he doesn't eat very much. If he leaves lots of food left should I take that away from him till next feeding time (lunch)? I am scared that he will not get enough sugars because he is pretty active throughout the day.

I think the problem is like you said. He thinks he is doing good by just going potty, I have to get the idea across to him somehow that it is good to go in the backyard and not on mommy's (my girlfriend) favorite area rug. hehe

lol, yep, Yorkies are stubborn little things, I guess. And honestly, while he's potty training, I probably would restrict him more than you are. Maybe just block him off in the kitchen if you could? And let him run around in the kitchen only. Definitely block off the rooms with carpet - makes it more difficult for you to clean up after. Also, get him used to going out ONE door and take him out that door every time, makes it less confusing for him so he learns where to go.

And what kind of food is he on? Jackson never used to eat much of his dry food either in the first weeks I had him, I've had to switch foods like 4 times cuz he's so picky. Find one that he really likes! I also mix it with some wet food every morning for his breakfast and he eats it right up.

bonovox011 · 02-11-2009, 09:07 AM

It's tougher to restrict the tile area's because of the layout of the house. We can more easily restrict him to just the basement (although it's all carpeted). we do only take him out the back door for potty purposes but to go on our short walks to te mailbox we go out the front door.

The "breeder" (if you want to call her that) had him on Ol' Roy and I have quickly started to wein him off that onto Merricks Puppy Plate. He hasn't taken to it as much as I had hoped for so I may have a picky eater as well.

I should say also that we have only had him since Sat so I knew there would be these types of issues to deal with, I am sure the change of scenerary is still affecting him some. I just want to make sure that we do the correct things to embed the desired behaviour early.

Tucker08 · 02-12-2009, 11:45 PM

I think you are on the right track! I cant remember if you said you had a crate or not? Crate training is defintly the way to go! I have crate trained several puppies and i think it is alot easier. They do love the time they get to spend in the crate as they think of it as thier den.I always make sure as soon as i take Tucker out of his crate that we go directly out side to potty! Alot of the time i will pick him up and carry him out just to make sure he doesnt have a chance to potty in the house.I have only had him for a little over a week and we are doing pretty good,He has had about 3 accidents in the house.When he/she goes potty outside make sure to give alot of praise!And if you cant watch him all the time put him in the crate,I have 2 boys ages 6 and 2 and there is no way i can always have my eye on a pup. Don't feel bad about putting them in the crate,atleast they wont get hurt or into trouble. If Tucker does number 1 and 2 outside when i take him out and will let him have some family time out with us playing but if he starts sniffing and wondering off he goes back outside.Hope this helps!!!!

02-11-2009, 07:40 AM	#1
bonovox011 Yorkie Yakker Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Kitchener, Ontario Posts: 56	He thinks... Inside/outside, what's the difference? Hi Everyone, Baxter, my almost 12 week old puppy is in the process of potty training and has been pretty good at going outside. We have obviously had some accidents but my question/concern is that he doesn't seem to have any remorse for going inside. I do watch him like a hawk but he still squats and gets a bit out before I can stop him. When I catch him, I grab him the the scruff of the neck near the accident and firmly say "No" and "Bad Dog" then take him outside where he will usually finish and receive a treat and praise for his efforts. Now yesterday I caught him in the act and was walking towards him and he stopped and ran up to me and jumped on me wagging his tail wanting to play. I guess I have two questions about this: 1. He seems to know the going outside is good, but not necessarily that going inside is bad. Is there anyway to renforce this? 2. Ideally I would like him to go to the backdoor and bark or sit there when he needs to go out, any suggestions on teaching him the communication? Thanks again, Walter Hopeless Father of his furbaby.

02-11-2009, 08:21 AM	#2
Britster Action Jackson ♥ Donating Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Maryland Posts: 17,814	I'm not the best person to give potty training advice, but 12 weeks is still extremely young! They probably have no idea what they are doing in the first place. Maybe he thinks you're happy with him going potty in general but doesn't realize you only want him to go outside. You're doing the right thing in catching him in the act and punishing him. You can't punish them really if you don't catch them doing it. But here's my advice... is he ever crated? Or kept in a small space/pen/bathroom? A 12 week old pup can definitely NOT have free roam of the house. Even if you're watching them like a hawk, you will miss little slip ups and then they leave their scent on carpets,etc. that you may never know are even there. Get him on a routine and a schedule. Do the same thing every day. Potty breaks every hour or so. Feed him his food and water at the same time after day and let him go potty ten mins (sometimes quicker) after eating/drinking. Let him outside every morning right away to prevent accidents. Basically, it takes a lottt of patience. And yorkies are known to sometimes take a year to potty train, sometimes more. But I think with patience, consistency and schedule it can happen. Jackson is about 4 months old and still not potty trained. He's getting the hang of it and will sit by the door but the minute I let him out of his room I blocked off for him, he usually will sneak off at some point and go faster than I can blink, lol __________________ ~ Brit & Lights! Camera! Jackson! CGC ETD TKP ~ Follow Jackson on Instagram: https://instagram.com/jacksontheterrier Last edited by Britster; 02-11-2009 at 08:23 AM.

02-11-2009, 08:31 AM	#3
bonovox011 Yorkie Yakker Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Kitchener, Ontario Posts: 56	He definitely is not allowed everywhere in the house. He sleeps in his crate (in our bedroom) at night but then is allowed on the first level which is the kitchen, dinning room and foyer to front door and back door(minus all the rooms) and the basement living room (minus all the rooms). Perhaps I should restrict even that much room? I am trying to feed him on a schedule but sometimes (even in the morning) he doesn't eat very much. If he leaves lots of food left should I take that away from him till next feeding time (lunch)? I am scared that he will not get enough sugars because he is pretty active throughout the day. I think the problem is like you said. He thinks he is doing good by just going potty, I have to get the idea across to him somehow that it is good to go in the backyard and not on mommy's (my girlfriend) favorite area rug. hehe

02-11-2009, 09:07 AM	#5
bonovox011 Yorkie Yakker Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Kitchener, Ontario Posts: 56	It's tougher to restrict the tile area's because of the layout of the house. We can more easily restrict him to just the basement (although it's all carpeted). we do only take him out the back door for potty purposes but to go on our short walks to te mailbox we go out the front door. The "breeder" (if you want to call her that) had him on Ol' Roy and I have quickly started to wein him off that onto Merricks Puppy Plate. He hasn't taken to it as much as I had hoped for so I may have a picky eater as well. I should say also that we have only had him since Sat so I knew there would be these types of issues to deal with, I am sure the change of scenerary is still affecting him some. I just want to make sure that we do the correct things to embed the desired behaviour early.

02-12-2009, 11:45 PM	#6
Tucker08 Yorkie Yakker Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Illinois Posts: 32	I think you are on the right track! I cant remember if you said you had a crate or not? Crate training is defintly the way to go! I have crate trained several puppies and i think it is alot easier. They do love the time they get to spend in the crate as they think of it as thier den.I always make sure as soon as i take Tucker out of his crate that we go directly out side to potty! Alot of the time i will pick him up and carry him out just to make sure he doesnt have a chance to potty in the house.I have only had him for a little over a week and we are doing pretty good,He has had about 3 accidents in the house.When he/she goes potty outside make sure to give alot of praise!And if you cant watch him all the time put him in the crate,I have 2 boys ages 6 and 2 and there is no way i can always have my eye on a pup. Don't feel bad about putting them in the crate,atleast they wont get hurt or into trouble. If Tucker does number 1 and 2 outside when i take him out and will let him have some family time out with us playing but if he starts sniffing and wondering off he goes back outside.Hope this helps!!!!