housebreaking in or outside
 

Im not sure if I should train Molly in or outside to potty. In the mornings shes went on the peepad for me. Im thinking will she want to go outside when it gets cold?

I asked this on another fourm and got bad replys saying If I do use a pee pad it mean im too lazy to take them out and dont need her then.

I personally did not do the pads. But, if that's is what you have to do I see nothing wrong with it. To me it's like having a litter box in the house. My dogs go outside only. I do have a doggy door and a very secure fenced in yard. It's just preference and the area that you have to work with.

Good Luck in whatever you decide to do. Remember it take time and patience.

Loki goes outside when it's cold no problem. He plays in the snow. He's out there all of 10 seconds when it's cold. He is even faster in rain or wind! He dislikes those more than cold. But after we got past the training stage he's never refused to go out there. I just make sure to give him a better treat when he comes inside.

WHAT? They told you that you were lazy. Obviously these people are clueless as to the merits of pee pads.

I have managed to succesfully train mine to do both. Yeah for me. :p

I started out by putting the pads wherever they chose to pee. They were confined to the kitchen only. Then I gradually started moving the pads towards one location, the back door. If they went back to pee where the pad had been, I put one of their beds in that spot. Meanwhile I also let them outside frequently. I fenced in my concrete patio.

I read on one of these threads to put the poee pad in one of those shallow, storage boxes, that fit under the bed, to keep them from peeing off the edge. I did that and it works great.

Now both of mine use the box, or go outside with very few mishaps. I still don't trust them enough to give them the run of the house. One is 6 months old, the other 4 1/2 months.

I'm proud to say they are doing great.

I'm planning to put in a pet door when money permits.

Yes but when I've explained housetraining, I've gotten responses like - "I have to WAKE UP in the middle of the night and take my dog out?" and "What if it's raining?" Is this just a small dog thing? People who get Labs just assume they are going to be outside trained. Are Yorkies different because the messes are smaller? Or because you have to let them out more often until they are full grown? Or am I missing something?

The problem is that when you teach your dog it's good to go on pads, in the house, you are teaching them that it's OK to go in the house. The inside/outside distinction is easier for them. I know people have all sorts of reasons they like their pads and that's fine as long as it works for them. I personally feel it's a compromise, not an ideal solution. JMO. Most people on here seem to disagree with me.

autism mommy I am NOT picking on you or anyone. You are just trying to get information. I just think I am just seeing a pattern here (on YT) and I'm wondering why. Why don't you explain a little more what your situation is, your needs, your expectations, etc for housetraining. That will help us respond is a more specific way.

In my situation I want a little dog like a yorkie and one that is easier for people with allergies (like myself) which the yorkie seems to be. It seems the downfall is that they can't hold it for as long as a larger dog like you mentioned--a lab. So, how do we that have to work outside the home, have a little dog like a yorkie and effectively potty train them? a pee pad??

I would much rather have my yorkie trained just for outside. I come home at lunch to let her out of her crate. She has usually made it this long without going in the crate. I do not feed her while I'm home during the lunch hour, but when I get home at 5 she has usually pooped and peed in the crate. It is tiring to have to give baths constantly as she steps in the pee and poop. In my opinion this is why people try pee pads. ( although I haven't had real good luck with these either, as she wants to chew, rip and play with them) . What a challenge. I had a lab once that I had to find a new home for because I was so allergic to her, but she was soooo much easier to train. It seemed like she just trained herself.

If you use pads in that situation, don't encourage them to use the pads - just confine them to an x-pen and clean up the mess and potty train when you are home. When they are old enough to hold it, confine them to a smaller space and remove the pads for good.

I too was limited to Yorkies because of my allergies. I have trouble with poodles and bichons and the other breeds people say are hypo-allergenic. A friend has Yorkies and I was always OK at her house. Anyway, Loki can hold it fine 5 hours in his crate now that he is older - a year and a half. If you are doing the run home at lunch thing, try taking the pup for a walk to make sure they pee several times and poop. Loki ALWAYS poops on his walk even if he goes in the yard before we leave. I carry multiple poop bags. If we need to go out for a long time we always walk him first to make sure he is "empty".

We also love doggie daycare. Once a week or every other week with the trainer and a group of dogs wears him out so much that a few hours of activity in the evenings the rest of the week is enough. In fact, Loki went last week and today I went to put his car harness on him and he just ran to his crate - like "Nope mom, I'm tired... I'm staying home and taking a nap" And he loves the car. He just wasn't interested in going anywhere today. I love doggie daycare!! The reason your pup is peeing and pooping in the second half of the day is probably that she's not sleeping. I bet she sleeps all morning and then is bored in the afternoon and doesn't sleep as much. They are able to hold it in their crates so well because they are asleep. :-) Try tiring her out more and you'll have better luck I promise. And age really does help a LOT!

