I'm working on the neutered thing. She's dead set on breeding him because he's the right size and does have some good genes. I clarified with her the other night that she isn't wanting to keep any and I'm holding her to that. She's had too much trouble caring for the one she's got.

Maybe belly bands with the pads in the bathroom would work. I feel sorry for him being cooped up for work, but I really feel sorry for him when he's cooped up for work, a hair appointment, and then dinner with the parents... Again not every day, but stuff does happen...

Ok I have an idea,by the way I am new here too.So welcome to YT.Any way I have two Chis who were Puppy Mill dogs and lived in there crates all there lives.Granted they were filthy cages.I let my Chis out while we are home and awake,but in all honesty half the time I find them getting back in there crate because they feel safe there.Ok they also share a crate a VERY big crate.An extra large one that a German sheppard could fit in nicely.It is so big they have there beds in it and there dog dishes and.....they are liter trained.YEP you heard it liter trained.I have a liter box in the cage in the crate.My Chis are not too small either one is 6lbs. and the other is about 7 1/2 lbs.I will get a picture on here in a second.

Not sure if you know this already, but the belly bands should be used only when someone is home with Ollie. Otherwise, if Ollie is left home alone then I would not recommend putting the belly bands. Also as someone mentioned earlier, you will need to leave a pee pad on the bathroom floor at all time, even when you're home, just in case he needs to go. Last but not the least, you may want to train him on pee pad only first (meaning do not take him outside to go potty at all). Once he gets the hang of it then start taking him out to potty outside. In another thread, I think another YT member mentioned to do this so that the dog won't be confused. ;)

Ok here are the pics of the cage I keep my Chis in.I put Jasper in it because he is the smallest of all my dogs he weighs in at 4lbs. 9 oz. I know a lot of people won't like seeing that my Chis den not only has there beds in it but there food and there place where they go potty but please remember these are rescues from a Puppy Mill and when I got them I tried small crates for them to sleep in and then a small room and none of it worked.We wanted them in a room where there was people in it so they could get use to people and not be put in a room and kept away from people.The small crates were horrible they would go nuts in them like wild animals being caught,plus they would whine and whine.When I spoke to the Vet he said they are use to being together (when they were rescued that is how they found them,together).We tried feeding them in the kitchen but they would rather starve then go in there when I put it in there cage they devoured it.Things are different when you are dealing with Puppy Mill dogs,the worse cases which mine were has to be treated differently.I also keep the cage or what I like to call a den open all day so they can run in and out.At night when it is bed time which is 10pm I tuck them in and lay a sheet over the cage so they don't get disturbed by any light.They seem to sleep better this way.
I don't recomend you by all means to do everything I am doing but the cage might work since he is small and he will have room to play and sleep.Just trying to help,I have to explain all this becuase I read the other thread you posted and everyone attacking you and I know some people might not agree with what I am doing with my Chis.They are very spoiled and well loved this is what I found that makes them happy and they went through so much before coming to me and I promised them they would be nothing but happy with me and I have kept my word.So here ya go these are the pics of where my Chis live.Maybe since you guys are gone for a long period this type of cage will work.

Is that a litter box in there? I think I might like your setup. If that is a litter box, then would he even run to the litterbox if the door were left open?

Mine do,but it took a lot of training them to do it.For instance when they were caught having an accident which I caught them every time because I kept them in only one room where I was when I was first training them.I would hurry up and grab them while they were doing there business and then put them in the liter box.Once there smell was there they just started to do it on there own.Now Onyx my Male even though he uses the box he sometimes hiks his leg.What I do is put a garbage bag across the back where the box is so it hits the bag and doesn't go out onto the floor.I don't have that on there because I just took it off to replace with a new one when I decided to tell you what I do for my babies.I clean the cage out at least twice a day and once a wk. I really clean and disinfect it.I have small kids in my home and I am a VERY big CLEAN freak.My dogs had never been outside a day in there life when they were rescued and even though we do our daily walks they will not go outside for anything .They will hold it when we go out for walks or to the park.When we get home they get in the box and do there business.Oh and I don't use dog liter which you can buy.I find it too messy.I get the cat liter odor elimater with clumping action.Again I don't know how everyone feels about this but I talked to the Vet and he said it won't hurt them.By the way my babies are over 2 yrs. old and I have only had them 8 months and it didn't take long to train them on this.Boy would I go nuts on doing happy dances and smothering them with kisses when they used the box.I am silly like that though:)Good luck! Try it out.

Ok... So maybe the pen set up that the person below you has combined with belly bands while we're home.

That's it right there. That's exactly what I'm gonna do. I can get it big enough to where he can go inside and he can still move around and play a little bit. I'm still going to want him to go outside sometimes though. If we're around its good to get him outside so he can run around and I'd also like him to think its ok to go outside if he's outside. Are they smart enough to understand litter box or outside?

Well if you do my set up with the liter box you won't have to do the belly bands.Myabe at first until he gets use to the liter but once he knows to use it he should just go in and use it.

