Still not potty trained @ 11 months!!! Help!!!
 

Wow:rolleyes: how to even summarize what all I hv been through with my sweet 4 lb. little Chloe...she even went to a trainer to stay for almost a mo. where I spent $1,000 just to get back a dog on a schedule and can now walk on a leash and sit and come when called! Yippppeee:( I have had her on her schedule...I take her out of the crate and outside every morning at 6:30 AM I tell her to potty and the funny thing is is that she does. She gets that! She looks up at me while she is going and wants me to see it. Of course we seem to hv this party outside ea. time we do this complete with a treat! The trainer also had me do the click n treat thing and I have decided that is not at all realistic. It is also not realistic that I go out and stand in the yard with her each time she goes. She needs to at least be able to go on her own instead of me going to the edge of the grass with her...And that is just:mad: a pee...I hv to get her to go and poop now...(I hv. also tried to ignore her until she goes pee and poop but after the pee she darts rt. bk. to me) So I tell her potty several more times and she will sniff around and finally go.:) I carry her back in, she goes back in the crate to eat and I finally pour my first cup of much needed coffee! Then out again ab. an hour later. 9x out of 10 she will only pee not poop....she is on a leash when she is out of the crate in the house...I can not give her ANY freedom b-c she WILL pee. I am so frustrated b-c I dont feel lk. I have made any progress except following a sched. which I did 9 yrs. ago when my son was a baby:) I am seriously about done...overwhelmed and so frustrated. I have spoken to all kinds of trainers and I am still at this place with her. Tonight for ex. I had taken her out and she peed 2x, brought her in and put her on her leash. My boys brought her upstairs while I was only a few min. behind in the kitchen. They put the leash on the door knob while they put on their pj's and bam! she peed again on the carpet! SHe has/is again just b-c I am convinced this is not normal on an antibiotic for a bladder infection however the vet said her urinalysis came bk. clean...I have seriously tried it all! I DO NOT want her on a potty pad as I think that is only encouraging them to pee in the house and especially carpet b-c the 2 feel the same to dogs. That is not even an option as I did that once with my Chi and could never get her trained. I want a dog to be a part of the family and can actually walk around a room without me having to literally watch every step...its just exhausting. At this point I would seriously pay someone again if someone would just guarantee housebreaking. I just don't think I can do this much longer. I love little Chloe but she is making me really want to try and find her another family. Anyone know any form of magic I can do...please please....:cry::cry::cry:

It is very hard to potty train an older dog but it can be done. It's very hard to give advice based on your post. Was this dog older when you got her??? In the 40 years of raising dogs (several different breeds) I have found that if they aren't trained by 6 months you may have to live with an untrained dog. You could always use diapers when shes running around in the house to insure she doesn't soil the carpet

Hmmm. Both of my babies were over a year old when they were fully potty trained and we've had them since they were 10 & 13 wks old. They go outside and on a potty pad - but I chose it to be that way. Yorkies are hard to potty train - no doubt about it. Was the trainer you used familiar with Yorkies? Or at least small breeds? I know they don't think there's a difference - but I believe there is. I've lived with or owned a Shepard, Lab, Boston Terrier, Cocker Spaniel and Yorkies - and the last 2 were the hardest to potty train. I don't know what to say - I guess we just didn't think giving up was an option.

Best Wishes.... :xfingers:

Maybe she is very stressed at going to another home, then back to yours.
My dogs are pad and outside trained with no problems at all. I put the pads down at night and if I go somewhere that I can't take them.
She could also be "marking" her home. Males are not the only ones who do this.
I use to foster Yorkies, and I had them at all ages, and all but one had to be house trained, and only one never would train. He was a very old senior and I think he must have suffered from dementia and incontinent.
There are many books on how to house train if you are willing to give it a shot.

