Wow, I'm so glad you're here! I've been trying to get to talk to a trainer on Piddle Place, we just got the indoor toilet, and I had a million questions. We've been using the Piddle Place for about, mmm, maybe 4 days, I want to say, not really sure, but I wanna say under a week. He's getting it that he's supposed to piddle on the Piddle Place and he get's a treat. He's very food motivated. and I thought we were going to transition him to the larger part of the house as he is in an XPEN, but yesterday, he made poop on the floor, NEXT to the Piddle Place. He urinates so much more often than he poops, and I catch him more frequently when he urinates (also, I think he fake pees ;) ), that I think he doesn't know he's supposed to poop on the Piddle Place as well as urinate. I think he pooped on the floor on purpose, because he doesn't remember the infrequent times I caught him in the act of pooping on the Piddle Place and he got a treat. Actually, I'm wondering now if I EVER caught him when he was pooping and then gave him a treat for it. I might not have. I don't give treats unless I catch them in the act of pooping or peeing and then I reward them with praise, kisses and a treat. But I think I just clean up the poop without rewards because I didn't see him do it. In any case, do you have any suggestions about what I should do? Thanks, Shellie :D

OMG too funny you should be the same person I was speaking to on the phone. Your Milo is one lucky dog. I thank you so much for the information on holistic food, vets, and your thoughts on dog weight. Its amazing you called to ask me a question, and I find you as the best resource for my little girl. Thank you so much!

Anytime you need help I'll be there for you, and so will all of the amazing people here on Yorkietalk. Welcome to our world!!! :):love:

Wow, what a small world...it's wonderful that the two of you are able to help each other. That is what it's all about...being there for one another...

Thank you Kathy, you are so right.
Hugs to you

Hi Kathleen, Shellie here again with another question. Yesterday, Milo was using the Piddle Place potty on command, and was doing great with poop and pee, but then when I bent over the x-crate to give a treat, or put him on the turf, I forget which, I lost my balance and started to fall forward.

Thank God I caught myself and didn't fall on him or the x-crate or hurt anyone, but he got startled and jumped off the Piddle Place, and hasn't been back on it since. So I do hope I haven't ruined all my hard work, and all the training I've done, and made him afraid of it. I pray he will forget the incident and start using it again today. If he doesn't, what do you think I should do?

Shellie :):aimeeyork

Shellie OMG are you okay? You can certainly twist you back like that. How are you feeling today?
I am sure that really startled him and scared him away from the Piddle Place. If now he associates the Piddle Place with something that made mommy scream, this would be quite traumatic. Yes, you will have to gently start over, and make him feel safe and secure going back there. Maybe sit down next to him, put him on the Piddle Place and talk gentle and sweet to him. "whos the best lilttle boy in the world...my Milo" etc. He needs to feel safe going back there. Maybe is we move it to another location, that might help as well. Please let me know what happens...we were so close! Love to Milo, You are such a caregiver to everyone, please remember to take care of yourself.

Okay, so this morning when I got up he made some poop on the Piddle Place and some on the floor. He was howling, whining and crying and making a racket like he never does and I think he was trying to tell me he made potty, so when I saw the poop on the PP, I rewarded him even though I didn't see him do it. Then while I cleaned up the poop he piddled on the floor. So I started to reward him for just being on the PP because now he just keeps jumping off instead of sniffing around like he used to do. Also, I changed the look of the PP, I put the back guard on it, so it looks a little different, I'm hoping that will help. And this is where we are now. Was that okay, to reward him for just standing on the PP? If I did anything wrong, please tell me. I'm so upset, I feel like I ruined everything:(
Shellie

Now all of a sudden he's taken to howling again. I responded to his howling the first time because I didn't know what was wrong, but now I think he thinks this is a way to call me. I'm confused!!!! .:confused:

I don't know if I should continue to ignore him or respond. He sounds like he is being torn limb from limb. This is terrible. I wonder if I should go in and check on him, but then I am reinforcing his screaming and howing and crying if nothing is wrong. :(:eek:

So did you figure out what's making him howl? Maybe he just "found" his voice. I remember when we first got Winston he didn't make a peep...now I think he just likes the sound of his voice...lol.

Yes, I'm pretty sure it's to get me to come into him, either because he is lonely, or maybe went potty on the PP and wants a treat, or is hungry or something. I'm not sure what it is he exactly wants, but I know he wants my presence. So what i am doing is ignoring his howling and screaming, and then every so often, when it is quiet and go in and tell him what a good boy he is and give him a treat. I'm trying this for a while, and we'll see if it works.

In the meantime, our grooming sessions are pretty challenging. I've begun grooming him and have found major tangles and knots by his hips and shoulder and legs. He squiggles all over the place and won't let me attempt to brush him out or even cut through his tangles with a scissor and then brush him out.
This its kinda tough. I don't want him to be afraid of bath time because combing through the tangles are painful, but he does have to be groomed. I want grooming time to be pleasant and fun, but I suck at grooming and especially getting out knots with out hurting.
Any suggestions:confused::)

How's Milo today, and better? Worried about you both.

Well, I wish I had better news to tell Kathleen, but it looked like he was really going on the PP there for awhile after I had my near stumble and then I rewarded him for being on it,and he did start to use it again, but this morning I found poop and pee on the floor, and he never was doing that before. So I just put him in his crate (or else he jumps all over me and the poop and pee)
and I cleaned up the mess and then put him back. He was doing so fabulous, peeing on command, and pooping on the PP, I even was thinking of expanding his living space and letting him have the Family Room without an X-PEN before I almost fell, but now with this regression, I'm sad to say, things are kinda going backwards. DARN!!!:(

Just keep at it...he\'ll get it. Good luck.