SURE!!! Dogs are very smart.He will know when he has to go while he is inside he needs to use the box and when you guys go outside he will play and run and use the bathroom outside.Obviously he has already done his business outside so he will just keep on doing it.Mine are just very timid and cars and other people scare them.Good luck!

I went to Wal-Mart to get all my stuff.I paid roughly 70 on the cage.$5 on the liter box,and about $10 on each of the beds.Liter was 10 also.So in all to get it set up for him would be around $95.00.If you went to Wal-Mart to get the stuff a little more because I priced all the cages everywhere else before going there and they were a lot more.

Liter boxes are good, but I wouldn't use actual 'cat liter' - instead put the pee pad inside the box. Alot of us do that. The reason not to use cat liter, is he could play with it, eat it, or bc it is so small, I have heard that little pieces of cat liter can get lodged in their privates and cause infection.

They make dog liter but I have heard the same thing, they eat it or play with it all over the place.

So placing the pads inside the box is much better. Purina also makes a special dog liter box.

As far as breeding. Your girlfriend needs to do alot of research first. Our country is inundated with back yard breeders. Ollie may be cute, but that doesn't mean he is breed worthy. Reputable breeders already have their own stud dogs, and even if you find a reputable breeder in need of a stud dog, they are gonna want back up genetic testing, want to know a complete lineage, and also tested for STDs (yup - dogs can have sexually transmitted diseases) Both males and females should be tested before any breeding takes place. So all that pre stuff is going to cost a small fortune, unless she goes the back yard breeder route :(

Did you know the most common genetic defects in Yorkies range from Liver Shunt to Luxating Patella and they seem to be showing up more and more. The cost to have surgery to repair is on average $4000 ~ Imagine buying a pup and getting hit with that :eek:

Tell her to put $100 every month in a box. In 9 months she will have the $900 and in the meantime she can have Ollie neutered, trained and into the happy 'pet' he truly wants to be. She will also have complete peace of mind that Ollie is her baby, and that she didn't add to mix that is already out there.

I tried the puppy pads at first because when I got them from the Shelter that is what they were using but they would shred them.My dogs don't eat there poop and I have never seen them eat the liter.I went to Pet Smart and seen the dog liter box and it was way too big for the cage.As for the liter for dogs I heard so much negative about it I asked the Vet about using the cat kind and he told me to get the odor free clumping kind.As for it getting into there private area.I keep my babies very clean and my Chis get baths quite a bit.Probably every other day they get baths.Plus I groom them daily.
Now for our Yorkie we don't do as many baths but we groom him like crazy.We have to clean his private area all the time because his poo gets stuck in his hair sometimes so we butt bathe him:)

I know you can't throw money at problems, but I don't care how much it costs. My girlfriend sounds skeptical, but she's trusting me on it. I've emailed her this thread. I can't wait to get at it. I probably won't have the belly bands for a while, but at least they're enroute.

I would seriously not consider using any sort of litter...cat or dog...as mentioned above by TLC. I highly recommend pee pads over litter and you can purchase a tray holder at a Petsmart (see link below) or Petco store to prevent Ollie from shredding it. Furthermoe, I think the pee pads are much more sanitary and easier to clean-up.

Premium Pad Training Tray - New Puppy Center - Dog - PetSmart

Another option to the pee pad tray holder is getting the Ugodog. This is a really great product b/c you can use either pee pads or newspaper under the tray. The grate on top of the tray will always keep your lil furry friend's feet dry since it will prevents them from stepping into their wet pee spot. The only thing is that you'll need wash the grate on the tray every 3-4 days.

Dog Litter Box | UGODOG® | Indoor Dog Litter Box - MOST POPULAR


As for the belly bands, you can purchase some from one of the YT members '2Parises'. They are very well made and for a reasonable price too. ;)

Last but not the least, I hope you can convince your girlfriend about NOT using Ollie for breeding. I would seriously leave the breeding to the experienced breeders. Just the other day when DH and I were having dinner at this Japanese hibachi place, we sat next to a really nice couple and apparently they also had a yorkie, but it got hit by a car and died when it ran out of the house. The first question I asked was whether the dog was neutered and they said 'no'. So keep in mind if you keep Ollie as an intact male, you run the risk of him getting injured or lost, b/c if he does smell a female in heat, he will run towards the scent.

I have this too that I use for the Spring/Summer/Fall months, as the fake grass needs to be hosed down 1 or 2 times per week and in the winter I can't do that here in NY

DoggiePotty Indoor dog bathroom. Doggie potty a training solution.

In the winter, I have a large piece of lanolium (on top of the hard wood floors) with the liter boxes and pee pads down.

If a litter box is what you are inclined to use, that is good. But before you go with that plan, consider this, sifting it out each time he goes, cleaning the litter up several times a day---having to crawl in and do all of this because the box looks like it is in the back of the crate. To me, pads seem to be a whole lot easier. Having had 2 cats and 3 litter boxes I know what I am talking about. And if Ollie has med/long hair, the litter will be tracked and stuck on him. Cats groom themselves so the sanitary issue isn't there. Dogs need us to keep them clean and unless you are going to keep up with washing his hair (not necessarily giving a bath) then he will have poo and pee all over him.

