Housetraining...how to start
 

Hi, my name is Helene..I joined this forum several months ago when I got my first yorkie. Unfortunatly I was not able to keep her because I just could not house train her. I tried EVERYTHING!! and nothing worked. It made me sad to get rid of her, but I just could not keep her any more. I have another dog in the house (lab) who is housebroken, but she would pee on my carpet after the yorkie did.

To try and make a long story short I am the proud mama of another yorkie. I love the breed and so want one! I had one all picked out and was going to get her after she was weaned from her mama. For many reasons tha that I will not get into right now, I wound up getting her at 5-1/2 weeks. The main reason, the owners wanted her gone! Sooo...needless to say I took her and have been playing "mama' to her. She is doing wonderfully..eating puppy chow drinking water from a bowl etc and has been for almost 2 weeks. She will be 7 weeks on Tuesday.

I keep her in a crate and while I realize she is too young to potty train I would love to be able to get her in the habit of going on a puppy pad. I do not want her to think of the crate as her potty..but rather her "safe haven"....So this is where I am having problems and am looking for a little advise...I have read the threads on house training, but we are not there yet...

So this is our schedule. I get up at 4:30am and leave the house at 6:15. My husband doesn't leave the house until about 11:30 for work, so he can help me that way...the problem is, I do not get home from work until about 5 which means puppy will be in her crate from 11:30-5...

So my question is..should we be using another approach? I was thinking gating her off in the bathroom...maybe putting her box in the bathroom and lay some pads down ..so she has her crate to sleep in and a place to go potty. Oh of course a lot of chew toys too because she loves chewing on things already...

Another question is, how do I get her to realize that the pad is the place for her to pee and poop, not the floor and not the crate? Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Helene

All I can say is WOW. I can't believe those worthless people would just throw a pup out. That's insane!!!! Your baby girl is so lucky to have you in her life. I do have some concerns though. She's only 7 weeks old, and in case you didn't know yorkie puppies should leave their mom at 12 weeks at the very earliest. That's not a suggestion either, that is what the mother club of the Yorkshire Terrier mandates. What's done is done I guess, but that just means the burden falls on you to keep this little one going. She requires constant supervision at this very critical part in her life.

Do you have a snuggle buddy for her? It's this stuffed animal with a heartbeat and heating pad (I think) that will help keep her warm and serve as a surrogate litter mate. Do you have nutrical, or nutridrops on hand? With one so young, my biggest concern would be hypoglycemia.

If I were you, I would use an ex-pen. I would take just 4 panels and put pads down so it covers half of the area. On the other half I'd have her bed, blankets, food and water. Since no one is really with her, and she has no dog mom or siblings to teach her how to potty appropriately or where she needs to go, your best bet is to rub a little urine on the pad so it smells like a potty place. Keep all of her other stuff smelling fresh by using an enzyme cleaner. Too much room at this time might confuse a puppy this small.

I really hope our wonderful breeders see this post. They can give you much better advice on what to do with a puppy this young. I wish you two a long happy life together.

I agree with the above poster about separating the x pen into the 'potty area' with pads, and the 'living area' with blankies, toys, food, water, etc.

You are going to have two main difficulites right now; one is the age of the puppy, which is way too young to have any potty expectations; and the fact that puppy is alone from 11:30 to 5:00.

I think the above is your best shot at helping her to do what is natural for a dog; to keep their living area clean.

Good Luck! Let us know how things are going.

I, too, agree with the above posters. Your unsuccessful attempts previously to train a puppy may have been that you were not completely cleaning up the previous accidents and the puppy kept going back there because of the odors it picked up. You need to use an enzyme cleaner, or else any dog will go back to that area.

Instead of an X-pen, I used an old baby's pack-n-play that I had. I put down a little comfy bed on one side and lined the other side with a peepad. I put her food and water down by the side the bed was on. I kept the pack-n-play in the living room with us and she always felt part of the family. Slowly, when I transferred her into the laundry room, I put a gate up to portions of the house that I did not want her to go to. She was 100% pee pad trained by the time she was 8 months old.

