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Potty Training Help Needed! Plus a Bonus Barking Question. Hi, Bam bam is my 16 month old Yorkie. I just got him a few weeks ago and am having a bit of trouble potty training him. I can usually walk him around the yard to get him to pee, but I can never get him to poop unless I take him on longer walks around the neighborhood. That is fine on weekends, but on weekdays I'd like to have him go a bit quicker before I have to leave for work. I've tried to use potty pads in his kennel in case he has to go, but he usually winds up ripping them up and then using them which is double the mess. Does anyone have any suggestions that might help? I also have another question for you all. :p Bam Bam does tend to bark and try to jump on at almost any stranger or dog he sees. I try to interrupt him (making sounds like ah-ah right when he goes for them then making him notice me and telling him to sit) and it does occasionally work, but if he's really worked up, he ignores me and continues to struggle to get to them. This has proved to be dangerous since there are a few dogs in my neighborhood that are rather aggressive and took his playful barking as aggression and have tried to attack him. Any tips for this too? |
With the potty training, consistency and time are keys to successful potty training. I know that sounds lame, but it's true. I recommend using a crate to help with the training. Also, several people on this board use x-pens. Sydney has one that my husband built in the basement. As for the barking and jumping, keep him on a short leash. When he goes to jump, make your sound and pull on his leash, which will pull on his harness (never use a collar on a Yorkie--very dangerous for the dog). Keep walking and don't stop. Let him follow your pace. You can practice in your house. Also, don't be afraid to use his harness and leash if he barks and jumps at people at the door. If you know someone is coming for a visit, get his gear on, and then when someone comes to the door, pull on his leash while making your sound. Good luck and let us know how it goes for you. |
Thank you for the tips Kirby. I've come up with a schedule for his potty breaks, and I'm going to try to stick to it. I'll also try to assign him one particular "potty place" outside. As far as the crate goes, do you know of any good way to line it to make cleaning it easier? As I said he rips and scratches up the pads I use or any newspaper lining. The harness sounds like a good idea. His former owner did use a collar since Bam is a larger Yorkie. He weighs around 15 lbs and is very long. He gave me Bam's collar I got him a halti head collar to curb his pulling habits, but I'll see about investing in a harness for him. |
My favorite harness is the Buddy Belt. Pricey, but it will last a very long time. You could always try washable potty pads. He might still be able to chew them, but they'll be harder to rip. You really don't want to encourage him to go in his crate, though. I know this sounds hard to do, but give him only bedding in the crate. If you stick to the potty schedule, he'll get the idea that the crate is for sleeping and not a potty. If you find he's going in the back half of the crate, make the crate smaller. Give him just enough room to turn around. There are crate dividers that do the trick. If you have to leave him for longer, he really needs an x-pen. You could put the washable pads in there as far away as possible from his bedding, food, and water. Please let me know how he does. |
Good News! Just wanted to update, all the hard work just paid off. Bam just went to potty for the first time in the yard a few moments ago. Now we just have to repeat the process tomorrow. :tongue022 |
You can try using a pee pad holder. Something like this...  Amazon.com: IRIS Puppy and Dog Training Pad... |
I've got the potty pads inside Sydney's litter box by Second Nature. It works well. They make litter boxes with higher sides for male dogs. |
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