Is my Yorkie regressing? - YorkieTalk.com Forums

tiffygirl2003 · 07-24-2012, 08:46 PM

Bear is my 8 months old male Yorkie. Overall he is prgressing well. He does everything a puppy should do and is doing very well with potty training. Only an occasional accident, and it's usually my fault for not listening to him.

Here is the issue. At about 6 months old he was sleeping 6-7 hrs each night before he would wake me up to go potty. But now that he is getting older (8 mos old) he is only sleeping about 4 hrs and waking me up. If I leave him at home with a wee-wee-pad, he doesn't use it. He can actually wait 7-8 hrs until I return to relieve himself outside, so I know he has a strong bladder. He is only left for this long on Sunday. What am I doing wrong that he seems to be regressing at night. He always wakes me up so he doesn't have night accidents. Any suggestions?

I have an older Yorkie and a Terrier Mix and he is causing them to wake up too! Prior to Bear joining the family, we all slept through the night.

tokipoki · 07-25-2012, 07:54 PM

Where does Bear sleep? We had the exact same issue with Toki although she is an only child here haha! She could hold it all night long (from when we took her out at 10 PM until we got up at 7 or 8 in the morning). After she was able to sleep through the night without needing a potty break, it seemed short-lived! Toki started whining at 3 in the morning because she wanted us to get her out of her crate and play with her or put her in bed with us. I think being in the same room at night but not being in bed with us was an issue because she could see us but not come over to say hi. We moved her crate downstairs and have had no issues since. Maybe once in the past couple months she has barked to let us know that she needs go potty outside for real, but other than that, we haven't heard a peep from her at night!

Maybe others have better advice for you but that's just what has worked for us! Having other dogs makes finding a solution a little trickier though!

tiffygirl2003 · 07-25-2012, 08:24 PM

@ Tokipoki, Bear sleeps in bed with the entire family (me, my husband, a 9 yr old Yorkie and our 10 lb rescued Terrier Mix). He doesn't have night time accidents, I just think he wakes up too often. He was doing so well. My 2 older dogs are due for shots, so I'll ask the vet and see what he says. I have also begun to feed him early, so that he has more time to empty himself before bed.

yorkietalkjilly · 07-25-2012, 10:20 PM

Until he passes through this phase, why don't you put his water dish where you can watch him drink for a couple of nights and see how much water he is drinking. Plus, if he has kibble soaked in water or a canned food of some type, he's getting water that way if he eats that sort of meal evenings. I would watch how he drinks and eats for a couple of nights and if he's taking in a lot of water, I would limit his water intake for a few hours before bed for a bit.

Also, when he has his last potty break, is he taking the time to really go or shortening it because another dog is out there running along the fence enticing him to hurry through his "business" or something like that? Do you stay outside with him when he pees to see what he's doing and whether or not he's recently being distracted by something and not finishing?

Lastly, he might be peeing in the house elsewhere and not using his pads during the day recently, too, and not necessarily holding it all day. And even if he's not, you might get him in for a vet check if nothing else works to see if he's got a little bladder irritation that is harder to ignore nights than during the day since you are home and can let him out. I think even if Tibbe had a bladder infection or something he would hold it when I'm not home as he hates to go in the house and is sooooo fond of leaving his pee scent outside on the fence we have in common with the neighbors and their dogs. I think Tibbe would go 12 hours or longer as he loves to pee on that fence right over where the neighbor dog goes!!! So if your guy has a similar mania to mark his territory outside, he maybe works hard to hold it during the day even though he might have a bladder irritation/infection because he so wants to leave his urine out in some special place for reasons of his own and there is no one there to let him out, though he may be uncomfortable from a bladder condition. But at night, you all are there to get him out should he need to go from some condition he's got.

Also it could be he just wakes in the night and wants attention and knows showing the need to go outside will certainly rouse you, whereas to wake you to play with him will likely just get your telling him "No". When Tibbe was young, he used to "lie" to me a bit to get to go outside or get me up and involved with him so the potty ploy is pretty well recognized. And obviously he can't use it during the day when you are gone but middle of the night - sure can.

Those are my only thoughts about what might be going on. Hope you can get to the bottom of it and get your sleep!

tiffygirl2003 · 07-26-2012, 03:25 PM

@ Yorkietalkjilly, thanks so much for responding.
1. Your 1st suggestion, I had just started the night prior to your post. I now watch Bear more closely to see how much he is drinking. I also feed him earlier so that he has time to eliminate prior to bedtime.

2. I do watch him when he goes out to potty. I make sure that he does all of his "business" before he can come back in. He's pretty good about that.

3. No, he's not peeing in the house. When I leave him for long periods of time, he's restricted to one room only so I would be able to see any piles or wet spots. I think his older brother & sister influence him to keep the area clean. The wee-wee pad is always dry when I return, so none of them eliminate while I'm gone. As soon as I let them out, all 3 of them run to the yard to do the do! Thank God that's not an issue!!
4. I still plan to talk to the vet, just in case.

5. I live in Southern California where the climate is quite warm. Sometimes I think he gets up at night just to drink water. It's hard for me to deny him when it's so hot. I allow him a small amount of water just before bedtime.

6. I started making changes 2 nights ago and so far he's showing some change. Tuesday night he slept until 6:30am and Wednesday night he slept until 6:00am. He's trying. This is much better than 3:00am!!!

You gave me a lot to consider and so far I do see some improvement. Will keep you posted. Thanks again for your help.