I wish you a lot of luck - and really you can't fully start training her until she is about 4 months old.

Good luck to you.

I strongly suggest that this pup is not crated from 11:30 - 5, that is asking so much of a pup that shouldn't even be weaned, much less be away from it's mother. This pup is still an infant.

I strongly suggest that you obtain an x-pen with a lid (there are great canvas ones, with washable floors. Put her crate inside of the x-pen, without the door to insure that she doesn't get caught on it. Place a washable pee pad in a corner (not a throw away. Too dangerous as they tend to rip them apart and the fuzz gets in their little nostrils). Make sure she has water, food and toys. I'd get a coop type plate and water bottle. The coop/stainless steel plates are hung on the side of the x-pen.....less chance of puppy turning the food over. Water Bottle is also hung on the side, pup can't turn it over and it's more sanitary. Do not allow your pup run of the house, that is the one mistake made by most owners. You wouldn't bring your baby home from the hospital, put in on the floor and tell it here's your house. Dogs have to earn the right to full access of the house.

I don't know what age you "got rid" of the other yorkie (how sad) and I hope this pup doesn't go by the same route as your last yorkie. I tell all my yorkie families not to expect miracles until about 6 months of age. They are growing and teething, everything hurts them and they have the attention span of an ameba. This pup you should have more patience with, it was taken away from it's mother too soon. A pup shouldn't be taken away from it's mother until 12 weeks of age. The first 8 weeks of a pups life is for mom to nurture, feed it and provide to all their needs to survive. From 8 to 12 weeks mom does so much more. Teaches it proper behavior, socializes it, teaches it where to potty, how to play, where they fit in the scheme of things.

Needless to say you have to be consistent, patient and be a mom to this poor little pup that has had a poor headstart.

I'm curious as to why you took this pup when you did. i understand the original owners were irresponsible at best wanting a 5 week old pup gone (why did they breed in the ifrst place, geez), but why did you not just say no to them and look elsewhere? Well what's done is done, i know, but like I said, just curious as to what you were thinking.

As for your last pup, how old was it when you got him/her, and how old when you gave up? I don't believe dogs are untrainable. I just think you did not find what worked for that particular dog. I'm afraid that the lack of attention this new pup is getting will make it doubly hard to train her.

You must get an ex pen like others have suggested, and esp like mardelin suggested get one with a lid bc they can be climbers.

Others have given you suggestions on what to do when the pup is alone, but when you are with the pup, you must keep an eye on her always to catch the signs of when they need to go. Don't wait for them to have an accident then scold and put them on the pad. Take them to the pad every hour or so and tell them "potty" or "pee pee" whatever you want the command to be. You will do this probably a million times and they will get it like once. But this is what goes into training them. It's hardest in the beginning but it does get easier. Consistency is key. Please do not give up like the last time.

Other signs to look out for when they need to go are sniffing the ground, trying to get farther away from their "area", and of course circling, but by then you better have a pad reeeeeallly close. Also, right after a nap, or after a meal, take her to the pad and telly her potty. when you are home with her, have her on her harness with a leash on attached to your belt. that way she is always by you and you can keep a better eye out on her. When you are home, don't just leave her in the pen again.

When Uni was a puppy, I woke up several times during to night to see if she needed to go. i put (and still do) a collar with a bell on it. During the night if I heard the bell (she slept in bed with me from day one) I would get up and take her to try and potty. Sometimes i would be with her for 20 mins before i decided fine she doesn't need to go. Needless to say, lots of sleepless nights for a few months but that is what goes into getting a puppy.

I have a lab that is a little over a year old and loves this pup..actually I was afraid that she would not like her at all..but she plays with her ever so gently.

An X Pen? I will have to look into that thank because I have no clue what they are. The crate we have her in is quite large especially for her..I have a small bathroom and I also have a cat carrier..I was thinking about setting that up for her as her "bedroom" and put her in my smaller bathroom with the pads set up, and her food and water. I was thinking about a water bottle only because she keeps spilling over her water.

