Advice on Potty training - YorkieTalk.com Forums

Daisy42706 · 09-21-2006, 06:35 AM

I have had my baby since 7/8/06, she was about 2 months old. I tried potty training her..but then we had to move in August..Then early September my husband and I went on vacation..and left daisy with my mom. So I understand that us moving and not being home made an impact of her not being trained already! She will be 5 months old next week...and I need advice on how to train her. So far we are trying to keep her on a schedule..

1. Take her out as soon as we wake up...(but she has already pooped/pee in her crate) to pee..then she eats.
2. After she eats we put her back in her clean crate..while we get ready for work.
3. Before I leave I take her out once more..she only goes pee.
4. Then my husband comes home for lunch and takes her out..all she does is pee.
5. We get home from work and she has pooped/pee in her crate again. Then we automatically take her out regardless.
6. She comes back in and eats
7. 1 hour to 2 hours later we take her out and she poops/pee outside.
8. then we go to bed around 10pm..she sleeps through the night..then we do it all over agiain.

**What are we doing wrong?

I am also slowly trying to get her used to getting her hair brushed..right now she hates it. But we do it about 10 mins per day...same with her teeth

We are also going to enroll her in a puppy obiedience class
HELP!!

Daisy42706 · 09-21-2006, 10:54 AM

I would apprciate any suggestion/advice..I am new to this site and in desperate need!

Ladylavender · 09-21-2006, 11:53 AM

1. How big is the crate compared to her body? If she is able to poo and pee in a corner of the crate and move over to a dry area, you need to make the crate smaller. You may have to block the back of the crate with boxes or containers so that she cannot get to it. You need to make the crate space only big enough for her to stand up, turn around and lay down.
2. She obviously is not sleeping thru the night if you are waking up in the a.m. to poo and pee in the crate. Soooo, you may need to wake yourself up in the middle of the night to let her out. However, if you make her crate smaller, she will probably whine to be let out anyway. However, if she is not whining and her crate is small enough, you are going to have to set an alarm. If she can be in the crate 4 hours during the day without messing in it, then you need to set your alarm for 4 hours from when you go to bed.
3. When you are home, is she out of the crate? If she is, you need to limit her to one room only and you must keep an eye on her at all times. You probably should be taking her outside every hour on the hour until she gets the hang of asking to go out. Puppies will usually have to go that much. If you cannot keep your eye on her, then you need to put her back in the crate, x-pen or have her leashed to you for the time you are busy. Then when you take her out of the crate or x-pen, (when you can watch her again) take her out immediately. You should only progress her to other rooms when she is fully house broken.
4. Everything else you are doing is what you should be doing.
5. You must keep this routine up until she is house broken. Even when you are tired and don't feel like it after a hard day at work. You must never let up! Consistency is the key.

As far as the hair is concerned, what you are combing thru is the puppy hair and that gets tangled alot and it is hard to comb thru. Once my Millie was groomed, for the 1st time and they cut off some of the puppy hair, it was much more manageable and easier to comb thru and Millie did not put of such a fuss. But you need to keep up the 10 minute combing everyday. After a while they get used to it and will tolerate so much better. I know Millie does and she used to Hate, Hate, Hate it!

good luck

Lacy's Mom · 09-21-2006, 11:54 AM

Sounds like you're doing everything right. Don't know why she is pooping before bed, but then pooping again during the night.

Pooping can be stimulated by a vigorous walk - so maybe at lunchtime you could do this, but it doesn't sound like you are coming home from work with poo?

Here's the match trick:
You insert the non-sulfur end of a soft match from a book not a stick. Some people use it to train their puppy so they don't have to wait -never tried it myself.

Ok, so what is this trick, you ask? First, get yourself a book of matches. They need to be the soft kind that you rip out of a book. Second, rip off a match. Third, this is where it gets weird; insert the NON-sulfur side, or the torn side, into your dog's rear end. DO NOT LIGHT THE MATCH! I think that goes without saying, but believe me, I have fielded that question before. Insert the match about halfway into the backside of your dog and let the rest hang out. Any further and it could go all the way inside and that would be bad news. Now wait. The match is going to be an irritating feeling for your dog. Your dog is going to want to get rid of that feeling. To get rid of it your dog will squat to try and push it out. In the process of pushing out the match your dog will make a bowel movement and voila! Mission accomplished.

