New yorkie owner in he!! - please help
 

Hi I got my 7 mo. old Yorkie last week. I made the mistake of letting her have the run of the house and all the training she got at the breeders went down the toilet (pun intended). She peed on the carpets and on the floors. I just felt so bad locking her in the pen when I was home. The breeder is wonderful, talking to me every day trying to help me through this. I also work, so I have to leave her alone and she is crying and crying when I leave. She freakin cries when I leave the kitchen. She pees and poos in the pen when she gets up and I put her in there, but after I let her out, she pees on the floor. Does the same thing at night.

This a.m. she peed on the floor and I put her in the pen and went in the other room to try and take a nap and she went NUTS. Whining, barking and flinging her bed, toys, pushing the pen. I just sat on the couch and cried because I am SO EXHAUSTED. She gets up so early and fights me on everything. After she has a tantrum she sits there and looks at me like why are you mad at me and punishing me? She wasn't like that at the breeders, she was well behaved, but she also was in a pen with another puppy for 3 months. I know everything is new to her and everyone keeps telling me that I have to be the boss and stand my ground with her. I know I have to contain her in the pen and I know I have to get the harness on her (that should be a real blast) and get her walking even if it is cold out because she is so HYPER and is getting worse and worse and worse. I also know that she has to adapt to MY schedule and it is going to take time.

But, I am feeling like I made a mistake getting her and that I can't do this and I should just send her back to the breeder who can find her a better home because I feel like a total failure at this. I feel like she is the one who is ruling me. It will break my heart if I have to do that because I love her (but I don't like her very much right now). All she wants to do is be with me and play, she licks every part of me when I sit on the floor and play with her, but I can't have her peeing on the floors and carpets and I can't have her throwing tantrums when she doesn't get her way.

Have you guys gone through this and felt this way? Please help.

as a breeder at 7 month old she should be going for walks to get all that Terrier energy off her, also play sessions should be like 20 minutes, she is full of unused energy and you have to train her, also her pooping habits have a lot to do with feeding times, she should be eating at least twice a day NO free feeding, water should be available all day but pick it up about 8 pm and take her out, she SHOULD not be peeing in her crate, also put her crate in your bedroom, that way she will not feel alone, that is MISTAKE #1 with new puppy owners, they put the pen and the crate in the bathroom or kitchen, she still young and don't want to be alone.
HTH,
best of luck with your girl..

you need to give her adjustment time and if your upset she knows this and will react accordingly. it is like having a new baby lots of work and you have to be consistant and yes sometimes the bad guy. i wish you luck and hope you end up keeping her. a week really isnt enough time to adjust. when shes alone it sounds like shes getting seperation anxiety. maybe play a radio or give her some sort of distraction so when in her crate she can stay amused and busy.

WOW.. I hope you haven't lost it yet.. I had the same problem with Brandy for a little while where I could sleep for the first three weeks and I did have her free around the house and man she really did a number her...I went throught this three time and each time I worked it out.. Brandy was sick when I got her and stood in the vet for three times for weeks at a time so potty training was just a night mare every time she came home..

I took advise from everyone here.. I got a good crate throw out all her linen and started over bcasue I learned no matter how much you wash it the sent is still their.. I did stand my ground with her and followed some instruction..

Step one I got rid of all her toys, bed, and linen.. If you don't want to do that then buy the pet nuralizer.
step two I woke up early every morning before she did and took her out so no accidents.. which for me was 7:30am
Step three sleep with her in the living room for three week for her to know I was their with her..
step four put her on a reg. routine ex. early walk, meal, play, potty time again then rest in her crate.. with no free play... till she got use to it..

the key is to repeat repeat repeat..and to keep on track with plenty of praise even if their is an accident.. it takes time please work on it because you're going to regret it.. good luck..

Actually, I have kind of lost it because I am so stressed out and tired. She does sleep in a crate in my bedroom at night and she is good about that. She sleeps better than me right now. She is in a small ex-pen in the kitchen. The problem is that it is cold here now and she has never been out at all even when she was with the breeder because it was in upper state New York and very cold. She WAS trained to go on paper and she KNOWS how to do that, but because I let her have full run of the house, I effed it all up.

So now I am trying to do exactly with the breeder is telling me to do which is confine her to the small pen in the day when I am at work. Let her out for awhile at night when I get home when I can supervise her and play with her which I do, but she is peeing on the floor and I can't catch her in time to put her in the pen to pee. And when I put her back in the pen, she getting destructive.

