DH (and I) can not take much more of this potty business!!
 

We have praised, we have scoulded, we crate her, we used pads, we use word association............she will stand outside the door and bark to be let in and do her business 2 feet from the door b/c she couldn't hold it long enough to run to her favorite hiding spots!!!!!!! She will stay in the bathroom while I'm at work and do nothing....but give her chance when no one is looking and WHAM-O! Our carpet is less than 2 years old and is a mess! I have children, there are health issues here. She PREFERS the house people!!! We have informed the kids, if she can't be broken soon she will have to go. I really wanted a Yorkie, knew they were hard to break---but this goes beyond anything I could have imagined. I can't even truly "bond" with her b/c it is so frustrating. If you walk to the back of the house, and there's poo, she puts her head down. So you can't tell me she doesn't realize she's doing wrong....but she doesn't care enough to not risk it. HELP!! She is 6 months old and very healthy. What can I do that truly works and QUICK!!!! :confused::aimeeyork:(:aimeeyork:eek::aimeeyork:cr y::aimeeyork:unlove::aimeeyork:shocked7q

How does she do if you or the kids are outside with her? I know that they hate being left out from the people they love and they might miss something :D Is she the only dog you have? I know with my puppies when one figures out the potty pads and gets the positive attention WOW the other ones figure it out real fast.At 6 months she is young yet so IMO I would not scold her (I know this can be hard) At this age she needs to be in a area with out carpet unless you are right next to her.I have gone as far as using a pad in an area where I knew they liked and then started moving it closer and closer to the area I LIKED. I am in Iowa so are winters are very cold so for me and Yorkies it works to train them for both pads and outside.I guess you could try a diaper on her in the LR it will make you feel better that if she does have an accident it will not be on your floor. And as long as it is taken off often and she is clean. It just might take time and ton's of relaxation tapes.Alway's try and catch her doing good and praise~ praise ~ praise they love the happy voice ~ It's so easy to catch them doing things we dont like( just like kids I guess~ Jeez I wish I would have practiced this 30 years ago while raising my children.As far as crate training I am way to much of a softy~ But I do know that when crating they need to be in a crate they can see out of (not like a carrier) IMO in an open crate they are much more calm. Heck I would hate to be in a dark area away from the people I love.I wish you all the luck with your baby girl and it does take time with some yorkies and hopefully there will be better advice than mine coming your way so you can both be happy.

She knows she's upsetting you, not that she's "doing wrong" Nothing will work "quick" as she is 6 months old. She may not be fully trained until she is 8-12 months old, especially since she has so many bad habits already.

Why are you using pads if you want her to go outside? It doesn't really work both ways. If you want her to go on pads, you have to teach her to use the pads and not just the floor and she will learn it's OK to go in the house. If you want to teach her it's only OK to go outside then don't try to use pads. You can't let her out of a pen/room she's been in all day and obviously not gone - first you need to take her RIGHT outside, carry her out, and walk her until she goes. You have to go outside WITH her and give her a treat for going potty (choose a word, like hurry up, to teach her to do it on a cue)

Try bell training her so that she can ask to go out. She has no idea where the proper place to go is, and she is probably afraid of going in front of you which is why she has hiding spots. If you are crating her when not watching her, then why is she going on the carpet? (Crate training means a period of time in the crate 30-60 minutes or when you can't watch her, like when you are cooking dinner... then a potty break and when she goes she gets freedom, if she doesn't go she goes BACK in the crate. The whole point is to prevent accidents) If she goes right in front of you when you are watching her, then whisk her outside immediately. Try keeping her on a leash you tie to your belt to make it easier to catch her.

Do you feed her on a schedule? If so, she should poop on a schedule. Walking will almost always result in a BM if she has just eaten.

She's only 6 months old. She's only just started to get a signal from her body before she needs to go. Before 4-5 months old they are like infants, they do not know when they need to go ahead of time and it's up to you to make sure she is in the right place at the right time and there will be accidents. Now that she is a little older she should start improving with your guidance. I would suggest you spend $80 on a steam cleaner, we have a Bissell Quicksteamer, and clean up right away with Simple Solution carpet cleaner and follow up with the steam cleaner. If you get the smell out of the carpet she will be less likely to go. Cut off her access to her "favorite" spots - close the door, put a dog bed there, etc. Make sure the kids understand she needs to go out on a schedule, every 1-2 hours, and she needs to be supervised to make sure she does not come back in until empty. Give her a treat immediately when she goes, while still outside. Simply letting her out in the backyard will not train her, you have to go outside with her. Draw up a poster board and make the kids sign off on her schedule every hour. If she doesn't have accidents, set it for 1.5 hours, then 2 hours...