Just look at some of the other posts just from today. One person said their dog is peeing on their wall by lifting his leg near the pee pad. Another said something like - my dog is pee pad trained although he prefers my couch leg. I mean, come on. Loki has an accident like twice in the last 6 months. He had one a few weeks ago because he came downstairs in the middle of the night and rang his bell and no one let him out. (I must not have heard him or thought I was dreaming. Normally I hear the bells, they are loud! Or he jumps on me and then runs downstairs.) I'll take pee on the tile by the door once every few months to cleaning up a pee pad (or the carpet) every day because my dog thinks it's OK to pee in the house.

Well what im thinking is this I have a 6 month old cocker s. he does pretty good with the potty outside I dont use pads with him at all. I was thinking if I took them both out at the same time would it be confusing to them? Will they want to play instead of pee? Pluse Ive never had a dog this small so Im thinking will she wanna go in the snow?plus ive had one near her crate just in case and she will go on it so I thouight it would be eaiser. Not in a lazy was becouse I take my cocker out but less confusing. also my cocker hummer can hold it in his crate all night no problem. But will molly since shes a small breed?

Maybe you are a very lucky person and got a yorkie that was easy to train, does not mind going out in the cold and the rain and you have time to go home at noon to let it outside. Maybe you don't live in the country where wild critters and birds of prey roam at night lurking in the dark to eat your little guys.

Maybe other people live in apartments and taking them out means a ride down the elevator and a 5 block walk to a park in the middle of the night in the cold and rain.

I have trained mine to do both so when I leave home I do not have to come back and clean up a mess. They also go outside, in fact they seem to prefer to go outside, but they have not started asking to go out yet. And maybe eventually when I can afford a doggie door, I will eliminate the pee pad box.

When one asks for advice they do not want to be critiqued. They just want to learn the pros and cons so they can make their own decision to suit their individual life style.

Congratulations on having the best trained dog on YT. But don't too be shocked when one day you see him lift his leg on the corner of your sofa.

I really appreciate your comments. Your feelings about the pee pads are issues that I have feared like peeing on my rugs and not being able to take her to other people's houses without fearing her peeing on rugs or carpet. I have done a lot of reading and most of the authors have the same view point as you--the house is off limits for peeing and pooping. This makes sense. Like I said earlier, it is just frustrating when they just don't seem to be getting that concept. I have tried everything I can think of. I can't tell you how many times I've thought---Oh I give up, she is never going to get this!! She is 7 months old now and I know, I've been told not to expect much until they are about a year.

Can I ask your opinion on the crate size? I have tried 2 different crates with her. One of them is a very small crate--big enough for her to turn around and lay down and stretch out a bit. The other crate is probably twice that size-room to move around a bit. When I used the smaller crate she stunk all the time because she would end up laying in the pee and stepping on the poop. I felt like this was cruel when she couldn't hold it while I was gone so I started using a bigger crate. This crate she can at least not have to lay in it although I know the purpose of the crate is to have it small and keep her from going in it. I guess it boils down to the fact that she isn't able to hold it for me all afternoon. ( I will try to tire her out a little more at lunch like you mentioned in your other post). Soooo, which crate or where should I put her when I'm at work-the big or the little? or should I use an exercise pen? With or without a pad? I just wish I could take her with. There are no doggie daycares here.
Thanks so much in advance. I have really wanted someone's opinion that just outside trains their pups.

Having an older dog train a younger one seems to work fine. I don't think it will confuse them. We don't have a fenced yard, so we take Loki out on a leash (I usually just use a flexi retractable and stand on the porch.) That focuses him on doing what he needs to do. He knows that when I put his short nylon lead on we're going for a walk or in the car or whatever. So he has learned the routine. With the leash you are right there to praise them when they go and stop them from getting too distracted! Soon they become much more independent and figure out that they are out there to pee, and they hurry up to get that treat!

As for snow, we shovel the yard if it gets more than a few inches deep. He only needs like a 5x5ft square. I throw Loki's jacket on him so his belly doesn't get wet - although then he just spends more time out there! We just wipe his paws off when he comes back. For bad snowstorms we keep a blowdryer by the door just in case. The first couple of times he saw snow he was like WTF? But my husband went out there and played with him in the snow and he figured out it was fun.

