Emmie was 99% trained by at least 1 year if not sooner. We live in the country and she is the first indoor puppy we have had. She is trained to puddle pads since we do not have fenced yard and have to worry not only about coyotes and owls but neighbors' large dogs. We now have a new puppy who is proving to be as difficult to train as Emmie was. If I keep her in an enclosed area she goes right to her puddle pad and when I get her up during the night I take her to the laundry room where the floor is covered in puddle pads and she goes to one pad and uses it consistently. But, if she is running loose in the house she will wet and poop on the carpet every time. I feel that in time she will get the hang of it just like Emmie did, it just takes lots of patience.
Barbara - Emmie Simone and Izzy B's mom

Baxter is 13 weeks old and is 99 % potty trained on a pee pad. I have one in the kitchen and one in his x pen. He is in his x pen when we are gone and then relates to this when the gate is open, he will run in there rather than go all the way in the kitchen. He has been way easier to train then my mini dauchshunds. I say 99 because he is 100 percent pee but occasionaly has the accident with the #2. He also gets treats (nutro puppy drummies) and loves it when he is praised. I have never scolded him, thought he would react badly. he is awsome. :animal36

About a year or so ago Emmie used to come and tell me when she had an "accident". She would scratch on my leg and then hang her head. I would go to see what she wanted and would find a "spot". I could not believe she was telling me she had messed up!!! I have had to take it really easy on my new little girl, Izzy B. as she has had seizures and lots of vet visits and medical care, so I don't want to traumatize her by being too strict with the training. I think she is doing really well for everything that she has been through.
Barbara
P.S. I sure wish I could get my little girls' pictures under my name. I have tried reducing them over and over to the required 75 x 75 pixels but it just won't work. Obviously there is a way because everyone else seems to be able to do it. I have the computer guy coming out next week and I am going to see if he can get it done for me!!!!

go to the for sale section and look at avastars by passionfruit...shes great

:thumbup: That's great, lisakurth! That's exactly what needs to be done! Take him out (or to a pee pad, whichever method you choose) as often as possible so that he gets used to feel of the chosen substrate under his little feet. You want to try to minimize the number of times they get to practice doing it wrong.

I'll tell you more about what I did with Joey (but it will be long :rolleyes: )

Whenever Joey went potty outside, I gave him a high value treat - tiny tidbits of cheese or leftover meat - and praised him lavishly (in an excited, little girl voice: "you are the best puppy ever! You are so smart! I am so lucky to have you"). Then, we could run around the yard and play; no playing before pottying.

When I caught him pottying wrong, I said "no" and hurried him outside to finish. If he did, he was rewarded as above. If I found pee or poop after the fact, I said nothing, but I expect I did sigh heavily. That's all it takes for a dog to understand you aren't pleased. [There is no need to reprimand a dog more than I what I've described - all you teach them that way is that it isn't safe to potty around you. Then they go run and hide to do it.]

I contained him in the laundry room which was covered in newspapers when I couldn't keep an eagle eye on him. (He came to me about 50% paper trained). I made no comment whatsoever when he pottied there. Personally, I wouldn't have minded him being trained to use both - outside primarily but newspaper under special circumstances, but he gave up on the newspaper (no treats earned there).

Also, when he was learning, while he was pottying outside appropriately, I said softly (so as to not distract him) "go potty". This was so that he would learn what "go potty" meant. You can't just order a dog "go potty" and expect him to understand what you mean. :animal36

Once he caught on to pottying outside, I remembered that I'd had success with other dogs with hanging a bell on the back door knob so they could alert me that they need to go out. In retrospect, I would start that early on. (Training to ring the bell is another post! ;))

I also have to tell you that it was right when I was about to give up on him, when I decided that I hadn't made one iota of progress, that he suddenly "got it". It was like a light was suddenly switched on for him.

It'll happen for you, too, LoveMyYorkie and LisaKurth! Just hang in there and be consistent!!!

that was so sweet FirstYorkie
 

I REALLY appreciate you taking the time to go into detail, the steps you took in training your baby - very very thoughtful. I am continually amazed at how friendly and helpful everyone is in this forum.

I may ask you to explain how you got your baby to understand the concept of the "ringing of the bells" at a later time.

Again, many thanks :)

You are very welcome! Let us know how it goes!

My yorkie is 13 weeks old and WILL NOT go potty outside no matter how long we have her out.Have been trying to paper train her for the last 4 weeks with no luck, anyone got any tips? This is the first yorkie we've had so don't know if this is "normal".
nanabanana

:( I was told and it has worked when I have had to potty train, that if you put a pee pad where ever they keep going potty at that they will start going on the pee pads. Just keep the pee pad in the same place. It has worked for me but might not work for everyone...Who knows...

It depends on each individual dog. That's the best I can give you. Just reinforce it and reinforce it and reinforce it.

Thanks for the replys. Putting pee pads where she most often goes would mean covering our entire dining area and kitchen floors,"Precious" goes where she feels like it. Any other suggestions?

Baxter gets confined to a x pen when we cant watch him or are gone. This works well for us as he only goes ont he pee pad then. Now I just say to him when he is playing Baxter Pee Pad and he runs to it. Good Luck, but I think confining them to a space with a pee pad definetly helps.

on the subject of stubborness and potty training. i find it very interesting that bunjee can go all night without having to potty if he's in bed with me, but when he sleeps in his crate, he will inevitably wake me up sometime during the night for potty. yorkies stubborn??? really??? :rolleyes:

You're So Lucky
 

Do you know how lucky yo are that your baby was so quick to grasp not only pottying outside but ringing a bell as well - he's really smart!! I'm in awe...

Maybe he sleeps more soundly when he sleeps with you...