I know it's frustrating, but it's not fair to give up on a 6 month old because "Yorkies are hard to housetrain" I have two that are trained. You have to work with them and teach them and make small exceptions for their small bladders, like making sure they go out more often than a big dog, but it's possible and you adjust to the routine. If the kids are old enough to help out, even better!

Good luck!

As others have said, it does take a while. She may even be really good and then bam she will regress.

At 6 months old, she should NOT have have free run of the house. You need to get baby gates and expens to contain her area. She should always be in the same room as you to watch her and watch her signs of needing to do potty.

If you are training her to go outside, then you need to take her out every 1/2 hour. You need to praise her when she goes and give a yummy treat reward for good potty behavior. I use Peanut Butter Chips from the baking isle. They are small and effective and are ONLY used for good potty.

Inside, my dogs are pee pad training. I have throw rugs that YES have been peed and pooped on. So I bought the dog litter boxes and put the pee pads inside, so there was a difference between rugs and pee pads, the had to *step into* the box to pee and poop.

I have a boy, and he began to pee on the side of the box, so I now have the www.doggiepotty.com ~ It is fake dog turf, and you put the pee pad under the grass. This may be good for you, as you are also training her to go outside on grass.

The key to potty training is keeping to the same route, not allowing free run of the house (mine didn't get free run until they were 1.5 yrs), praise and a yummy potty treat, ignore bad potty - just clean it up.

It will happen, but you also have to stick to it and put your own efforts into it.

Lots of good advice has been given, so I'll just add a bit.

Sounds like she's developed some bad habits and like you've tried a lot of different things.

But the key to potty training is consistency over time. Read the good advice given here, check out the numerous threads on this subject, then choose a method and stick to it.

There is no quick fix.

Good luck!

Do you have friends/family who have housetrained dogs who could bring them over for a play date & stay long enough for the visiting dogs to pee/poop in the back yard? Dogs can learn well from other dogs. I'd leave any poop remains for a couple days & make sure she smells it a few times to help make the connection in her little brain.

Do you have a daycare nearby that would take her for a whole or half day for a few days? Roxy was having a hard time 'getting it' until I took her to daycare. She didn't even go outside the first day there. The second day she did. After that she started going outside to do her duty almost every time. In case we messed up during chilly days & didn't have the door open, her pee pad is still in place by the door & she uses it. She has not appeared to be confused with the pee pad option & outdoors. Praise & treats!

Also, we put a small doggie door in the slider screen door. It didn't take but 2-3 days to train her to use it. Now she thinks she's a real hot shot using her own door. She will even wait until I close the door after going out so she can go out her own door. She rarely uses the pee pad anymore.

Please do not give up on your yorkie because of house training. You will be missing out on 15 years of joy because of nine months of let's be honest here, tiny potties.

Potty training CAN be maddening, it's understandable that you are frustrated. Please keep your dog's perspective in mind, though. Clearly she does not understand everything that's going on, otherwise there is no way she would risk losing her family over her bathroom habits.

Dogs can prefer to go inside for the same reasons we do: it's more comfortable, and you have privacy. ALSO, dogs can absolutely understand that potties on the floor get the humans upset, but NOT connect that with their own bathroom functions. It's extremely common.

You've already gotten a lot of good advice here. Make sure you clean up accidents with an enzyme cleaner and restrict her access to her favorite potty areas. You can also put her food there, that will make her more reluctant to toilet there.

Finally, and I know this is hard, remember that every accident in the house is actually your fault, because it means you either need to restrict her movement more, or watch her more closely.

I have been potty training an adult yorkie for several months now, and I had no idea how hard it would be. I had a couple weeks where I got almost nothing done because I was watching him so closely. BUT after that, it clicked. He's had one accident in the past two months.

It also helps to have a delicious treat that she ONLY gets for good potties. When she goes in the right place, praise her lavishly and break out her special treat.

Agree on all of the above posts, no further advice from me.

I'd advise, after every meal, to take her out on a leash & stand there with her for 10 minutes, if she potties, give her a treat. If she does not potty take her in the house put her in her crate for 15 minutes then back out with the leash. If you are putting her out there by her self, she doesn't know what you want her to do.

