You guys are giving me some hope here-- Penny's still under two, and with people talking about taking several years for their dogs to "get it", maybe we'll still do it. :) 98% is soooo close to 100%...

I feel like she was at a disadvantage where housebreaking was concerned. She spent the first 5 months of her life-- prime training time for most pups-- with a byb-turned-pet hoarder who just let all her dogs run about the house and urinate or defecate wherever they wanted, and never cleaned it up. It was really a terrible situation, and I'm sure that spending her youth in that mess influenced Pen's opinion of where it is appropriate to do her business.

I just try to keep calm and tell myself that it really isn't her fault, and that there are more important things in the world than a pristine carpet.

I really do admire everyone's determination to beat this thing, and I do realize I have a long way to go. My problem is that I just got Princess a few months ago and she will be three soon. Bad habits establishe, but I know they can be broken and I could have a really good dog. I have no problem getting her to go outside, in fact, she loves it and everytime I put shoes on or grab coat, pick up purse, etc, she does all she can to go bye bye, or just get out. But she never tells me when she has to go. Maybe there are signs I am missing? :confused: So I guess I will need to be more rigid in her schedule. Maybe I will try the bells, I dont know. And I need to actually stand outside with her instead of watching at the door. I do realize this all falls back on me, she is just a dog.

yea, I have to go out with my boy. He will not stay outside without me. He will just come back to the door. But they are so little that I wouldn't allow them out alone. Who knows when a larger animal or a bird would scoop them up. :(

Hiro NEVER tells me when he needs to pee! It drives me insane. When he has to poop, though, he jumps and whines and scratches at the door. *Every time*. I'm not sure how to show him to tell me he needs to go out (just to pee) I tried bells, he ate them. So I just take him out at a regular intervals hoping that he will get it soon...

- out for poo and pee @ 1PM (I make him ASK to go, even though I know he has to go), then not out again until 6PM (when he wakes up from his 'afternoon nap' lol). Sometimes he needs to poo at 9PM, but, again, he tells me if he has to poo. Then at this time, he pees as well. I'll take him out again before supper @11PM - he'll eat (and if he didn't poop at 9PM, he'll poop around this time) After supper he doesn't need to go out again, so I don't take him out again until bedtime - 4AM (he'll poop before bed if he's pooped at 9PM) - unless he's restless. His route rarely deviates... I attribute my knowing WHEN he has to poop to the schedule I keep him on.... but, the poop isn't the issue. lol

I always stand outside with Hiro when he's doing his buisness, because we do not have a fenced in backyard. Not to mention there are a lot of unleashed dogs that run around this neighbourhood.. and it only takes a second for disaster to occur. He's on a rope run.



EDIT: He is a couple weeks from 10 months and is unaltered still, so I hope that once I get him fixed the lightbulb will come on. lol

Uhhh, maybe I will hold off on the bell idea. What goes in, must come out, I bet that had to hurt. Hey, did he jingle when he ran? :p

Heh. I guess he didn't eat them per se. I left them on the door handle over night and in the morning they were unrecognizable as bells and made some sort of ... sick, pathetic jingle.

If I ever try bells again, I will get the big, solid bells. >.>

Our last dog was a Lhasa Poo we had for 10 years. It took us awhile to get her house broken. Crate training was the only thing that worked. She wanted to be with us but we also needed to protect our home/investment. Every time she'd potty on the floor while out of the kennel we would show it to her, tell her no sternly and put her outside. When she came in she went to her kennel. After awhile we let her out to play, eat, et. We always let her have potty breaks when she was out too, she learned to use them. We kenneled her when we worked also. If she went potty in her kennel she got put outside again and a bath when she came in. One day I came home and she was clean and dry. I let her out to potty then in for free time. I guess she didn't like the regular baths as she started staying clean and dry from then on. The house accidents became less frequent as she wanted more free time with the family, especially when we had food.

The Yorkie I have now was a breeder release who lived in a cage the first 4 years of her life. We got her from a no kill shelter the end of June, she turned 4 in May. We had to teach her everything from scratch including housebreaking. We had to find a treat she liked as she'd never had any before, once we did she got one for every time she went potty outside. If she did double duty she got two treats, and that was the only time she got treats. We had her potty trained in a matter of weeks. Alot of the time I did stand out there with her to make sure she went, it wouldn't do any good to assume she went and give her a treat for just going outside. Good luck.

I tried bells with our Bichon and it didn't really work. She'd wait till the last min, run like crazy to ring the bells and by the time we got downstairs she'd gone on the rug. Our split entry home has made it impossible to see or hear them at the door. We have just had to ask every dog we've had "do you need potty?" and if they head for the door we know they gotta go.

Where do you find these grass-scented pads?

I bought them off Amazon, which might not be the best place - the shipping was almost as much as the pads themselves. Try doing a google search on "Nature's Miracle Training Pads". They have the normal unscented as well as the grass-scented. The grass-scented are called "quick-trains" or something like that. It should be in the description.

