My 1yr Old Turned Dirty
 

Hello everyone. I'm new to YT and I need all the help I can get.

I've had my male Silky Yorkie since he was 3 mos. old and put all of my time & energy into training him properly. I started off with wee-wee pads when he was a pup which he did an OK job with. Then I slowly transitioned his potty place to be outside. He does GREAT outside; 2x in the morning, 1x when I get home from work, 1x after dinner, 1x before bed. He has an occasional accident in the house (on the couch, floor , etc).

The real problem occurs when I'm at work for 8 hours. He still pees (and occasionally poos) every single day, no matter how he is confined. From 3-10 mos. old, I was enclosing him in a small area in my Kitchen with gates, until he learned how to push them open or jump over them.

Then I was told by a Petco trainer and his vet to start all over and crate-train him at 10 mos. because he was stepping in his pee and poo and making a mess of himself and my floor. He also started peeing while walking after he was 10 mos. old (confirmed not a UTI). I think this was happening because I was moving and he saw boxes everywhere and the apartment didn't look like his home anymore.

He really LOVES his new place & adjusted right away, except the walking and peeing, and stepping all over his mess still happened. That's when I started crating him, but it was even worse coming home to him sitting in his pee and poo (I had the crate divided so he only had enough room to turn and sit).

Now I hired a trainer who came over and told me to get rid of the crate and put him in a 4x4 playpen. He still makes a mess with all that room and still walks all over it. I have to bathe him every day! And I know that's not healthy for him at all. I AM DESPERATE at this point.

I know he has separation anxiety and barks and paces back-and-forth all day while I'm gone (I video taped him). But I've tried everything to facilitate this also, and nothing works.

I also tried taking him out every 2 hours for a few days when I had people to help, but he was still peeing in his area in between those hours!

Now he's just a dirty dog who can never hold his stuff in by the time I come home. He gets enormous amounts of love and exercise and playtime. He is very obedient, extremely smart and does every trick in the book.

Sorry this was very long. Please help. :(

Unfortunately, he needs to be back on a strict play, potty, eat, drink schedule. For me, the crate was the easiest way to go. Is there anyone that could help out while you're at work?

I moved into the 2nd floor of my parents house, and that was when I had my mother take him out every two hours. He was still peeing inside when he was alone, and I was told by dog-owners and read during my research that you have to stick to a strict potty schedule 3x a day at his age. And that he should be able to hold it in for his age + 1...so 11 hours?

I tried different things. Did I confuse him? We have been on a strict all-around schedule now for the past month and a half.

He'll get the hang of it as will you. I realize it's frustrating. While he should be able to hold it at his age, he isn't. A schedule will put him back on task. If you take him out and he doesn't go when it's on his schedule to potty, put him back in his crate and take him back out every ten minutes until he goes while saying, "go potty." If he doesn't go in the first ten or fifteen minutes, that's when you put him back in his crate. When he does finally potty, praise him like crazy. It's a lot of work, but it will pay off. If he is having accidents, then he shouldn't be free roaming unsupervised, regardless of his age. He will gain back that privileged after he retakes Potty Training 101.

Good luck!

He is still very young and it sounds like he has separation anxiety. I separate my 4x4 pen into 3 areas. with doors to walk through. Divided in half, one half is, play and eating area. The other half is divided into 1/3 for bed and 2/3 for pee pad.

My 3 week old puppies already will leave the bed to use the pee pad.

As for the separation anxiety. I suggest getting a second yorkie. Yorkies are very social and do not like to be alone.