Potty Training
 

I have a year old male who still has to go out often, at least during the day. He is both inside and outside trained, but he prefers to go outside because he loves to sniff around. I have never reprimanded him when he makes a mistake, only praised him when he has done good. I know when he makes a mistake, in my eyes, not his, that it is my fault for not paying more attention to what he is trying to tell me. He will usually scratch on the door when he has to go out, but if I don't take him out right away, he will go and use his papers.

hi there. please dont give up on her, at this young age she is still learning i had the same problem with my king charles but at around 8/10 months she learned pretty quick! as soon as she goes in the house take her outdoors! and say the keyword , wotever word you use when you want her to go potty, i use pee pee and molly almost goes on que! repeat!repeat!repeat!and she will get it! and praise ALOT! when she goes outdoors. i know alot of people dont agree with pads and outdoors but when i work through the day molly uses the pads, because i taught her when i brought her home that if she needs to go indoors this is the pace to go! (by putting her on the pad and saying pee pee! as if letting her know this is where i want you to go! i find both work for me. and i take her outdoors at the same time everyday! and use the keyword.and alot of praise! i feed her at the same time everyday too so i know before she does when she is going to go! give or take 20 mins after a meal. be persistant with this and it should turn things around for you. after a long walk or alot of exersise usually comes a poo.. or around 20 mins after feeding time. another thing. if u are going to use the pee pads and outside be sure to put her on the pee pad indoors after any accident! if u shout whilste peeing. this can cause her to go hide and do her buisness! goodluck! :thumbup:

Its a long long hard road ;), my puppy is 6 months and pretty much potty trained.... but I am home all day with no other children so its just been the two of us till my youngest gets home from school , but I still get up at 2 am to do outside potty and I take her outside WITH ME every hour or two , praise and treat and say HURRY UP.. now I can just make her pretty much go on command If i say hurry up she pees or poops... it really really is alot of HARD consistant work. If she has an accident it is usally my fault because I didnt see the signs of her wanting to go out.. Hang in there she will get it one of these days.. try boiled chicken it does work !!

PS you can send her to me ;);)

I agree with the others! I hope you don't give up on her too soon. I know when I have a litter of puppies and mine when they were little. I would go outside with them and just walk around the yard. The little ones will always follow and if you walk or stand outside with her she will eventually go. Good luck!

Don't give up on her!! My Baron is 18 M.o. and I've had him for 1 year. He is about 90% Housebroken. He's still not allowed free run of the house. When he makes a mistake I just clean it up. When he goes outside or on the puppy pad I praise him. He goes for days doing good and then messes up. Then we start over. They're hard to train, But, I would not ever give up on him. He'll get it sooner or later...:)

Sounds like my Golden Retreiver
 

Just to encourage you....I had a female Golden who is passed away now, but, she was so smart and was easy to train in everything, except housebreaking. I finally broke down and called a dog training school. They told me she was smarter than me and of course she'd rather go in the house. They told me to keep a leash on her and keep her by me all day long, never letting her off the leash and to take her outside when she gave any signs she needed to go potty. I did that for WEEKS until she figured out I was not going to let her sneak off and find a place in the house. It finally worked. It was frustrating having her on the leash but it did finally convince her she was not going to win.
They are worth the effort and the rewards are beyond description. As my husband puts it "they enrich our lives".

Good luck!

Dont give up...but if you do...
 

Please dont give up so soon...I think yorkies are comparable to children when it comes to potty training. It can take from about 10 months -18 months(even 2 yrs.) and you wouldnt expect your baby to be potty trained at 6 months would you? How old are your kids? Maybe they could help out? And can your hubby help out too? It is a family responsibility so I hope the whole load isnt on your shoulders. there has already been a load od good advice given here so I cant really add to it but if you think it thru and decide it's still too much for you just send her on over here to my house...Sassy would LOVE to have a little sis to play with! LOL! Good luck and God bless you dear!;)

are you sure that is right, i am having the same issues with my 12 month puppy and he immediatly goes into that cowering "I did something wrong pose" before i even discover that he did something wrong.