For the record, the other Yorkie I had was over a year old. I had her since she was about 6 months ....so 6 months of trying to potty train her...and I got nowhere...I tried everything. Actually we got to the point to where she would not go in her crate and hold it..I then would put her in the bathroom with her pee pads and a baby gate...she would go on the pee pads (would not go outside) and then when I let her loose in my house, she would immediatly potty again on my carpet.

As a matter of fact, I keep in touch with her new owners, and they still are unable to potty train her....she is over a year old now. I am confident that my new baby will be fine! I know she is too young to be away from her "mommy" but there is so much love in our house for her that I know she feels safe. It is me, my husband and my son...plus she has our lab and even our cat lets her crawl all over him and he plays gentle with her...and he is not a big "dog" kinda cat :)

I'm so glad to see you posted!! I was hoping you would.

OP, she knows more than all the rest of us combined. I tried my best to give you ideas, but really, her word is what you should go by.

This may not be what you want to hear but Im going to say it anyway because it needs to be said.. I think its disgusting that you simply got rid of your other yorkie pup because you couldnt house train her.
If house training or even pad training isnt working then it is YOUR fault and NOT the pups, there is something you are doing wrong.
What makes you think this pup will be any different?

I brought my pup home at 6 weeks (was told she was older) and biting has been a nightmare. If she had stayed with her mother until around 12 weeks this wouldnt have been as much of a problem as she would have learned bite inhibition from her mother.
So what are you going to do when she starts biting you? because I can tell you now those puppy teeth are sharp!!

She is not too young to be pad trained, I began pad training Poppy straight away at 6 weeks old.
You have to watch them constantly for signs of needing potty e.g. sniffing the floor
If you catch her doing this put her straight on the pad, when she pottys on the pad give her lots of praise and maybe a treat.
If she has an accident in the crate or on the carpet dont shout just take her straight to the pad and again lots of praise when she uses the pad.
This is what I did with Poppy as by 2 months old she was totally pad trained.
But you must remember she is very young and dont expect too much from her too soon.
How big is the crate you are using? it should only be big enough for her bed. If she has room to potty away from her sleeping area she will.
When Poppy was this young I found a pen suited her needs best because I could put her bed, food, water and toys at one end and her pad at the other.
When she has had her needles and is old enough to go outside use the same methods, praise praise praise!
Good luck to you and your pup.


(Sorry if any of the above has already been mentioned, I havnt read the other members replies yet.)

I agree; when our dogs are not properly housetrained; more often than not ~ it is OUR fault and not the dog. We have failed them in a crucial area. We're too busy; not paying enough attention; too distracted with other things (like my kid) . . . .

Lucy is still not 100 percent; since we moved to our new home and I KNOW it's because I'm away from home (working in an office instead of my home); and not keeping a proper eye on her like I used to. Just letting her out the door instead of going with her and catching her in the act of 'doing something right' along with praise and treats.

OP. Good Luck. Just don't have too high expectations of such a young dog; otherwise, she could go the way of your other dog. You are going to have to have lots and lots of patience and lots and lots of practice.

Perhaps someone (a dog walker or neighborhood kid) could come over between the hours of 11:30 and 5:00 and break up the monotony for your little one.

I'm seldom left speechless, but I certainly am now. You got rid of her?:eek: And now you have another? If she doesn't become housebroken under your training, will you also "get rid" of her, too?:thumbdown

You know what? Let me make something clear! I have been married for 26 years, during that time I had a total of 4 dogs...One passed away after 14 years of age, got her at 6 weeks old...my husband and I worked full time..she was fully house trained. The 2nd dog, is 1-1/2 yrs old, again got her at 6 weeks, and you know the hours we work, fully house trained no problem. Then there was that Yorkie that I could not train...we gave her away to a good home..I still keep in touch with the owners, and guess what? They cannot train her either! Then my 4th dog is my puppy.