It sounds as though u r really discouraged & it is very frustrating. I remember so well going through that stage, but the only thing that really worked for us was praise, praise, praise. Some really want to stay close by your side, which is why she is constantly watching for you when she's going outside. She is very small, so she could be frightened outside to be far from you.
I also remember wanting my girl to be able to play and have room to run around in the house, but we had to go back to step one. She would be playing with us with the ball & suddenly stop to go to the bathroom right there. She was just excited about playing & forgot. So back to being secluded in one small area was what worked, but not in a kennel constantly.
Puppy pads worked great for us, but I know u don't want to use them. It really helps to be disciplined about keeping them in their own small space to get use to the puppy pads. Bella never has accidents inside. I thought it might be a good option since u r so discouraged about her going outside. Most who are puppy pad trained also have no problem going outside as well.

Good Luck! I hope it all works out!!

Welcome to YT! Take heart, your dog still has a month to do before she officially flunks potty school. It can take up to a year to potty train a yorkie, and as cj125 said, in rare cases, it does take longer.

I am curious about the trainer. Did you give her to the trainer to get her potty trained, or were there other behavioral problems as well?

Is she spayed? As another poster said, it's not uncommon for females to mark.

I agree that the moving may have stressed her - Thor is potty trained (pads and outdoors), but he completely loses it when there's a major change in his life (eg, he comes to work with me, and we moved offices; also when I adopted him from his first owners).

Have you tried really committing to watching her with BOTH eyes when she is out of her crate? You need to catch her the second she starts to squat and take her outside.

Have you tried crate training, and gradually increasing the area she is allowed in? Dogs generally won't soil their den, but for a small dog, a house is a huge place. When I was training Thor, I kept him in a crate, then one room, then half the hallway, then all of the hallway, then the bathroom, then part of the dining room, etc. It still took quite a while.

Also, are you cleaning up after her with an enzyme cleaner? If not, she may be smelling places she's already peed, and if she's a marker, she'll have a strong urge to pee there again.

Hope some of this helps. Let us know how it's going. If you give more information on techniques you've tried, people may be able to give more specific advice. Good luck. :)

She was 4 months old and I got from a breeder who told me that she was crate trained and on her way to house breaking...yeah rt.! I have tried indoor grass which she did pee on but not poop and the smell was too hard to deal with even after cleaning every 2 days. That smell just didnt come out...As I said she went to a trainer...they tried to target train her to go in one place in the yard...she didnt do it for me but has found 2 different places she likes on her own. I know she is smart b-c she does some basic commands like come, sit and walks on the leash and stops on command. I also know she very stubborn but know that is a terrier trait b-c I have a 14 year old Schnauzer. I am getting ready to spend more money on another very experienced trainer to see what he thinks.

Oh yes trust me I have tried IT ALLl to the point of carrying her with me to lay on my boys bed while I say their prayers at night. We are hoping that God will help us with her to:) She cant be given more space b-c she will sometimes even go in the crate. I have had her at the vet and on antibitoics 2x for UTI. The second time I asked for one b-c I was convinced that she still had it however now I don't know? I am going to the vet AGAIN tomorrow and have the run a urinalysis. She just also wants to be with me all of the time. She has never had an accident while on the leash near me...she also doesnt not bark or anything to even try and give me a sign that she needs to go out.
I will not resort to diapers as I think in my opinion as giving up. Plus I have been there and done that with children and refuse to do that for the next 15 years of my life.
I am having a very experience trainer come over this weekend to try and access her and the situation.
Oh and no she did not go to stay with the trainer for 3 weeks for any discipline issues. She is perfect with all of that and they taught her basic commands while she was there...sit, come, walking on the leash and stopping on command. Yes the goal was to house break her which obviously was a real waste of my money. What I didnt realize is that she had her in a crate (which she is very crate trained) and basically kept her on a strict schedule. I have followed her schedule...she actually said I was taking her out to much and she only went potty 3x a day! So I am truly trying and searching for a solution. I know Yorkies are tough to train b-c I have a schnauzer and in my experience as well as everyone I meet terriers are tough with their strong "I'll do what I want". So do you see why I am at a real loss. I have made her my project to say to get her trained as I am usually not a person to cave and give up but this time it may be worth it b-c of all of the stress she is causing. The entire family has had it and are tired of living around letting her out constantly and not ever being able to let her just run around in a room and play without stressing out that we may look away and she will pee. She is in her crate and sometimes more then I want her to be b-c we have a very busy life. My husband's opinion is that our life isn't conducive for this and the stress it causes me is making evreyone miserable....I do truly care about her and dont want to resort to getting rid of her.

