Another thing to bear in mindd is that almost all experts have told me to either pad-train or out-door train, and never try to mix the two.

OK.....well I am definatly sticking to only pad training for now...that is one mistake I was making...trying to do too much at once...but if the change in food has caused the week of pooping all day long....do I switch back...or do I let her body adjust to the new one? Poor Deb is such a gunea pig to my family...we are learning all of this as we go :)

Hi there,
My Yorkie is kenneled while my husband and I are away at work. We have the same problem with him pooping in the kennel while we are away. We used a kennel divider to make the area smaller; however, he still poops. We asked a friend of ours that is a dog trainer what are we doing wrong and she said that small dogs unfortunately can only hold their "business" for as many hours as months they are old. I am not sure how true that is given that several people have been successful in getting their little ones to not go in the kennel. I am right there with you on this problem. My husband and I just try and stay consistant with the training and hope that it will eventually pay off the older our little one gets. Good Luck

WHat do you use to divide your kennel? I bought a smaller one, but a friend says it is still too big for her! I want to get this right :)!!!

Just because some dogs with their many different diets, sizes, anatomies, and variations can hold it, doesn't necessarily means that yours can. Regulate potty time on a schedule to make sure that your pup is empty when they go in. Only give them a little food in the crate. Nothing too poop = no poop.

How does your dog feel about the crate? Do they whine? These might be messages from your dog. When I tried using a gate to leave chewy in the kitchen he left sloppy brown "messages" everywhere!

She only whines for a minute when she first gets in the crate...then she is quiet and doesnt seem to mind it. My problem is...I cant get her to go outside....no matter how long I stay out there....she wont go.....so when I put her in the crate...she is never empty!! Any suggestions???

When I need Loki to go and don't have time to wait for him to sniff every stick in the yard we go for a walk. I know it sounds a little backwards, since you're in a hurry, but really within the first block he has to stop to poop. We walk around the block (maybe 1/2 mile total? about 10 mins) and he poops by our turn around point every single time. If he doesnt, then I know for sure he doesn't have to go. They just can't hold it to walk. It will be frustrating at first! Their bodies need to get big enough to function "normally" Puppies will poop 3-4 times a day sometimes! We went through this with Loki and thought it would never end but he is 10 months old today and he is awesome now. He is on a regular schedule:
At 6:30 we wake up and he goes out to pee
7:00 back out to poop
8-4 various bathroom breaks - my husband is with him i'm not sure what they do!
5:00 walk, poop
6:00 dinner

This took until he was about 6-7 months to get to. Switching foods is HARD on some dogs. Loki gets his food and 2 approved treats. ANYTHING different messes with him. You can't expect them to hold it if they don't feel good! Also, they don't know they have to go until the last minute. That comes with time too!

Also, the crate has to be tiny. We used an 18" crate with a divider panel until Loki was 5-6 months old. The he got the full 18" crate until he was 8 months when we got him a 24" crate. His old 18" is his time out crate - he barely fits in it! As long as they can lay down and turn around they have enough room. You want to make sure if they go, they have to sit/lay in it. Sounds cruel but Loki was never alone for more than an hour or two when he was that young and we were always ready to give him a bath if needed. Last month he was sick and had an accident in his big crate and he stood on his tip toes as FAR away as he possibly could and cried at the top of his lungs. He didn't want to be anywhere near it. Once their bodies are ready, it works. I promise.

Oh, and some dogs poop and then eat, and others eat and then need to go poop. Loki won't touch his food until after he's "empty". They are all different and in time you will learn what your dog prefers.

Sorry for the long post, but we went through this same thing. It DOES get better.

Sorry I should have read more carefully about the pad training. If you are having problems like this I would recommend you take her outside to go. I personally don't like the pads, and this is just my opinion, but I have heard too many stories of dogs who mistake the carpet for the pad, or pee/poop CLOSE to the pad. From when Loki decides to poop to him actually doing it he has probably waddled 10 feet from this original location. He would NEVER poop on a pad. Pee? Maybe, probably not. Then you get the dog who will pee on the pad but poop only outside, and that just confuses them. With Loki the rule is you POTTY OUTSIDE. Not in the house. Dogs who learn it's ok to pee in the house don't ALWAYS pee on the pad. They might pee on a newspaper you left on the floor, or the carpet, or a rug. If you must use pads, put them in the garage so the dog still learns that it's NOT in the house. I'm in Chicago and there was still snow on the ground in March when we got Loki and it was no big deal. I just bought him a sweatshirt for this winter. I'll take freezing my butt off standing on my porch holding his leash over him peeing on the carpet by mistake any day. My point is that they should see the crate as their "home" and don't want to get their home dirty. Then slowly they will start to expand that thinking to the whole house. If you put the pad near their crate they might not ever get that concept. (So it's OK to pee on the floor HERE, but not over THERE? To them it's just the floor and they don't know why they are getting in trouble.) And you have to make a HUGE deal WHILE they are going - not after. As soon as she starts to go outside act crazy, give her a treat, jump up and down, play with her, etc. but 20 seconds later she will forget why she was good. That's why repetition is important. Good luck!!

The kennel we have for Capone actualy came with a divider so we could adjust it as he grew. We never used poopie pads when house training him because we were told that this just encourages him to go to the bathroom in the house. We were able to completely house train him by 4 months, except for the kennel of course. He knows he needs to go outside in a desginated area to do "business" and even signals to lets us know when he has to go by running from the patio door to the front door and back. He also will wait by the patio door and look at us or scratch the door to let us know he needs out. We haven't figured out why he still goes in his kennel though. We think he may be acting out and being stubborn. He hates to be where my husand and I aren't.

I took the day off of work today so that I could spend the whole day working with Deb. I took her out about every 15-20 minutes....she did finally pee outside but has not yet pooped. I put her in her kennel several times today so that I could take her directly outside when she got out. She still pooped in her kennel twice today. I am hoping that the pooping will eventually come like the peeing has SLOWLY started to. I will spend all weekend working with her. She is such a smart baby..I know she is going to get it eventually!!! Or at least I hope so!!

I read that Yorkies are one of the top 5 most difficult to housebreak. I really think your little girl will catch on as long as you work with her constantly on it, stay determined and patient. I agree, I think Yorkies are alot wiser than people believe. With us, it just seemed like one day it clicked and everthing came together for Capone. Don't hesitate to seek a professional's advise either. You may learn something new that will work for you. Enjoy your time off with your little girl. Good Luck!

I am happy to report that Deb made it all night in her crate without any pee accidents. She did poop in it, but I keep thinking that will come in time. She has now peed outside several times which has been very encouraging! I made a fool of myself telling her what a good girl she was.....my neighbors think I am nuts :) Thank you so much for everyone's wonderful words of encouragement and helpful hints. Please keep them coming :)

I know Jewel used to poop in her crate when she was a puppy & then ROLL in it when I got home! She'd get so excited, she'd roll all over that crate & I would have to chg shirts & wash a puppy! ARG!

I CAN tell you that she eventually stopped that & does fine on her own now. Your baby is still young & I think she'll figure things out. Especially if she's getting LOTS of praise when she actually does her business outside other times of the day...

JM

THANK YOU...It is so nice to hear words of encouragement!!! THERE IS HOPE :)

I use to come home as well and find Capone with a little something extra on him when he was younger. Now he buries it is his blanket. It makes for easier clean up, nothing that a small load of laundry can't fix. I am hoping that is a sign that he is realizing he really doesn't want poop in the kennel with him and will eventually hold it until we get home. We tried not having the blanket in the kennel, once, and he didn't poop. I just feel so bad not having a blanket in the kennel while we are away at work.