Please don't give up just yet! You will find a lot of heartfelt, positive advice on here, so just keep the faith. My Lucy is crate trained and every morning, the FIRST thing I do, before ANYTHING else, is I take her outside. When she was younger, I had to literally pick her up and walk to the door, out to the lawn and start with the "go potty" command. Now, I have heard that saying nothing until they start to actually go versus saying it consistently until they do go and then giving an absolute enormous amount of praise. Personally I liked the constant saying it, in a firmer voice, not a high silly one, since I felt she would rather have me talk to her than just silence. I also felt that it kept her on task a little better. Probably no difference, but I made me feel a little more successful.

You might feel silly out there, and I have had neighbors that actually got a kick out of my praising her, but the happier you sound and the more enthusiastic you are, she will want that kind of attention and will begin to understand and connect the two. I'll take looking silly and having people look over at me, rather than being upset and frustrated in the privacy of my own house anytime! And i loved the idea of the Peanut Butter baking chips idea! I'm going to start doing that also!!

It is a hard road, and it is NOT easy. But these little babies are so worth
it. After Lucy ate, I tried the 30 minutes, then 20 minutes and then I figured out that her potty time was about 15 minutes after that. Sometimes on the way to the door she'd start sniffing and wham! there she went. Again, you might have to carry her to the door. I have heard that they cannot pee/excrete as soon as they are lifted up. So if you "catch" her just before or even as she has just begun, pick her up immediately and high tail it out the door! And remember that once outside you say the "go potty" or whatever you choose to say and not scold her for spotting on the floor.

If she did make a mistake, it was hard to just go and clean it up, out of their site, and not scold them. Cleaning it up out of their site also does not give them the idea that they have left you a present and that you are accepting their gift and keeping it. Sounds stupid, but dang, I really believe that is the trick!!

It is difficult to realize that their mistakes are actually because of our inattentiveness, cluelessness, or just (sorry) laziness. At first, I was kind of the laziness problem. I figured she should know better. Well tough cookies for me, she didn't know better. They actually have to be taught with patience and positive enforcement.

My husband thinks the old way; "they know when they are doing/have done bad by pottying inside and should be scolded". It took me a lot to change his way and I literally would have her leased to my pants/leg and she went EVERYWHERE I was going inside the house. I watched her constantly taking her out no less than EVERY 30 minutes. It's alot of HARD work, but it can be done. Now, she has free time to roam around the house some, but she is still watched and when she disappears, I find her immediately and out we go. Because I bet she needs to go and is trying to find somewhere to go!

I have had to stand out in the rain with them (Lucy and my other dog Max) and walk around with them, yes ALL of us getting soaked, until they go. If they don't, crate them and do it again in @ 15 minutes until they finally go outside. You will tire and get more frustrated with being wet and cold and tired than they will at first, but just do it!!! They will get the clue that that "hey, I better go because these crazy people keep taking pout here and getting me wet. If I go, I can then get dry and warm again!!"

Sorry this post is so long and I hope you are not upset by anything I had said or suggested. Good luck and keep reaching out for help.

I have a six year spayed female. I got her just a month ago, as a rehome. The lady who had her let her pee inside (all tile floors) and just mopped the floor when she got home from work. She told me the dog was pee pad trained, that's joke! So, for me it is like potty training a puppy all over again, only harder as she has been allowed to pee at will wherever. My house is carpet not tile. I let her have a little free time in the room I'm in right after she pees outside, but if I can't watch her every move, she is in a confined space with her bed and a potty pad. She has two choices, pee in her own bed, pee on the pad or wait for me to take her outside. This has resulted in her learning to hold it for 2-3 hours at a time. Before she would pee every hour or less on my carpet, thank goodness for a good steam cleaner! I know it will be a year or more before she is totally housetrained like my other two. They use the doggy doors and never have any accidents. Please don't get rid of your furbaby, she's young and will eventually get it. When I take her outside in the morning, I pick her up from her confined space & carry her to the doggy door and give her a nudge to go through and outside, I then go out and wait till she goes. Praise her when she goes outside bigtime! Soon she will associate that praise with pottying outside and want to receive that praise more, resulting in a trained dog. I still keep "potty treats"in a container outside for my other two even though they are trained just to reinforce good behavior. If I happen to be outside when they go I give them one, but mostly they go out alone and potty. It's alot of hard work, we all know what you're going through. Just remember all hard work is rewarded!
Good luck!

Wow your comment is so funny, i actually went out and bought a steam cleaner the other day just for that reason, it was such an improvement. And I have been training my yorkie the same way you have, Lestat spends time with my husband and I after he goes out and as long as we can keep him supervised, he sleeps in his crate the entire night (thankfully this is one area i have never had issues with) and he holds it for the whole night. i am having a problem with him right now with excessive urinating but i think it may be a UTI.