Welcome to YT! Potty training can take 2 months, 2 weeks, 2 years or 65 days, lol. There is no set rule that they flunk out if not trained after a year, or that they can't be trained after 6 months. ;)

It is possible she is marking, has she been spayed?
It really does take consistency and patience, I have four dogs ranging from 2 years to 14 and I still praise them when they go (not every time but at least once a day) They are all trained to potty pads/grass and to go outside when I am here. It didn't happen over night.

IMHO, if you are going to pay someone again to help you with the training, I would highly recommend you find someone that will come to your home
and help you do the training.

Also, I noticed you said you carry her inside every time after you've been out. I would not do that, let her walk outside and also let her walk back inside when she is finished with potty.
Sorry I forgot to add if you carry her around all the time to avoid the accidents, she'll never learn what is expected of her as far as potty habbits go.

Have you tried potty bell training? We have a search function at the top of this page, just type in bell training, potty bells etc, you will find a lot of great info

hmmm...I do let her walk back in most of the time actually however when she wants to start just playing around and obviously isn't going to go I do carry her in and put her back in her crate.
She is spayed and no I dont think its marking. I use 2 different products to clean up. I have just thrown out beds b-c there is no way in my opinion to get it out. Now I have learned to put an old hand towel in:0 She dosent pee in her crate every nt. actually in the beginning when I got her she did but she has 2x in the past week. Once I think she was just in there to long which was our fault. Yesterday after my husband let her out she peed on her towel less then an hour later. She had a larger crate b-c I wanted her to have more room however with accidents she is back in the small crate. So she peed the other nt. like I mentioned in the tiny crate!
Yes the trainer I have coming is coming to the house however I am not to optimistic that we will find a solution. Oh did I mention that we also have a doggie door? She knows how to use it well b-c I have a schnauzer as well and she follows him which I thought she would do more of what he does you know? Uhhh frustrated is all I can say

Thanks I have also bought some of the house breaking books...Trust me I really have tried it to the point of keeping her on the leash if not in her crate when she is in the house. And that is a real pain...I dont think she was stressed about going to the trainers house as she did learn and was very obident with her manners. The issue in my opinion was that yes she was doing geat training but it was not realistic b-c she didnt have in loose in her house and doing the give her more space and keeping it clean. She was in her crate and on a strict schedule. The schedule is a good thing however I am not at all convinced it will get her potty trained just putting her in and out and taking her out every time she comes out. If that was it then she would surely have been trained 6 mo. ago. I really dont want to do pads as in my past experience with Chi it only leads to them having the same feeling on carpet. That isnt a road I want to go down again especially when sometimes you cant even tell they have peed on the carpet until it starts to smell and you have to then find out where...I actually replaced an entire room of carpet, costing me $1k, b-c of my Chi....
Thanks for your thoughts...at this point I am praying alot for little Chloe:)

I can't really give any other advice -- it's all been given. :)

I just wanted to chime in though... you can't really expect her to be trained by someone else and then listen to you. I wish potty training was that simple! lol. I gladly would have paid someone money to make my dog potty trained but it doesn't work that way most of the time. If the dog is living with you full time, she needed to learn to go in her home and her territory, not somewhere else w/ another person and then be expected to just know where to go. And I find that when you're working more one on one with your dog, people can get better reactions out of the dog.