For sleeping through the night - it takes a while but they do it. We went through the crying in the crate but he figured that out quickly. I would just set an alarm at like 2am to let him out. Sometimes I'd let him sleep with us for the second half. Then he would be able to hold it 7-8 hours and I'd let him out as soon as I got up for work. Finally when he would sleep through the night. Now he looks at me when I get up at 6am and goes back under the covers. I let him sleep in until he goes and rings his bell to go out. You just need to remember that their bladders are tiny. Take her out when you take your cocker out. She'll get the hang of it, and soon she won't have to go as often. (And there will be accidents in between. It just happens.) Loki goes outside every 1-2 hours but he probably drinks 3 times as much water as he should. On a day where he drinks the normal amount he goes out every 2-3 hours. Also, even in the last month or two I've noticed he's holding it longer. They say their little bladders don't fully mature until 2 years old.

How old is your little pup?

JeanieK I'm not criticizing people's decisions. If you make a choice to use pads then that's fine. I'm just observing a mentality on here that Yorkies are impossible to housetrain so people give up and use pads. Based on what I've read in training books and learned from the trainer, they aren't the ideal solution for the dog. Maybe for the human, but nature tells dogs to pee outside. They can be trained otherwise, but it's harder to make that distinction. Yorkies are DIFFICULT. They are small. Housetraining takes a long time with a lot of mistakes. Loki was a nightmare to housetrain. But we persisted, read books about what to do better and signed up for training classes (not for the housetraining, but because he was a terror in general!) Training has focused his energy, and we still do it because he is still a monster in some ways so we have a lot to work on and it's fun. He wasn't fully housetrained until he was a year old, and even then we watched him constantly. Only in the past 4-5 months have I been able to totally trust him. A year of constant hard work paid off. The thing is, that once they do get the bladder control - then they already know what to do and it just clicks.

And Loki doesn't LIKE the rain. He tolerates it because he gets a yummy treat. :D Now he's so fast he doesn't even get wet. :animal-pa

She'll get it! 7 months is right on the edge. I know they go days without mistakes and then BOOM right there. But it will happen!!

This is just my opinion, but if she's not able to hold it in the afternoon then you'll need to confine her in something like an ex-pen. Put it on tile, obviously, because when they are little for some reason they love to pee on the carpet! If you think she'll use the pad, you can try it. Just don't encourage the pad. I also worry that she might get used to it and mistake other things for the pad. Maybe give her another month and then try the crate in the afternoon again.

I've discovered that the pee doesn't bother them as much as the poop. If Loki would pee in his crate and sleep in it. If he accidentally pooped in his crate he would SCREAM to be let out to get cleaned up right away. He would stand as far away from it as possible. So I honestly think the crate is more for the pooping.

Changing the size of the crate probably won't matter, since you already used the smallest size. Most likely she couldn't hold it, the crate probably wasn't too big. Loki has a big crate he can stretch out in, but only after he was fully crate trained was he allowed to move into his big crate. I also got him a bigger one because when we are gone we tend to be gone for a few hours, whereas with the actual crate training they tend to be in there for shorter periods at a time. (Also, they will be crate trained before they are fully housetrained!)

Are you putting a blanket in the crate? We found out quickly Loki would pee on his blanket but hold it if there was no blanket. Nothing to absorb... It's not forever, just long enough to break the habit. Loki has a coolpad (like a doggie waterbed!) and a comforter in his crate... spoiled.

Also, I'm thinking maybe you should change when you feed her. Maybe feed her less in the morning and then feed her at lunch time. Time how long it takes before she poops if you can. Loki always needs to poop right around the same time he eats - within 15 mins of eating he needs to go out. Some dogs may go 4 hours after they eat! So maybe changing when she eats her biggest meal may help???

Jeanie K, I appreciate your comment about living in the country. Although I understand where you are coming from, Erin. I was the one who posted the thread about my dog lifting his leg on the pee pad and peeing on the wall. I don't live in the country, exactly, but my property backs to federal forest which is full of owls, hawks, buzzards, snakes, & you name it. A girlfriend of mine, who lives nearby, called me recently in a panic because a flyer was put in all the mailboxes in her community advising that a small maltese was picked up by a hawk as her human mother sat right there on the porch. This is the second such story that I've heard in my county. Also, I have a girlfriend who used to have a yorki-poo, until it was stolen from her yard. Everyone knows how loveable & easy to steal this babies are.

I do think that it is a personal choice. I would just rather find a cure to leg lifting on a pee pad, than to have my dog taken from me whether by critter or another person. And yes, I am a worry wort & overprotective.