I am just afraid that this dog is going to be too much for me to handle, just one of those super hyper dogs. I know the key is to exercise her and get her on a schedule, but it is SO hard because I work 10 - 6. That is MY schedule and I have to somehow incorporate her into it without getting up at 5:30 a.m. and her going nuts. I live one minute from my work so I don't leave my house till 9:55. So I have this dog that is going nuts from 5:30 to 9:55 and I don't know what to do. Once I start walking her, I can come home for lunch and walk with her, but again, it is cold out. I bought her a little fleece jacket thing so maybe that will help with the cold.

Anyway, thanks for your input. I just need to be able to hear from other people that they went through this awful time and GOT through it. I don't want to give her back to the breeder. Not to mention losing all the money I spent.

Do you have an article of clothing from when you picked her up at the breeders?

I know this sounds weird. Delilah has been here for about a month. She too had a hard time adjusting. I put her in crate and put her next to my bed - she cried all night. I let her in the bed with me - she peed the bed. I covered her crate, put music on etc. Everything that has worked for my Rottweilers, I tried with her and nothing worked. Finally one night my Husband decided he would get up with her so I could sleep. A few hours later he came in the bedroom to tell me he found a solution.

We have an enclosed porch and we both leave a pair of shoes out on the porch so that they are handy when the dogs have to go outside. He said he opened the door to take her outside and she ran to my shoes and layed on them. He picked her up and took her outside , brought her back in the house and again she was crying. He again opened the porch door thinking maybe she didn't finsh going potty or something. Again she ran to my shoes. So he picked up my boots and put one boot in her bed and one in her crate. He said she ran to her crate right away and again layed on the shoe. He said he shut the crate and sat at the table for awhile on his laptop to see if she was going ot make any noise. She was quiet for an hour and so he came to bed. She didn't make a peep for the rest of the night. We have left the shoes in her crate and she hasn't made a single peep at night as long as she has those shoes. Later we talked about it and realized those were the shoes I was wearing when we brought her home. So we think maybe she smells some of the others that she was living with on those shoes.

Thinking about it later my Rottweiler Adria did have something similiar. My Husband flew out of state to pick Adria up when she was ready to leave her breeders. I sent my Hubby with a few toys for the puppy to come home with. My Husband said Adria, her littermates and her Mom all enjoyed the toys I sent him with while he was at the breeders. She carried this one toy monkey all over when she first came home. Dan said Adria's mother loved that toy. So I think Adria loved that toy so much because it smelled like her Mom.

dress her in her fleece jacket and get that pup out for walks, she will not get sick from the cold, she is getting distructive because she is board and has LOTS of unused energy, beleive me I hear this more than you can count from the parents of my puppies, and by my own experience, i own 5 dogs and if I am sick and they don't go out for their walks they become the pups from yea, there, I also have a huge yard where they can go run and get the exercise, you will remember us,once you start walking her, I suggest to my parents to put the pup in the pen when they can't supervise them to prevent accidents, but remember accidents WILL happen she is very young. My dogs are pad trained too but they STILL need the exercise, she sounds like a very ramboucious pup she NEEDS to get out and work it out, don't forget to wipe her paws once she comes back home in winter is LOts of residues from snow melts and stuff in the ground. I wipe my dogs paws all year round when we come home from walks..I breed silky terriers which are a bit more active and a bit bigger than yorkies, but I own a gorgeous Cotton coat yorkie name Prada, she is mommy's girl.. :)
HTH,

Dont give up on her! She is adjusting just as much to you as you are to her. My pup is trained to go outside - even when it's cold with snow on the ground - sometimes he is in and out real quick and sometimes he likes to run around. He is also on a set schedule, which is now my schedule. We get up at 5:30 am, even on the weekends to go out to potty. On weekends we go back to bed until 7:00, but then he knows that is his normal Mon-Fri breakfast time and will wake me up with kisses. I would love to sleep in on some weekends, but him being on my work schedule is more important to me than a few extra zzz's. Once she adapts to your schedule, stick to it every day of the week. She'll start giving you clues on when she has to potty and then dont hesitate - take her to her potty spot immediately and then treat and praise her for a job well done. You may have to adjust your schedule a bit but in the end it's worth it.