I wanted to add though that you're doing a great job and don't give up! :thumbup: You sound like you've tried a ton and I give you credit for that! Potty training these little ones is HARD. Jackson still occasionally have an accident and he's 11 months old. He's fine everywhere in the house mostly but he's not trustworthy upstairs at all. I call him 99% potty trained! ;)

The bell training really isnt an option though for us as I have a very large home (6500 sq. ft.) so most likely we would hear her. I love that idea though!We have a doggie door and she knows how to use it...the issue is is that it goes into the garage and then we have a second doggie door that goes outside. She uses both to go out and play when I actually let her. I am thinking that maybe if I put the x pen behind the door in the garage so she cant come back in the second door that she would possibly get always going out? I would try that if I thought it would work. We have a fenced in yard so safety would be a huge issue and of course I would only do for a little bit while I was home.
Thanks for your thoughts hoping I can get her trained b-c I really love her but cant do this for another year. Its to much stress on my family and my husband has really had it with it all.

Thanks...uhh I am trying thats for sure and have spent a ton of money already on her!The trainer thing though was a joke...just getting her on schedule was basically all I got with the exception of sit, come and waling on the leash and stopping on command....$1,000 for that...BIG DISAPPOINTMENT to say the least.

Thanks yes the pad is my last option with the idea of getting her outside all of the time. Its frustrating that I can't give her even a small half bath to keep clean as of yet. I have an x pen and only had it pulled out to 4 panels and that was an issue as well.
She loves being outside b-c we have another dog who she loves chasing around. So that not it and she will come in through the dog door if I leave her out for a little bit. She does look for my approval your def. rt. on that:) She looks at me when she goes potty and I was giving her treats every time she went up until maybe 4-5 days ago b-c I also want her to realize that you go potty to go not just get a treat b-c I hope that I dont always have to stand there and say go potty forever:) The trainer also did the click and treat concept with pottying which again I think is very unrealistic. I have also stopped that. I am going to put the treats by the door again however she will go without them. You would think we are having a party out back when she goes especially when we get a poopie...its like way to go girl!!!

I can't agree more. I have five and all were well over a year old before being potty trained. Yorkies are very tough, especialy the tiny babies. They have small bladders that take longer to develop and they can't hold it long. Good post.

Elaine

Well I may have to resort to the pads. The trainer has worked with al ot of small dogs but I think her mistake was not giving her the reality of being in her home.
The ONLY reason I would find a new home for her is mainly the stress it is causing amongst the entire family. We have an extremely active life with 2 boys 9 and 12 both play soccer and I am at one of their field 5 days a week and then you add a husband that travels and another dog and 2 cats and wow its a zoo here! So the anxiety level is high. Chloe is next to me now and my husband just walked in and said to my son and I sleep in in the AM (the boys have a teacher wk. day tomorrow) and I laughed and said yeah good luck as I am up at 6:30 AM regardless with Chloe. Even if i thought I could go back to sleep (which I cant I am just that kind of person) she'll bark. This is what I mean with us living around a dog...its just to much for all of us. That is why I am trying to find any and all solutions b-c I love her. But we are all stressed to the max.

Okay, I think I see some things here:

* Your dog has had multiple UTIs.

* It sounds like the trainer was crate training her - you say she was never allowed loose in the house.

* Your trainer was using a "poop fence" and a clicker.

* You tried the "umbilical cord" approach, but felt it was unrealistic.

* You stopped treating for potties recently.


If your dog has had multiple UTIs and was not able to control her peeing, that may explain why it has taken her so long.

With regard to the trainer methods, I think you should follow the trainer's methods exactly. When you get her trained, you can gradually switch her to a different method, but it will be much easier if you start with a method that's been established to work with her.

The umbilical cord is a good method. With a tough potty training case, you really have to FULLY commit to the method you choose, as in, you will do nothing but watch your dog for two weeks straight. I know this is really hard, and I tried to avoid doing it with Thor, but it was the only way. He is also 4 lbs, and sometimes I couldn't even tell he was peeing, he was so small and fast. He'd stand somewhere for a second or two (WHILE I was watching!), and then he'd move, and I'd see the wet spot. The good news is that after two weeks of 100% consistency, I could relax and just watch him with one eye, and then not really watch.

You need to keep treating her for potties until she is completely reliable. Praise and treat her EVERY TIME she potties. This will probably result in her pottying way more to get treats, but let her get away with it until she is at least 30 days accident-free.