Also, as far as traveling..... I carry a pee pad with me. Since Snickers doesn't understand 'going outside', I just lay out the pad & say his command ('hurry'). I've done this with him on a leash in a parking lot while shopping & in the vet's bathroom just to name a few places. Those command words work like a charm. Snickers has not yet confused my bathroom rugs with his pee pads....Let's keep hoping he doesn't!

Our Holly is trained to go outside and on the pee pad. She usually gets up at around 7 in the morning and goes pee and poop on the pad, then she comes back to bed. Most days she can hold it in until we get home from work, around 6 hours or so.
Except for the morning - she will let us know when she has to go. Sometimes we have a hard time figuring out if she wants to play or she has to go potty. In that case she'll just go on the pad. We do prefer when she goes outside, but it's nice to have the pad as a backup.

Holly uses both. If I take her out every 3-4 hours she goes outside...if not she uses pee-pee pads. The pee-pee pads are also kept in her play area when we are at work since she cant hold it in for 8 hours. Do what is best for your baby and dont be discourage by what other people say:) . I use both and Holly isnt confused or etc. She knows to use both and does.

I forgot her pee-pee pads are in her litter box, so she uses them in there.

find something distinctive
 

I don't know if I believe what all the trainers say about how it is bad to let your dog "go" in the house because they think it is okay. Cats are trained to "go" in thehouse and have no problems. I think the thing is (and I am working on this now too) is that you have to have something distinctive so that they "know" that "this" is the only place they are allowed to go. For example; litter boxes or a pad in a container or something that feels or looks quite different so that IF they don't see it...hmmm...I cant just go anywhere. I think also that you can train a dog, when you are home, to ask to go out so that they are aware of the differences and what to do if they don't see what they need to pee on.
I am NOT an expert trainer and am trying to decide how I feel about this as well.
I've met many dogs who were outdoor trained since pups and still had accidents in the house. I myself had a yorkie before who was trained so well to go outside, that he would hold it forever...and at times...because I have a weird schedule...I thought that was awful that he had to wait...although only in rare cases because I didn't make a habit of leaving him alone for long periods of time.
Anyways, my point...even though my dog was SO well trained to go outside...when we went to new houses (which we did A LOT) I still had to worry about him having an accident...and sometimes he would pee when we first walked in. Once he knew where the door was...he was fine...but I would think that if they knew "not" to go in the house...it would apply to any house.
I think you can train a dog to do whatever you want...but you have to really work on it and decide what it is you want. I know people who have trained their dogs to go on a pee pad in the tub at hotels.
Suzie

Doggie Litter?
 

I don't yet have my new baby but am doing lots of reading trying to educate myself. I had already planned on trying to train her both on pee pads or a litter box and outside, so there is a backup plan if I can't be here to take her out. I have several cats so I am used to the litterbox routine. The cats are indoor only. I personally don't see the difference between having an indoor only cat and an indoor only dog as far as the elimination routine goes. I live in a rainy climate so I don't want my baby outside getting wet and chilled any more than is necessary. I certainly don't want to be blow drying her at 2 am. Call me lazy if you will. I am looking for a balance here, that's all. Has anyone here tried the doggie litter made of paper pellets? Is a Yorkie pup too young to be trained to use the litter? Might she try to eat the pellets? Would newspaper in the litter box work just as well as the doggie litter? Are the pee pads biodegradable? Thanks for any info you can give.

Well I am lazy:wavey: and didn't want to walk a dog all the time in the rain, snow etc., so Brutus only goes on pee pads in the laundry room. He's 1 1/2 and doesn't go anywhere else in the house except on his pads. He's funny because even if I have him outside he won't go. He holds it until we get in the house!

This works for me and I'm happy with the arrangement.

I'm new on here and I was reading a few posts in this section. I'm using pee pads cause I don't want to get up in the middle of the night. I have a hard enough time falling asleep let alone being woke up a couple times. Pee pads work for me and I say do whats best for you and your dog. :)

I'm training Google with pee pads. It's not that I'm lazy, or don't take him outside--we go for walks every single day. But, it's better for me that he uses pee pads because if it's raining or snowing outside I don't want him exposed to the elements! I remove the pad as soon as I see that he's used it, so there's no smell involved and he doesn't feel the need to find a new place to go; and he's pretty good about going on it already. I work nights so I walk him when I come home in the morning (about 6:30 am) and when I wake up in the afternoon (about 3 pm) and he's so used to going inside, that he will not go potty outdoors--he's actually rushed back into the house so that he can go to the bathroom on his pee pad!