Hope all goes well - Good Luck

I put one of my stinky socks in her crate at night and another one in her bed in the ex pen. The sock works for the crate at night, but not for the bed in the pen. I guess the key is exercise for her. I will not worry about her getting sick from the cold, I will just take her out.

How do I get her to walk? I tried to do that with a harness that was too big and she wouldn't BUDGE in the house. How the heck am I going to get her to walk if she decides she isn't going to walk? I can't just drag her along. I know I need treats to get her going, but treats aren't even working with this dog.

It also may help to give her something to do while in the x-pen. Adria is a very active Rottweiler and while she was learning the rules to the house I would put her in a pen or a bedroom when I couldn't watch her. I gave her a kong filled with ground meat or a Beef rib bone to chew on. Those always kept her busy for awhile.

To get her used to the harness i would put it on her to wear while she is in the house. It's new to her so she isn't sure what to do with it. Before I took little Delilah for her first walk with a harness I took her outback with the harness on. I put little treats in the backyard and helped her to find the couple. She was then searching the backyard for more treats and forgot all about the harness. I then snapped a leash on her and took her for her first walk. She followed the Rottweiler and didn't seem to even notice she had the harness on.

Also if the Harness is to big and bulky that could be uncomfortable for her.

I bought this harness and have had no problems with it.
Top Paw&#0174 Brown Paw Dog Harness - Harnesses - Collars, Harnesses & Leashes - PetSmart

I bought some kongs and put peanut butter in them and froze them. I left her with one today in the pen and she was chewing on it when I left, so hopefully it will keep her quiet.

I HAVE that harness, but I don't even have a freakin CLUE how to put it on. The girls at the pet store didn't even know. One girl showed me, but I still can't figure it out. A friend showed me too, but again, when I went home, I couldn't figure it out. I have a friend coming over tonight who is going to see if she can figure it out. She is going to fight me even putting it on her, she fights me at everything, even when I brush her. She doesn't just come to me and doesn't really like to be held. I try using treats by putting them on my lap, but she grabs the treat and runs away. She WILL put her front paws on my lap and lick my face and hands and whatever else is available and she will try and chew my shoes and clothes a little. She is not much of a chewer. I guess that is a good thing!

I don't have a back yard where I can take her. I have a patio kind of area, but it is an absolute mess. The landlords said they will have it cleaned up before the warm weather. That would be perfect because it is right out the back door and I could take her out there to pee and poop, but not in the condition it is in now, it is dangerous for her to be out there.

She just has SO much energy in her and since I get let her run up and down the hall like I was, she is just getting more and more hyper.

I think at this time you would benefit from talking and working with a dog trainer, you are a very new puppy parent and she is sensing that she right now, and she is taking charge, she needs to be be thought that she is not in charge, if you can't even figure out how to put the harness a good dog trainer can teach you the right way of doing things before she gets more out of hand.. just my .02 cents..
hugs,

With the harness: When you unbuckle the harness and lay it flat you will see a small strap in the middle that connects the two longer straps. You want that small strap to go between her front legs. One long strap will be in front of her legs and one strap will be behind her front legs. Let me know if that doesn't make sense and I will post some pictures of Delilah wearing hers.

She is probably sensing that you are tensing up and that is why she is fighting you. You probably are going into each situation expecting her to fight you. Work with her when you are calm. If she is stressing you out put her in her crate or x-pen and walk away for a few minutes to calm yourself down.

Have you thought about taking her to a puppy class?

I actually am looking into classes and even private training, more for ME. But that would probably be too expensive. LOL. Yes, she is sensing I am not in charge and running (literally) all over me. I need to get her in the harness and walking before I can think about taking her to classes.

Yes. Gypsyville, please post the pictures. Thank you. I read reveiws of that harness and people are like, it is really confusing to put on.

I feel like an idiot letting a freakin 5 lb. dog get me so twisted up. It is all SO new and I am learning by making mistakes, but every mistake is making it harder.

I do both group classes and private training. I think your little girl would benefit from group classes. What is nice about group classes is she has all kinds of distractions to work around and it helps to really keep her focus on you. You also have a trainer there to address any issues you may be having with her. She will be able to show you exactly what to do.

In the area I live in - Private training session are anywhere from $20-$40 an hour where a group class usually has a set price of say $40 dollars for 8 weeks of classes. I will get some pictures of Delilah here in a little bit when she goes for her evening walk.

