More potty training issues....
 

My Yorkie is 8 1/2 months old and still goes potty in the house occasionally. Will this ever end??? We have a doggie door that he can use whenever he wants. He NEVER has an accident downstairs, only upstairs. There is no carpet downstairs, so I don't know if it has something to do with liking the carpet upstairs? I know that he knows where to go. When he's upstairs, he will run downstairs and out the doggie door to go out 99% of the time. About once a month he will poop upstairs, and he will "mark" the carpet upstairs a few times a week. I guess it's marking because it is not a full on puddle of pee. He has been neutered, and does not heist his leg on things, he just will squat down and mark the carpet I guess. Mind you, I have NEVER caught him doing any of this, so I can't scold him in the act. When I find it, I show it to him and tell him it's bad and make him go outside. He is a very smart dog, and I know people say Yorkies are hard to train, but can I ever look forward to the day when he won't do this anymore? I hate to think of having a dog that I can't fully trust. I've had 4 Basset Hounds and never had this issue, once they were potty trained, that was it.

I have 2 Yorkies, Bella 2 1/2 yrs old and 8 month old boy Harley...Bella is fully house trained...Harley is about 80% trained, he has never pottied in the house and is doing really well with his potty training but he is no where near fully trained...I still confine him in his play yard when I have to go out or I can't watch him...I, like you...have a 2 story house and only carpet in my bedrooms...so what I do is keep all my bedroom doors closed at all times...I keep a baby gate up at the stairs so they can't go up there.

If he is marking I would get a belly band for him and make him wear it at all times in the house and take it off when you let him out to potty...and gate off the upstairs so he can't get up there.

And also clean the carpet with a good odor cleaner like Natures Miracle...if he smells his own pee, thats like a trigger for them...like running water is for us...LOL

Thank you for your reply. The belly band would be tough, we don't let the dogs out, they go out when they want through the doggie door. When we are downstairs, I block the stairs so he can't go up. This is all happening in the morning before we get up. The easy fix would be to put him in his crate at night to sleep, but it's so hard because I feel sorry for him because he has been sleeping with us for a long time and he likes it. I just hate not being able to trust him to run around the house when I know that he knows exactly what he is doing. When he gets up in the morning before us, he has complete access to the doggie door, so it's not like he can't go outside. I almost think it's just something he does just because. He only poops inside about once a month, if that. I guess the only option would be crating again at night, it seems the early morning is when he decides to do his stuff!

Yes...I would start confining him again at night...and make it a point...when you get up in the morning to let him out..say "lets go outside to potty" and take him right out and make sure he goes...I wouldn't just trust that he will do it...Keep in mind...Yorkies don't like getting their feet wet..and the grass is wet in the mornings from the dew :rolleyes:..they will potty in the house even if they are fully pottied trained before going in wet grass..My 2 hate hate going in the wet grass in the mornings. I have to make them go in the grass in the mornings to potty...so that might be what is happening with your little guy...heaven forbid if they have to get their feet wet LOL.

Sometimes I find little surprises on my brick pavers right by the grass:rolleyes:...thats how bad they hate going in the wet grass in the mornings...Every Yorkie I have ever owned does not and sometimes will not go in wet grass....Just a thought.

I think you need to go back to the beginning with potty training- having a doggy door isn't enough unless the dogs understand the concepts of potty training. Start over with supervising the dog at all times, confining when he can't be supervised and taking him outside for potty breaks on a consistent schedule. Treat him every time he goes outside.

:yeahthat: if things are not going how you would like, go back to basics. You (OP) admitted that you are not there when the accidents happen. It could be your little man was given too much freedom to soon.