New with several questions
 

I will start by apologizing for a long first post. We added a furchild after being without our 14 year old yorkie for one year. So it has been a while since we have had a puppy.:aimeeyork Picked him up two days before Christmas.
Brody is 15 weeks and 3 lbs. Came from a lovely breeder who also had 17+ yorkies. We use a crate minus the door in a doggy pen 3' x 5.5'. We use a weewee pad in a holder. First week no accidents. We took him out to play on and off into a larger area occasionally through the days and eves but the rest of the time in his inside yard. Week two we are having issues with him tearing the weewee pad. We started with human pads the breeder gave us but then changed to the puppy pads that also have a scent attractant. Not sure if this could have caused the change in success. Now he has pooped a couple of times in his room and crate. Have changed back to human pads hope that will work. :confused: any suggestions???? What do we do when he goes to the pads for reasons other than pottying? Our ultimate goal once he is an adult is to have him use pad in his area during the day when we are at work and when we are home that he would ring a bell at the door to utilize a pad on the porch. Is this realistic?
Next is the crate. I noticed that all of his friends at the breeder climbed on top of furniture and I am concerned he will jump on the crate and out of his room when we are at work. Other than having him comfortable with using the crate if needed, what is the advantage of continuing to use the crate over a bed if he is using the pads pretty successfully?
Other than that we love him to peices but want to get this right and not undo what he has already accomplished.
Thank you for any suggestions,
Gale & Brody:animal36

I dont have a good answer for you but I see you posted quite a bit ago with no replies...gonna try bump this up to see if any one else might have some good answers for you!! :)

Maybe use a cloth pee pad? Some dogs won't use a pad after it has been used once.

I'm wondering about the going to the pad when not to potty. Mine wants to lay on it with her toys. Yuck

I don't have an answer but do want to welcome you to Yorkie Talk!
Would love to see pictures of your furbaby.:)

Just Bumping this :) So Help will be on its way!

"Bump"

First off... Congratulations on your new puppy, Brody! :)

After my first yorkie, Chelsea, passed at 11yrs old, I went three years without a yorkie, until I got ZoE, so I know what it's like to go alot of years between puppy training.

Are the human pads you're talking about the disposable kind or the cloth washable kind?

As to Brody being able to utilize his pads inside and also outside, I honestly don't know if that would work or not. I know there are members on here whose dogs go both inside on pads and outside on grass. I guess I'm not understanding why you want to put a pad on your outside porch?

For me personally, I'm very strict about potty training. I expect a 100% reliability (unless ill). I have found it best to determine a potty area and stick with that one area. With my last yorkie, Chelsea, her potty area was in the laundry room. I had a large 3 level home and no matter where she was in that home, she knew to go to her potty area in the laundry room if she had to go. Before I got ZoE, I'd moved to a much smaller house (kids went away to college so downsized to something perfect for just me). ZoE's potty area is in the hallway. She always goes there. She knows that's her spot. I think it's confusing to have multiple areas.

I take it you are worried about Brody climbing on the crate and getting over the side of the pen? ZoE would have definately done that as a pup, as she was a strong climber. I didn't use a crate inside her pen for that very reason. She just had a bed in there, a potty pad, water & toys. If you are pad training in a pen, there's no reason to use a crate. (I do, however, think it's good for a dog to be famliar with a crate, as there are times when a dog will be confined such as at the vet's before & after any surgery.)

Hopefully, between when you first posted and now you've experience some pottying success! I hope you check back & let us know how Brody is doing :)