In the mean time please go to this website and download the free pdf file of "After you get your puppy" by Dr. Ian Dunbar and read it. The book really helps new owners with what to do with a new puppy. Dr. Ian Dunbar is a animal behaviorist and is well respected in the dog community.

Free Downloads | Dog Star Daily

Wow, that is REALLY cheap. Here group sessions are much more expensive. I can't even imagine what a private session would cost.

Thanks, I will look for the pictures later on.

Training
 

Oh how I feel for you, you seem to be trying everything. Lots of help here though. I have 2 things, 1. I used to use the complex strap harnesses and now use a very easy one with no straps. It is called "Puppy Design" from Pets Plus. Or on the website you can find a vendor. It is made of mesh and closed with velcro and sturdy clips. Easy on the throat and very easy to step into, even with a wriggly dog. 2. On YT it was suggested to keep harness/leash on while in house with you and attach to you so that she cannot pee/poop without you knowing. At least if you catch her 'at it' you can take her out.
Good Luck, and hang in there.

I just went on the Pets Plus website and cannot find that Puppy Design harness. I tried typing in Puppy Design to find a website that sells it. Is that the actual name of it?? I tried the Comfy Control Harness, but it was HUGE.

Harness
 

The web site is: Designer Dog Clothing, Luxury Dog Beds, Small Dog Clothes, Rhinestone Dog Collars - PAMPERED PUPPY Either scroll or search for "Ultra choke free harness" on the site.
The small is good for a 9.5 pound dog, I think they have Xsmall too. Much better to find a retail store to try on.
Thank you for considering my post!
Good Luck.

I just wanted to offer another perspective from all the advice you have gotten so far.

It is okay to decide that this is too much for you. If you are feeling overwhelmed and decide to give her back to the breeder, then I personally would respect that. I'd be sure to do it sooner rather than later. The younger she is, the easier it will be for the breeder to find her another home.

These aren't the best picture but will give you an idea how to put the harness on your puppy.

Photo 1: Harness laid out flat

Photo 2: Put the harness between her legs like this

Photo 3: slide the harness up her legs like this

Photo 4: Side view of the harness when it is on the dog

More pictures in the next post..

Photo 5: Back view of the harness when on the dog. The two metal clips come together.

Photo 6: Chest view of the harness on the dog

Photo 7: Delilah with her harness on. Usually from this point I put a sweatshirt over her and slip the metal clips through the little slit on the back of the shirt. If it is really cold I will also put her jacket on her.

This is my suggestion also. It is called the Umbilical cord training or Leash training. I've had to do this with a few of mine and it works very well. I would also suggest that in order to get her some much needed excercise first of all figure out how to put on that damn harness :D and than use a retractable leash for her to allow her a little more freedom when your outside.(not when inside)

I think shes been cooped up in a cage too long!

I believe that her fighting you may just be a fight or flight instinct. If she was at the breeders in a cage for 7 months she probably did not get the kind of one on one human contact she should have gotten. Like other said, deal with her in a calm state of mind. Do not speak harshly to her and if you get frustrated can you imagine how she is feeling.

I would continue with her paper training for as long as it takes. Dont change what she is use to.

Look at my site for more tips on training, I hope you can find something that is helpful. Training Tips - Dawn's Yorkies Ohio

A Whole Different Spin...
 

I felt the same way when I got Peek A Boo:eek: (not many people know this)...

In short: You are not responsible for her backsliding in potty training. Just about all Yorkies will do this in a new home. They need to be retrained for each home you put them in. So: Not your fault.

You need to get her on a puppy feeding/pottying schedule. Feed her at regular intervals and take her out at the 'key' times and every one or two hours. Key times are: when they wake in the morning, after each meal, after playtime, after naps, before bedtime, and anytime before you put her in her pen and when you let her out of her pen.. Start this asap and do as much as you can... best to start on a weekend. On potty training: reward the good pees and poops with praise and treats. Ignore any mistakes. Ignore any mistakes. They are your fault. And I mean no grumbling, no stink eye or sideways glares... just clean it up. You need to watch her for any signals she may give that she has to go. Learn them and that's half the battle.

Her tantrums are from too much time in the pen. She is getting confused. When you're in the house, she wants to be with you. She's mad and acting out because she wants you to love her, and she's not feeling that being in the pen when you're home. Yorkies love 'being with' their owners. It's what they do.

