Can you housebreak a 8 week old?

[yorkie1983]

Originally Posted by gidget529

(Not just one Yorkie, lol!).

KJC - not sure I got it, although it may be just a slow day for me.

She ment she has had yorkies for 30 years, not as one yorkie for 30 years (yorkies don't live that long) but she has owned different yorkies for the past 30 years...did that make sense? lol

[kjc]

Originally Posted by gidget529

(Not just one Yorkie, lol!).

KJC - not sure I got it, although it may be just a slow day for me.

I posted:

...and currently a Yorkie owner (30+ years)(Not just one Yorkie, lol!).


Yorkies don't usually live into their 30's....

As for slow days.... oh I have them too!

[gidget529]

Ok, I got it. I think I need more caffeine!

[Nancy1999]

Originally Posted by yorkie1983

I am getting a Yorkie on Friday He is 8 weeks old. I have never owned a Yorkie but my Grandmother and neighbor both have them. I was discussing housebreaking with my neighbor and she told me that her 4 year old Yorkie has never had an accident...She crate trained her, took her out every hour and she never had an accident even at 8 weeks...Is that possible? Can you train a 8 week old?

Every dog is born with the instinctual behavior to keep its den clean. We humans actually train them to mess their den, by keeping them locked up in a small place for too long. Your neighbor isn’t training the dog not to go in the crate, he already knows that, she’s training him to hold his urine longer, and this is a gradual process, and as the bladder grows, he’ll be able to hold it longer. Many mothers will housebreak their puppies, by nudging the puppies to the pee pad when they know they have to urinate. So some puppies come to their new homes with knowledge about pee pads, but you still have to continue the training until they learn the differences between different surfaces and locations. I think the best advice is to never allow them to make a mistake, and your neighbor is doing that, by taking him out frequently, and probably placing him on the spot she wants him to urinate.