I am right there with you! Our Muffin is about the same age. Sometimes she does so well - and she knows when she does well because she actually comes and stares at me until I say "show me" and she takes me back to her "room" and shows me! I think that is why it is so frustrating. When she does well we are over the top with praises and a special treat.

And she is so STUBBORN. I will put her in her confined area with her potty tray when I know she has to go, and she will hold it - forever, it seems - until I let her out and then she will go immediately on the floor! It is so difficult to make her stay in there for so long but that is what I have to do, I guess.

Good thing I love that little challenge!!

LuvBnaMom, I see you haven't been back. I hope all is going well and that we were able to give you some advice that helped. Please let us know, even if things aren't working out.

Please don't loose faith in your dog. I'm sure your baby doesn't do it on purpose. Dogs LOVE attention, whether it's positive or negative. So scolding her is still giving her attention.

When we got Lulu at 13 weeks she was pad trained. We had her enclosed area in the living room, with her pad there. In the first few days she went only on her pad, but then started marking different areas of the carpet. She especially loved to poop under the coffee table, when no one was watching her. We ended up removing all the furniture under where she could hide and potty, but that didn't help because she would still go on the carpet 50% of the time.

So my husband had a brilliant idea. :thumbup: We made a little alcove around her pad with the doggy fence we fenced off the living room with. After each time she ate, played, or slept we'd put her on her pad saying "go potty," and if she wouldn't go we enclosed her on her pad and didn't pay attention to her till she went. Lulu re-learned her potty skills in one day + the command "go potty". She didn't enjoy sitting on the pad as much as walking around on the carpet and being with us, so she forced a potty sometimes but at least I was sure she won't go on the carpet.
We continued to supervise her and putting her on the pad for about a week, and then she really got it.

We still have accidents and she is under supervision, of course. She is only 5.5 months. And it is frustrating. She'd go a couple of days without accidents, and then I'll find her poop in the hallway :eek: But i know she's trying and that she is still a baby. And if I tr to "translate" the situation into human terms, at 5.5 months, I was far from using the toilet as a baby.....

Yes, please, come back and let us know how it's going, if it's worse, better, or neither. Those of us with stubborn potty-ers really do know where you are coming from, unfortunately. :rolleyes:

That is a really good idea, my babies favorite spot to eliminate in the house is the laundry room where i also happen to keep the Cat's litter box, so i'm thinking of installing pee pads in there and useing a baby fence if i need to keep him in there.

All our other dogs were potty trained effortlessly. My Yorkie was exactly like yours. I did not think she would EVER learn!!! She did not comptely potty train until a year old. What helped me the most was giving her TONS of happy excited praise any and every time she went potty where she was supposed to and then she receieved a "special" treat that was only given for going potty. We also EVERY time she went outside told her "Go Potty" and then when she did in our very excited happy voices told her "Good Potty Good Girl" over and over while petting her and giving her special treat. She is now completely trained and goes out side and goes potty when told without the treat. She is worth 1000 times EVERY frustrating second I spent potty training her. Try not to lose hope, your baby will learn.;)

Thanks for the loving, good advice!
 

I have been able to read on my new phone, but no time to respond. Thanks for understanding. My DH and I were on the swing and he was holding her the other night and he says "she really is a sweet dog, I hope we can get this licked". We lost a lab of 12 years before Christmas so we want that dog spot in our hearts filled. She was just SO easy and eager to please. We are listening to your advice. Restricting movement, wearing her on a leash. We are evening getting an old piece of carpet out to soil with her scent and put it on the deck in a corner........thoughts on this idea?
I don't get on line very often so please don't think I was ignoring you. I wish there was a school nearby b/c I think I would send her.
Wish us luck!

Good luck!!!!

We are all here for you! Best of luck and pop in whenever you can!! :)

Everyone is right do not give up on her it is a long process to potty train... You did not potty train your children without accidents did you ?????? She only knows your moods... senses you are mad at her she has long forgotten an accident????? Use a leash as suggested then have someone go out and walk her to designated area "the potty spot". I would not have given up on my Son he had Attention Deficit Disorder he wasnot potty trained till almost 2 1/2 years old. It is hard Yorkies are real hard!!!!!! Do not use potty pads and try to train to outside to confusing for pups.