Other thoughts:
* You might want to try an xpen. Put pads along the bottom of the entire thing.

* Another method you can try: Do not let her go anywhere without a potty first. Before walks, time outside, eating, playing: pee, pee, pee and pee. If she doesn't, put her back in the crate for fifteen minutes and try again.

* You say you've tried two different cleaners, but don't mention what they are. Are you using an enzyme cleaner, like Nature's Miracle? It's worth checking.


Again, I would recommend first really trying to get the trainer's method to work, because at least that has shown some success. Once she "gets it", it will be much easier to modify your approach. You have to see that "click" though. Have you let the trainer know you are still having trouble? For $1K, they should be willing to do several follow ups.

OK lets see yes on the cleaner...Natures Miracle
I don't think you understand. I HAVE been doing the schedule thing and yes I agree if she doesn't potty she is back int the crate for sure. She always pottys when I go outside and I do make a party out of it. However like you said its hard to see if it really comes out or she is just squatting. I think she does go but she has her hair grown out and that makes even harder. OK I have been on her like a hawk trust me as I am wasy over cleaning up accidents. The 2 times she has had them inside were both my boys fault as she had her leash on and was put on the door knob so he could go to the bathroom. As a boy he was in and out and thats when she peed. The other time again...I was gone they had her out and didnt put her back int he crate. I know all ab. the UTI thing but as I said even after the meds nothing has really seemed to change...then u have the peeing in the crate...another issue. The trainer has offered email communication and I have been keeping a journal of when an accident occurs with times etc...She has been supervised by me constantly which is why I am exhausted and it has been months of this. As mentioned we have a very hectic life to start with so throwing in a hard to house break dog is putting all of us over the edge and that is why I am frazzled.
X-Pen yes believe it or not we had the x pen in the house and she was doing ok in it. Then the trainer used it outside when she was cleaning up or whatever if she didn't get a poop within 3 or so minutes. So I brought the x pen in the house b-c again I thought hey lets get the sched. rt. and see if she can hv a little bit of room and darned if she didn't go in there several times...my guess and the trainer said it was possible after I told her was that CHloe was now assoc. the x pen with outside...another bummer!
I dont know how to to fully commit as you say...I am and I dont let her out of my sight including going to the bathroom which is ridiculous.
UTI- I will be taking her back again for a urinealysis in the AM mainly b-c she peed 2x in her this week which I have to say doesnt happen that often. She pees on her bed I might add which again makes no sense. She is in the smallest crate they make. It is now 12 AM and I am taking her out in a few minutes for the last time tonight. She has been next to me since 8:30 PM with no sign at all that she would need to go potty so if she does she can def. hold it. In fact I had let her sleep with me every now and then which the trainer said not to b-c she said that was giving her freedom which she doesnt get yet...I will go back to the clicker however she doesn't need it at this point b-c she does pee on command when we go out. I have to wait longer for her to find a spot to poop and she is very private about this. She turns her back to me and then turns her head to me to mk sure I see. I appreciate your thoughts however I have been pretty much on the money with this with the exception of the recent issue of not using the clicker (less then a week) I follow the schedule...I put her on the leash next to me every where I can or even if she is in her crate I move it so she can see me. Again she hasnt had an accident with me which again I thought was great and maybe it was time to have some freedom trying the x pen.
I am really unsure why I would even want to start using pads at this time as I have not spoken to one trainer that suggests this. All and I have spoken to every trainer in Raleigh hoping someone could help more...has said that it only encourages the dog to go on all soft surfaces...carpet, yuck. This is why I have been so against the pads. I can try the x pen again and will tomorrow and see what happens after I go by the vets. Basically she has had one UTI ab. 3 months ago and the they said they saw some bladder crystals. Honestly I was thrilled b-c I thought this was our problem solved! so she peed in her crate 2x ab. 1.5 weeks ago and in again she went to the vet...I insisted she had to have had one however they didn't see much she said but agreed that maybe she needed another round to make sure.
I do appreciate your thoughts I do...but I feel like I have and am trying and my little girl either doesn't get it, which I don't think is the case b-c she is smart, or is more stubborn then I would have imagined any dog could be. I have a schnauzer and he has attitude but I know this wasn't nearly the issue it is with Chloe.
Any other thoughts?