YES I absolutly got rid of the 1st Yorkie because I could not house train her. I tried everything, and simply put, I do not want a dog that I cannot house train. That is my right is it not? Guess what else? I still keep in touch with the owners of her now, and they cannot train her either, and they have several Yorkies...that are house trained...

I am sorry, I cannot be convinced that if a dog is not house trained it is ALWAYS the owners fault. I also cannot believe that I am being attacked because of a simple question. I am so sorry for the intrusion...You people are unbelievable!

Those with answers that were actually useful, thank you..

I'm sorry, yes it is the owner's fault not seeing the signs. A dog wants to go where they want, but when they give the signs (and sometimes us humans don't see the signs) they do go where they are bc they really need to go! Imagine you have a bladder the size of a bean, how long can you hold it?

Also 6 months is not enough time to house train, and your first yorkie is only one year and was given up at about 6 months meaning the new owners have only had her for about 6 mo. Again, not enough time for her to understand what is going on and where she is. Yorkies are notorious for being hard to potty train, upwards of a year and you gave up after a few months. My Uni was trained quickly, but then again, she was not left alone for 5 or 6 hours out of the day.

The other two dogs you have/had, how large were they? It is a lot easier for large dogs to hold it for longer periods of time than small dogs. Many times the smaller breeds (yorkies for example) cannot hold it for more than 2-3 hours, esp. when they are still so young. At this point they have to relieve themselves, and depending on what they've been taught so far they may only know to relieve themselves in their crates, or wherever they can just to empty their bladders. Your first yorkie may not have recieved the crucial potty pad/outdoor training that she needed during those first 4-6 months of being in her new home so she may have learned that she can't trust the humans to let her out, or give her the right place to go, so she would just go wherever she could. 6 months of training for a yorkie you recieved at 6 months of age is not enough to train her. Do you know what kind of house training she recieved at her previous home? Maybe they allowed her to go wherever and was never corrected, those owners just "expected" her to learn and when she didn't they sold/gave her up.
Anyway, with regards to your new puppy, don't expect much. She is still too young to hold it for more than an hour. And at her age it is very dangerous for her to be left alone for 5 hours, someone needs to be there to give her nutrical/nutridrops, food and water. The little ones can easily fall to hypoglycemia, and in a short ammount of time. Maybe you have someone that can come check in on her during that time period, or at someones house who doesn't have any pets (since she is too young to recieve shots)?
Like above posters said, an expen is the best way to go (expen is short for exercise pen) It doesn't have to be a large one, cover the floor with potty pads except for the area that her bed and food and water and toys are. Over time, once you see she is getting used to going just on the pads, slowly start reducing the number of pee pads you leave down until you make it to the one potty pad down mark (should be about 4-5 months old by then) Slowly increase the size of the expen by adding pannels while leaving the potty pad down. Eventually start blocking her off in room with a baby gate (that she cannot climb or squeeze through the bars of), again leave a potty pad down. If you see that she is still only using the pad, then you know she is at least 95% potty pad trained, and you should start experimenting with increasing her roaming room, (shouldnt be until they are 8-9 months old, or at least until they are done teething) Make sure that the areas that you allow her to roam in are puppy proofed (just because your labrador doesn't find anything to chew up/choke on your yorkie is sure to find something)
It is a long, long, long, long, long process to house train most yorkies, but well worth it, as you won't feel like you have to re-home them.
I recommend always having potty pads as an indoor option, as she'll be left alone for about 5 hours during the day, and it will be useful during bad weather. If she's anything like Rizzo, she may refused to go outside to potty if there is a storm going.
Good luck, remember patience and praise!

No you are unbelievable for throwing out a member of your family (because thats what they are) because you yes YOU couldnt house train her.
Just because you have had other dogs dosnt mean you will have the same experiences with training.
ALL dogs are different and larger breeds usually learn alot quicker then smaller breeds.
I am not attacking you for asking a simple question, I am giving my opinion which is allowed because this is a public forum and that is how I feel.
If you want sugar coated advice then you wont get anywhere with this dog.