It all depends on how much effort and what effort is put in, as you already know. It it were up to me, I wouldn't consider litter for the reason I stated above-in addition to health reasons as TLC stated. But you know better than anyone what would work best in your situation. You mentioned that the cat did it's business all over the apt, cats generally go out of their box if their box is dirty. Just some things to consider.

Dang it... I hadn't thought about that. I'm worried about that now... I'd better keep him on the leash. He's normally fairly good about listening to me when I walk him and I like giving him the freedom to mark EVERYTHING. I definitely want him going back up to the apartment on empty because of his reputation... It also gives him a special chance to run which I figured was good for him. Sounds like I really need to get him back to the leash.

My girlfriend claimed that she kept it clean. My girlfriend would be mostly responsible for cleaning it as it is her dog and I'm gone a bunch. I'd definitely would have to get on her about keeping it clean. It seems like the pad in a tray idea might be better.

Ollie has what I would call medium hair. It isn't down to the floor, but NOT cut short at all. How often would she need to clean the tray, because it sounds like there would have to be a time rule on that.

Pee pads have to be changed daily if not 2x a day.

Being that Ollie is so small, I hope you are using a harness leash. The choker type of leash could cause his trachea to collapse.

Sorry, I know this is probably info overload. When I joined this forum I was like holy cow, I didn't realize how much I didn't know about the yorkie breed or dogs in general. Previously in my family, we owned a siberian husky and we never read any books on training or even searched the web for info. Luckily he lived a very healthy life until he was 14 yrs old at which he had cancer and we had to put him to sleep (RIP Puppy, yep that's his name).

Yep, it's about 2x a day. I change the pad once they peed on it 3x. Usually if I don't change it after they peed 3x, they will pee off the pad.

For sure daily. If you will be gone quite a bit of hours, then you can also get the larger pads. Since we got the 2nd dog I've switched over to them. They seem to hold more better and last longer. By the time each used the smaller pads it was time to change it. Here is a link to where I've gotten mine.

Oversized Puppy Training Pads.

If I didn't link it correctly, go to JBwholesale.com and you can search the pads. I buy the 44 pack and found that this is the best site for this quantity.

They are scented to attract dogs to use them. Maggie was probaby 4 1/2 mos old when I got these and she went right to it. She was trained on a washable pad. I keep mine trained with these pads as we boat a lot and stay out on the hook quite a bit so we needed options.

I also don't have to use the tray (fortunately) as I didn't have one this size at the time and they've yet to have a problem with it-again, you need to make sure that it is changed when necessary. You can pick the poo off and still use the pad but I wouldn't keep doing that over and over. And of course remember that dogs sense of smell is much keener than ours so just be kind to Ollie when he he is kept with his pad for a long period of time. I always change it when they go to bed as I wouldn't want to smell that all night! lol. Good luck with whichever you choose to use. It can only get better.

No.. Harness is what we use and it works great. I don't believe in that choker thing either. I don't care if he's always pulling on it - that's why its on. I'd care more if he was a big dog, because that would wear me out.

Thank you! I wouldn't have thought about that. I'll tell my girlfriend that if we use that then there is a point where HE doesn't use it because its too disgusting. She needs to have a better sense of cleanliness than the dog.

Sorry.. catching up a little late on this thread, but you MUST give treats when the pup goes to the bathroom.. :) I think that is essential..

And i also just wanted to say that Beggin Strips arent the best treats out there, although they are the cheapest.. I agree with a previous post. Beggin strips contain a lot of fillers. I would try something healthier like Nutrimax.

:usastar::usaheart::smileyfla:smileyfla:usastar::: Hey There, Thank you for serving our country and thankyou for changing you methods of training..Good Job. My father is retired Marine 27 yrs 2 terms in NAM and Korean war. My daughter a medical student in Bethesda 2nd Leutenant Air Force. Now drop down and give me 100 pushups...SMILE...

In the last thread, I was pretty worked up and I am not usually that way but its hard for a Yorkie lover to see the wrong type of training thrown in but I should stop with that and I think I should apologize if words flew out too fast from my mouth in the last thread and after all emotions put aside, I do see your doing a good job helping your girlfriend and training him for a better quality of life. Better quality smaller treats will work better as you can give them more and these little ones, they are more willing to do things for you if you have the treats that serves as a motivation. They are in a way, very much like kids.

I agree that they're like kids. I'm gonna get my girlfriend a different type of treats that she can use once he's done with the Beggin' Strips.

Your definately on the right track! Be sure to always be consistent. Once you began the potty training routine, always stick to the same one. Reward for good behavior, this will reinforce positive potty behaviors. ignore potty accidents, and do not use negative punishment or discipline. Yorkie's are very smart, and he will soon learn what he's suppoet to do all the time!
Best of luck to you and you G/F " :) And Thank you for serving our country . :D