Hey, I get that it is frustrating. I am looking at things that you might do differently -- not to make you feel bad, but hopefully to give you a new approach. I did not have as tough a time as you did with my yorkie, but there was a while where I thought I would he would never get it. I even started a thread, "Untrainable?". As I mentioned, there were times when I was watching Thor with one eye, and he would still fool me. Once, I was even on YT, complaining about his potty training, and while I was typing (and watching him), he peed on a rug!

About the UTIs, I just meant that maybe it's taking her longer because she hasn't always had full control over her bladder. It can take them a long time. After my experience, I think it is genuinely difficult for some yorkies to grasp what is expected. Their potty training is our differential calculus. I sometimes felt like Thor was just trying to drive me bananas, but I realize that he is just not that smart (though wonderful anyway). He LOVED his potty treats, so I knew he was doing his best, but his best still meant little puddles on the floor.

Given that you paid so much for this trainer, can s/he come to your house and review what you are doing? Maybe it's something small.

I use specially scented pads (also Nature's Miracle) and am very happy with them. However, I live in an apartment, so it's more of a challenge to get a dog with a small bladder outside.

Has your girl ever gone even a few days without an accident in the house? Once you get a few days going, even if they have an accident, it means they are getting it. It is extra tough when they potty in their crates. I haven't seen a good solution for that except to take them out frequently enough that they get used to a clean kennel.

Hang in there. :)

Thanks:) She doesnt hv accidents at all in the house with the exception of the 2 mentioned earlier (that was b-c my son was watching her and then basically th eone time forgot ab. her b -c he had a friend over and they were playing with her and the other when she was on the leash and on the door knob and he went to the bathroom and I came in the bedroom where she was and saw the spot. Other then that its like you said ab. not giving her the oppertunity to hv an accident. She wants to be around me constantly to the point if she is in one rm. and I the other when home she crys. Great ex. is this morning I put her bk in the crate after she has been outside and my husband played with her and I put her food in there lk I always do and walk in the other rm and she cries for like 5 min. while I ignore her...my husband comes out n says to do something b-c my older son is asleep...so I then tk her out and put her in her play pen with the food and she eats b-c I as well as my other son is there...uhhh the maintainence!
I am going to try to see if she can be in the play pen today when I cant watch and see if she can keep it clean...I also will get the pads and see, uhh I hate that I would even resort to them at this point. Actually I need to call the trainer on that one first I guess? So with the pads I guess we start with them in the small area, give more space as she keeps them clean and keep moving it to the door?
I am going to call the vet actually now and have my husband take her by on his way out and see if there is anything at all going on....
I did get the treats and clicker back out and used again this AM...any other advice when it comes to the pads?

Gigio is 7 months I'm going thought the same things and winter is coming. I do use diapers when she's is roaming the house.

I really am sad to hear your frustration. It now sounds like she really isn't doing that bad. No accidents in the house, except for the 2 times. That's really great! As far as having accidents in her pen, it really sounds as though the UTIs are the problem.....poor baby.
It also sounds like yr family has a really busy schedule for such a small baby. I truly think that keeping her in a small gated off area with puppy pads will be Best for both of you with this type schedule, especially with her UTI problems.
You seem to Love her very much, but very stressed out. Consider how small she is. It will never be safe for her to roam the house as large as yr home is, you know. There are too many other dangers for her. These babies truly do want to be by your side all the time. She sounds very sweet.
I truly hope this works out for Both of you.

Not sure if this has been said to you or not but here I go. Praise her when she goes outside like you have been doing. Sounds like she loves your attention and approval. If she has an accident inside the house I would ignore her and just clean it up. No attention what so ever. I was told they can't decipher between good or bad attention. It is all the same to them. I did this with Zeus when we got him and he was trained rather quickly. I hope this makes sense to you. I wish you the best on this long road. Hang in there.