07-24-2012, 08:46 PM	#1
tiffygirl2003 Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Highland, Ca. USA Posts: 96	Is my Yorkie regressing? Bear is my 8 months old male Yorkie. Overall he is prgressing well. He does everything a puppy should do and is doing very well with potty training. Only an occasional accident, and it's usually my fault for not listening to him. Here is the issue. At about 6 months old he was sleeping 6-7 hrs each night before he would wake me up to go potty. But now that he is getting older (8 mos old) he is only sleeping about 4 hrs and waking me up. If I leave him at home with a wee-wee-pad, he doesn't use it. He can actually wait 7-8 hrs until I return to relieve himself outside, so I know he has a strong bladder. He is only left for this long on Sunday. What am I doing wrong that he seems to be regressing at night. He always wakes me up so he doesn't have night accidents. Any suggestions? I have an older Yorkie and a Terrier Mix and he is causing them to wake up too! Prior to Bear joining the family, we all slept through the night.

07-25-2012, 10:20 PM	#4
yorkietalkjilly ♥ Love My Tibbe! ♥ Donating Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: D/FW, Texas Posts: 22,140	Until he passes through this phase, why don't you put his water dish where you can watch him drink for a couple of nights and see how much water he is drinking. Plus, if he has kibble soaked in water or a canned food of some type, he's getting water that way if he eats that sort of meal evenings. I would watch how he drinks and eats for a couple of nights and if he's taking in a lot of water, I would limit his water intake for a few hours before bed for a bit. Also, when he has his last potty break, is he taking the time to really go or shortening it because another dog is out there running along the fence enticing him to hurry through his "business" or something like that? Do you stay outside with him when he pees to see what he's doing and whether or not he's recently being distracted by something and not finishing? Lastly, he might be peeing in the house elsewhere and not using his pads during the day recently, too, and not necessarily holding it all day. And even if he's not, you might get him in for a vet check if nothing else works to see if he's got a little bladder irritation that is harder to ignore nights than during the day since you are home and can let him out. I think even if Tibbe had a bladder infection or something he would hold it when I'm not home as he hates to go in the house and is sooooo fond of leaving his pee scent outside on the fence we have in common with the neighbors and their dogs. I think Tibbe would go 12 hours or longer as he loves to pee on that fence right over where the neighbor dog goes!!! So if your guy has a similar mania to mark his territory outside, he maybe works hard to hold it during the day even though he might have a bladder irritation/infection because he so wants to leave his urine out in some special place for reasons of his own and there is no one there to let him out, though he may be uncomfortable from a bladder condition. But at night, you all are there to get him out should he need to go from some condition he's got. Also it could be he just wakes in the night and wants attention and knows showing the need to go outside will certainly rouse you, whereas to wake you to play with him will likely just get your telling him "No". When Tibbe was young, he used to "lie" to me a bit to get to go outside or get me up and involved with him so the potty ploy is pretty well recognized. And obviously he can't use it during the day when you are gone but middle of the night - sure can. Those are my only thoughts about what might be going on. Hope you can get to the bottom of it and get your sleep! __________________ Jeanie and Tibbe One must do the best one can. You may get some marks for a very imperfect answer: you will certainly get none for leaving the question alone. C. S. Lewis

07-25-2012, 07:54 PM	#2
tokipoki Donating YT 1000 Club Member Join Date: May 2012 Location: Garner, NC Posts: 1,485	Where does Bear sleep? We had the exact same issue with Toki although she is an only child here haha! She could hold it all night long (from when we took her out at 10 PM until we got up at 7 or 8 in the morning). After she was able to sleep through the night without needing a potty break, it seemed short-lived! Toki started whining at 3 in the morning because she wanted us to get her out of her crate and play with her or put her in bed with us. I think being in the same room at night but not being in bed with us was an issue because she could see us but not come over to say hi. We moved her crate downstairs and have had no issues since. Maybe once in the past couple months she has barked to let us know that she needs go potty outside for real, but other than that, we haven't heard a peep from her at night! Maybe others have better advice for you but that's just what has worked for us! Having other dogs makes finding a solution a little trickier though!

07-25-2012, 08:24 PM	#3
tiffygirl2003 Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Highland, Ca. USA Posts: 96	@ Tokipoki, Bear sleeps in bed with the entire family (me, my husband, a 9 yr old Yorkie and our 10 lb rescued Terrier Mix). He doesn't have night time accidents, I just think he wakes up too often. He was doing so well. My 2 older dogs are due for shots, so I'll ask the vet and see what he says. I have also begun to feed him early, so that he has more time to empty himself before bed.

07-26-2012, 03:25 PM	#5
tiffygirl2003 Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Highland, Ca. USA Posts: 96	@ Yorkietalkjilly, thanks so much for responding. 1. Your 1st suggestion, I had just started the night prior to your post. I now watch Bear more closely to see how much he is drinking. I also feed him earlier so that he has time to eliminate prior to bedtime. 2. I do watch him when he goes out to potty. I make sure that he does all of his "business" before he can come back in. He's pretty good about that. 3. No, he's not peeing in the house. When I leave him for long periods of time, he's restricted to one room only so I would be able to see any piles or wet spots. I think his older brother & sister influence him to keep the area clean. The wee-wee pad is always dry when I return, so none of them eliminate while I'm gone. As soon as I let them out, all 3 of them run to the yard to do the do! Thank God that's not an issue!! 4. I still plan to talk to the vet, just in case. 5. I live in Southern California where the climate is quite warm. Sometimes I think he gets up at night just to drink water. It's hard for me to deny him when it's so hot. I allow him a small amount of water just before bedtime. 6. I started making changes 2 nights ago and so far he's showing some change. Tuesday night he slept until 6:30am and Wednesday night he slept until 6:00am. He's trying. This is much better than 3:00am!!! You gave me a lot to consider and so far I do see some improvement. Will keep you posted. Thanks again for your help.