I haven't tried the pads yet myself, but someone else here recommended them to me.

Katy is training on wee wee pads and remember, at this point, we are the ones that are trained. I put her on the pads every 30 minutes and NEVER leave her unattended. Not many people can devote as much time to this as I am able to. I have treated her just like a new born baby. My problem is if I do leave her to go the store, she has separation anxiety. I did not use a crate, but an exercise pen with her blankets for a nap and her pad at the other end. Do not give up!!!

WHOO HOO! Thor is peeing on command! It's incredibly cool.

The pooping has gone a little haywire now. I think he likes to have a "clean workspace" for #2 and now that there's actually pee on the pad, he wants to poop on the rug. I have been a lot better about catching him in the act for the poop though, so I think that should come back quickly.

I really think I see a light at the end of the tunnel now (knock on wood). I'm putting him on the pad every couple hours and telling him to go.

1/2 of 30 free accident-free days and counting! :)

Ooooh, peeing on command would be cool. I'm settling for peeing outside instead of inside right now though, lol. Congratulations on your 15 days! Tomorrow (hopefully) will be our two-week mark - no poops or pees inside since the 11th of this month! Feels so good, eh? :thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:

Yes, I bet it would. :) Unfortunately for us, we are 1/2 of 1 day accident-free... 29 1/2 to go.

He'll get there!

Go Thor!!! :party::party::party::clapsmile:yorkiesar:good job:

One hour post pee...<sigh>:(

Oh shoot Quicksilver, I must've misread your post. Well still, 1/2 of one day is still a start. :-) I'm sure you'll make it happen, and the peeing on command thing is so awesome!

Lauren & Nikko

Hi
one of our previous dogs did this and we found out it was a urinary infection
if it isn't,
limit water and food...reward every time that he pees outside...ours is only 6 months and it took a while but she now knows that if she goes outside she gets a treat if she goes inside (which she hasn't in weeks) she gets in trouble

good luck

this week marks WEEK 4 of ACCIDENT FREE potty times for Madison!!! she hasn't had an accident in the house since Feb 1st or 2nd!!!
I still am limiting her to how much freedom she has in the house and keeping a close eye. But Maybe just MAYBE we are in the home stretch!

what is that??? could it be Light at the end of my dark tunnel????
I HOPE so! :D

Man, I am so jealous! Congratulations, Madison! I always knew you had it in you! ;)

Good luck everyone!!! Patience, persistence and praise. Be consistent, do not allow freedom to roam, if you are not actively playing with/holding the pup...it must be confined as in a crate or gated area.
Unfortunately, my best advise is too late. That is...when you first bring your puppy home...DO NOT LET ITS PAWS TOUCH YOUR FLOORS UNTIL IT HAS POTTIED IN THE PROPER PLACE, with Winston I took him outside immediately and we waited...he finally went potty...poured on the praise, we let him know this is a good thing and this is what he'll have to do to get the same reaction from us. He was basically trained that very first day, never had an accident. Of course, we used a crate when we were not able to watch him, he seemed to love the safety of his crate. We'd move this crate from room to room, kitchen during the day, living room in the evening and the bedroom at night. After awhile, he was given more and more freedom...and no more crate...he has full run of the house and lets me know when he has to go out, he too will potty on command...I use the phrase "hurry up".

Congratulations! Potty training a pet or a child is alot of displine for everyone and success is sooooo sweet!

It's been 3 days since Chip has had an accident in the house! He pees on his pad first thing in the morning then we take him out as soon as we get home from work and once before bed and he's been great so far now that we've been working more diligently. Smokey actually peed outside for me for the FIRST time. He got LOTS of praise and treats. Hopefully we'll be seeing a light at the end of the tunnel soon too - as long as that light is not a train, I think we're good! :D

That is awesome! Ashley and Smokey, you are on fire. :D

Jackson's going on 6 days of accident-free! Well.. sorta. He had a slip up 4 days ago, ONE slip up and I blame myself. I put him outside in the AM and he went pee but he must not have went poop and I had stopped watching. My little brother opened the door for the dogs and he pooped in the corner. So one little slip up but basically almost 6 days of accident free! Hope I'm not speaking too soon!

Chip's been almost accident free... once was my cousin's fault because he didn't follow my new rules and let them outside after they come out of my room, then one today BUT - I was proud of him for this... he pooped right by the back door. I think he had gone to the door trying to tell me he needed to go, but I was preoccupied. Normally when he poops in the house he poops in the foyer or in the kitchen, which is on the front side of the house. He NEVER goes on the back side of the house.... so I think I messed up.

Figures, knew I shouldn't have posted anything LOL. Pooped in the house today but it was by the door!

How old is your yorkie?? Are you also having potting issues. I know Katy knows what to do. We will go for days and then, like yesterday, was not good. She is so smart i.e. she got a new toy and when my husband got home she ran and got her new toy to show him. So I have a hard time understanding why these little babies are so difficult to train!!!