Housebreaking a 7 month old female yorkie

[ssouth]

We got Darcy back in December and she was 4 1/2 months old. I've never had a dog and didn't know how to housebreak her. We've also moved which probably hasn't helped her. My husband is telling me that i have to find her another home if I can't get her to go outside soon. Please help. I don't know what to do.

[orlnurse]

How about trying to pad train her or teach her to use a bell to tell you that she has to go outside? I am struggling with the same thing. I adopted a 6 month old yorkie a month ago and she is not housebroken. I'm working on both paper pad and outdoor training. I figured out her favorite spots to go in the house and put a pad there. Its been over a month, but just a few days ago she started getting it. She still has accidents in other places, but when she hits the pad she gets so much praise and a treat. It takes alot of time, patience and consistency.

[ssouth]

I saw on Petsmart.com that there is a dog litter that actually has a yorkie on it. Has anyone used this? It's call Purina Second Nature. I don't mind cleaning a litter box or the smell, it's just she keeps peeing on the stairs and my husband keeps stepping in it!!

[TLC]

Mine weren't potty trained (pee pad trained) until they were 1.5 years old

I used Postive Praise and Treat Reward (peanut butter chips from the baking isle).

You also have to be consistent, take her outside to "Do Potty" every hour, praise her like you are having a celebration party and immediatly give her a treat for good potty behavior.

You can also use pee pads inside or something like the potty patch inside as well

[ssouth]

My only issue with the puppy pads is that they can miss and hit the carpet which is making hubby furious (the carpet issue). She seems to have no interest in going outside and also she has a problem with doors and specifically a human standing near a door. So when I let her outside, I have to open the door and walk away from it completely. Strange I know but I love her so much and I will be heartbroken if I have to give her up. Trust me, it won't happen without a fight.

[TLC]

Also, at 7 months they DO regress, so you need to keep her contained (NO FREE RUN OF THE HOUSE) and get back to basic training again

[orlnurse]

I've heard that the potty box works for some...I recently got one called the Little Rascal that I hope to transition Lily to soon. She's just now getting the pad down, so soon I'll put the pad in the box and see if she gets it. Its all trial and error.....and don't forget patience

[TLC]

Here is my set up:

http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/3054185-post20.html

[xxmxaxrxyxx]

you know for those with carpet and have a hit and misser...i would suggest getting one of those desk chair plastic mats that they sell at office stores....and place it under the peepad...they are big enough that even if they miss the pee pads it would just hit the hard thick plastic chair matts which is a lot easier to wipe down than carpet...that is what i line the bottom of their play area with...my dad got great deals at garage sales for those...hehe

[shodanusmc]

Got to let them out every hour or so, give the command, and then praise praise praise. These little guys are tough to Housebreak compared to some. Took us well over 2 months with ours, but my big dog took 3 days.

Now the Yorkie is trained, but if you are not there when she wants to go, she will not hold it forever, and she will go, right on the wool rug in the Living room, and she will then smile at you as she walks away.

You can do it....consistancy and praise.

[ziggy925]

My little guy is 7 months, too, and I've never had a dog before.

Here's how I did it:

Get a crate if you don't have one. It's really the easiest way. Get your dog to go into the crate on his own by throwing treats in there and leaving the door open. After a few days toss a Kong in there, or a treat that will keep the dog occupied and close the door. Open the door after awhile, but not while barking or whining. Only when quiet. Again, only open the door when the dog is quiet, even if for a few seconds.

Now for the big one -- Take the dog for a walk before bed, and put the dog in the crate for the night. At that age they should be able to hold it about 8 hours at night. Immedietly take the dog outside in the morning and praise, praise, praise when he does anything.

Take her out about every hour or two, and after meals, and praise, praise, praise with treats. If you have to go out, or you can't keep an eye on her, back in the crate. If he makes a mistake do not scold her. If you catch her in the act back outside immediately. Try to use a command like "Go Potty."

It took me about two weeks, and now he usually sits at the door and whines and once he even brought me his leash. Yes, we have accidents, but they are few and far between, and he can now sleep in bed with me again.

Good luck. I hope this helps, and it does take a lot of effort but it's worth it. BTW, don't expect perfect, so hang on to that bottle of Natures Miracle.

[Cerise]

Does your husband not realize that she is still a puppy and will be for quite some time? Darcy won't be full grown for a while. Yorkies like most small/toy dog breeds are sometimes hard to housebreak. Big things like doors and such can be very scary to a little Yorkie, especially a puppy. Since you moved she has to adjust and she is still in need of you having patience and not giving up on her. Potty pads work wonders and you may need to use four and make a huge square to give her room and get the hang of them. Be sure to praise her BIG TIME after she uses them properly. She'll start doing it by habit to make you proud!

[maays]

Originally Posted by ziggy925

My little guy is 7 months, too, and I've never had a dog before.

Here's how I did it:

Get a crate if you don't have one. It's really the easiest way. Get your dog to go into the crate on his own by throwing treats in there and leaving the door open. After a few days toss a Kong in there, or a treat that will keep the dog occupied and close the door. Open the door after awhile, but not while barking or whining. Only when quiet. Again, only open the door when the dog is quiet, even if for a few seconds.

Now for the big one -- Take the dog for a walk before bed, and put the dog in the crate for the night. At that age they should be able to hold it about 8 hours at night. Immedietly take the dog outside in the morning and praise, praise, praise when he does anything.

Take her out about every hour or two, and after meals, and praise, praise, praise with treats. If you have to go out, or you can't keep an eye on her, back in the crate. If he makes a mistake do not scold her. If you catch her in the act back outside immediately. Try to use a command like "Go Potty."

It took me about two weeks, and now he usually sits at the door and whines and once he even brought me his leash. Yes, we have accidents, but they are few and far between, and he can now sleep in bed with me again.

Good luck. I hope this helps, and it does take a lot of effort but it's worth it. BTW, don't expect perfect, so hang on to that bottle of Natures Miracle.

i just read your post, and i am going to give it a try! kiwi is currently trained on the peepad but my boyfriend is getting annoyed at the fact that she "stinks".

i hope this is going to work out!

but one more question, should i still leave the peepad inside? or just crate her when she is not eating or when its not playtime?

[Rachael x]

I know how you feel.
Although I have always had dogs, I have never had a puppy so I have never house trained a dog before.
We got Poppy at 6 weeks old and I started training her on pee pads with tips I had read here on YT.
She caught on quickly and I would say by 2 months old she was 100 percent pad trained, we would leave the pad at the back door and she would go to it all by herself.
Every time she went on the pad she would get lots of praise (no treats at that time).
Once she turned 4 months she started to ignore the pads and was going all over the living room, my parents were getting frustrated and said if she isnt trained soon she will have to go. (I dont think they were serious, just talking out of frustration but its still upsetting).
So I really cracked down with the training.
I put her in her crate at night and when im not home and she has never once messed in the crate.
The crate is just big enough for her bed, I put a few chew toys in there and have her water bottle attached to the side.
We go potty first thing before and after crate time and she goes outside for potty every hour (sometimes more if she is restless or sniffing the floor).
Now everytime she goes outside she gets lots of praise and a treat, she hasnt had an accident in the house for a few days now so things are going well so far.
She will now stare at me and when I ask if she wants 'pee pee' she will run to the back door.
I know its upsetting but now you have to train her to keep her, so put in all your effort.
Treats are the way to go!