I get that you don't like her behavior, but you love her. I was there too. Make sure you take time to sit with her and talk to her and tell her you love her. My boy was so bad, some days he did nothing right (or to my liking). I made a ritual to sit with him each night and I told him 'What a Good Boy' you are!' Many days I lied to him, but I hated being mad at him all the time. He was picking up on my feelings and that was half of our problem. Finally, after a week or two, I noticed tiny changes in his attitude and behaviors. I took one problem at a time and figured out ways to improve on it. He was 5 years old when I got him, so he had some baggage that we had to work through. I think this is the one most important thing I did that really began to turn him around.

One thing he did that drove me nuts was he would go out to potty, he would pee then come back in the house and poop somewhere. WHY?????
How to fix this? I went out with him, but he was still too nervous. Okay, so I'll let him in but watch him, and then take him out again. This started working. PITB, but hey, it was working. He still makes two trips back to back on occassion, but not often anymore.

I also had what I thought was 'my ideal dog' in my head. I had to forget that and allow him to be who he was, and accept him as he was. No dog is perfect... although we believe they are.

You have to bond with her too. Find something she does well and praise her for it. Praise goes such a long way with these guys. You two are miscommunicationing... she does not know what to do to make you happy, and you are having trouble being happy with anything she does. So start small, and praise and reward her. This is how you tell her you like what she's doing. Smile and laugh around her, and include her in your day to day.

Attachment 363863

Hi I didn't read all of the other posts but I wanted to show you the harness I had for Hope. I loved it. It is very lightweight and not bulky. I got it from Atwoods ( that is a farming store) but I'm sure you could find it somewhere else. It even has a little flower on the leash part.

She was 6 years and never walked on a leash before when I got her. She did very well on this. there are no straps to adjust she just steps right in and there is a clasp on top that you pintch and push it down till it fits her. I really liked this harness! All the others seem so bulky and could be hard for a little one to walk in. It didn't cost much.

I would put her harness on her and just let her walk around the house in it without you holding on to it. just really praise her when she walks and get her on her level and have her come toyou. just let her get use to walking in it around the house in it (ofcourse when you are right there so no potty happens:D maybe right after she has gone potty) lots of praise and ive treats while you are putting the arness on.

Good luck and don't give up!! I wish I could get another Yorkie but I am not going to until I Retire (30 years:() or can stay home full time because I have learned from this site that Yorkies don't want to be alone. And my work schedule and drive time has me away way to long to have a happy yorkie. So all I can do is come on Yorkie talk and see everyone elses babies and cry because I miss Hope so much ( She passed away a few months ago) They are they best dogs so don't give up it will just take time. I understand all of your fears because they were mine too.

I'm sure there are probably some videos you can watch on Youtube about training. You really need to start interacting with her and training her - at least the basics. Sit, stay, down, etc. I also agree with the OP that you have her penned up way too much/too long. When you are home, she does expect to be with you. You are her mommy, her sister, her daddy, her brother, her best friend, her whole world right now. Oh, and just a thought, what about puppy training classes in a "box store" like Petsmart or Petco? Maybe that would help. Not sure what to tell you about her not wanting to walk on the harness. When Jack was a puppy, he was so tiny, I had to use a rabbit/ferret harness on him and it was nice and light so I don't think he even noticed he had it on. Good luck and if you stick it out, you will be so happy you did. Yorkies are by far, in my opinion, the best dogs ever!

Please do not walk her outside with an improperly fitting harness. Yorkies are extremely quick and can get loose and run off before you know it.

You can use treats or bits of real chicken as a reward for any forward movement she makes with the harness on. Toss them so she'll have to walk forward to get them, and praise, praise, and praise some more. Like she just won the Olympics type of praise! My Sapphire chews on the lead and everyone else's harnesses until we get outside, where she gets totally distracted by everything, lol. Her nickname is 'gnatonaleash'.

I am sorry you are having a difficult time with the training . Trust me, i do not mean to sound coldhearted but you brought this dog into your home and she is a big responsibility. If you have to get up at 5:30 AM to take care of this innocent puppy who depends on you , so be it...
I can't recall the number of times my dogs have woken me up @ 1, 2 ,3 Am because of whatever .
It really is a big adjustment for both of you.
I have to say if you really feel the way you say maybe it would be best for her to go back to the breeder.
It is not good for either of you to live under this much stress.
My thoughts and prayers are with you ......