Great Job
 

Thats awsome!! :animal36

LOL not always awesome--we went to an ice cream place tonight, where you can eat your ice cream outside. I forgot to bring a pee pad with me. He hung out outside for about a half hour with us and other dog owners who brought their pups for an evening outside. He got really agitated and excited when the fireworks started a few blocks away; we decided it was time to go and when we got to the car he hopped in and peed all over the back seat. yowies! But it wasn't his fault; it's mine, for forgetting the pee pad! When we got home he ran right inside and went straight for his pad and did #2. So at least he was a gentleman about not completely soiling my car. haha!

Hehe
 

Thats a yorkie for you, LOL!!

Input Please...
 

I have an 8 month old yorkie girl and I am getting ready to move into a new house. I have to say she isn't the best at potty training, but I take responsibility for maybe giving her too much freedom. Right now she goes inside on the pee pad and outside as well....she has many (as seems to be a pattern here) accidents in the house with no regard. I feel that it may be a good idea to make the transition to outside only when we move. What is the best way to go about this? She does have a crate although I do believe she needs a smaller one. (any recomendations on size? best place to purchase? price?) I gave up on the crate training because she was going in the crate again with no regard..I've heard this is because she had too much room. Should I stop with the pee pads immediately when we move and begin crate training? If so, I do work 8 hour days and can't come home during the day. Is she old enough to hold it that long? Sorry to carry on so long, but I'm moving into a brand new home and don't want my precious pup to destroy it. I love her dearly....but we need help!!! Thanks in advance.

Potty Train
 

Hi there, I live in an apartment with 3 dogs. Yes, you read that right. LOL The apartment is a 3 bedroom and the dogs actually have their own room. It's just me and my fiancee and them. I have a pekingese (male) and two female yorkies. My pekingese potties outside 3x a day and is wonderful. (no accidents ever) However, were getting married soon and will be moving to our new home and I know exactly where your coming from. My yorkie girls still have accidents here and there. I tried crate training and it didn't work for me. I then would confine them in a small carrier because the crate I believe was too big. It made no difference. They would both potty where they slept. Anyways, they for the most part will use the pads but the one sniffs and then pees. She doesnt realize she isn't on the pad. They aren't very old (10 mths and 14 mths) so I only hope after some more time they will get better. I plan to train them to go out but to also use the pad if they need to when I'm not home. I would try to confine your little one to the area where the door is that you would be using to take him out. Dont give the freedom of the house. Maybe a big playpen with toys and food in it could help to confine your baby. I wish you all the luck. If you find out any good ideas on what to do with them, please post. LOL Thanks

Hello, I'm new
 

Hello Everyone,

My girlfriend and I just purchased a Yorkie Pup who is four months old. I'm not sure if I'm going to get hate mail for this but we both work during the day and were told to Kennel train our dog in order to house brake him. Is leaving our Yorkie in his kennel for 8 hours too long for such a small dog to hold his excrements. We are both new to owning a dog and know that a Yorkie is going to be a lot of work, but we fell in love with him the moment we saw him. Is it better to train him for outdoor use or indoor pads? How do I get him to go outside when I take him? How much should he be eating at each sitting? Are there any tips to stop him from barking and whining when he is in his Kennel? Please help me...I really want to be a good pet owner, i just don't really know what I'm doing right now. Thanks.

TG

Hello all! I am loving this thread... It is a great encouragement and reminder to STICK IT OUT! It does get better! LOL!

Our first two were trained to go outside and only outside. They were a year old till they were completely trustworthy. And they were(Tobey's gone :( )/are COMPLETELY trustworthy! It took TONS of work, time, and anxiety! Now with Josie, our third Yorkie who is 14 wekks old, we are trying Potty Pads. I am thrilled with them. We plan to eventually train her to only go outside. For now, I take her outside (although she doesn't like the grass to tickle her belly!) when I am sure she has to go and use the potty pads to prevent accidents. It is working wonderful. These little Yorkies just can't seem to hold it. When they have to go, they have to go NOW! There is no way I can anticipate when she's gonna decide she's gotta go and our others didn't figure out how to let us know they needed to go outside until they were a year old. We had to constantly watch them, and still they could pee faster than we could scoop them up and take them out when they started doing their little sniff and spin thing. So far, Josie has been doing great with the potty pads. She had a few accidents, but we started giving her a treat every time she ran to the pad and went. Boy! That did it! She'll run over there and pretend to go so she gets a treat! Now I have to check for the wet spot! :rolleyes: What a goof! We took her on a trip with us and she didn't have a single off-pad accident. Our friends were great and let us put the potty pads down... Even on the carpet in the room we stayed in! Not a single accident!

Hope I didn't go on too much! But this is a fun, although perplexing, topic to chat about with other sympathizers!!!!! Enjoy your babies - they will grow up!!!:yelrotflm