The only reason for using a match is because it is the right size and has a soft texture.

As far as the urine goes she really should be able to hold it according to the times you are giving. I really prefer to have the crate opened in a gated pen with a pee pad area so they can go when they want. If you feel she is going too frequently (doesn't sound like it from what you have said) she could possibly have a bladder infection - a urine sample taken to the vet will show this easily enough.

Ladylavender · 09-21-2006, 12:02 PM

Oh forgot to add:

How are you feeding her? If you are free feeding I would stop that for the time being. You need to get her on a feeding schedule so you can pretty much calculate when she will need to go poo. I fed Millie in the a.m (before work) and in the p.m after work. She would have to go poop in the morning when she got up and in the pm after we got back from work. Only 2 times a day.

Do not feed her while you are at work and no water in the crate while you are at work. This should limit her peeing.
Otherwise water should be given to her freely while you are at home.

I agree with the long walks. We took Millie for a long walk before we went to work and after we got back from work. Walking does help stimulate the bowels. Also she would pee at least 2-3 times on her walk in the afternoon when we got back from work.

And no water after 8pm. That gives enough time for all the water to work thru her system before 10pm and she should do better at night.

Daisy42706 · 09-21-2006, 12:43 PM

The crate is pretty big for her..but she doesn't go in one corner and lay in the other..she goes all over the place and as soon as she sees one of us she decides to jump right on the poop!

When we are home she is out of the crate and able to be in the living, dining rooms, and kitchen..I have no choice because my condo is open like that. But she is not able to go into the bedrooms or bathrooms.

About feeding..We feed her twice a day. Once before we leave for work and then when we come home. I am going to try the no water trick..but the match thing is something new..I have never heard of it!

Jaxon's mom · 09-21-2006, 01:06 PM

Maybe try adjusting the times you feed her? You should be able to figure out approximately when she's pooping and how long after she eats that it happens. My mom's dog Maltese is very routine - she eats and then within an hour she poops. Unfortunately Jaxon isn't like that - he poops first thing in the morning and then again between 4:30 and 6pm. No where near when we feed him.

With the brushing, just keep it up. Jaxon is almost a year and he's JUST getting better with brushing. It has always been a struggle and he'll only tolerate it for a little while.

Daisy42706 · 09-21-2006, 01:25 PM

Thanks everyone for all your advice and help!! I really appreciate it! I will be working on her!!

doortego · 09-21-2006, 01:37 PM

Is it okay to stop the free feeding even if your 5 month old weighs only 3 pounds? Thanks

Lacy's Mom · 09-21-2006, 01:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by doortego

Is it okay to stop the free feeding even if your 5 month old weighs only 3 pounds? Thanks

I wouldn't say you have to free feed (but I probably would), but you would have to feed a minimum of 3 times a day, preferably 4 if she is just barely 3 pounds and not close to 4.

Ladylavender · 09-22-2006, 04:17 AM

I only fed Millie 2 x a day and she was under 3 lbs at 5 months old. She did well with that. 3 lbs seems small and fragile, but Millie may have been small, but never sickly or fragile. She was pretty hearty. So I never worried about her. At 5 months old they can go from 3 feedings to 2. (If healthy and no history of glycemic episodes).

Also, If you can't limit the space that your dog has access too, and cannot watch her every second, I would invest in an x-pen or tether her to you so that she is by your side at all times.

Daisy42706 · 09-22-2006, 06:36 AM

I feed Daisy twice a day..she will be 5 months old next week..and she weighs about 2lbs 10oz..is that too small?

SweetCuteness · 09-22-2006, 07:52 AM

I am so glad that I'm not the only one having huge problems potty training my furbaby... my little guy is 4 months old (17 weeks). We've had him since he was 9 weeks old. He's in his crate at night, but we leave him in the gated laundry room during the day because I didn't want to leave him without food or water for 8 hours. He only weighs 2.3 lbs so I don't want him to go hypoglycemic. He always pees in his crate... usually poops but not always.

I noticed that someone mentioned above to leave the puppy in the crate with no water during the day as well. Is that okay to do? I've always read that they should always have access to water.

I don't want to do anything that will make him sick (like withhold food/water), but I guess I need to change something because it's SO frustrating! We just enrolled him in the Puppy training class at PetSmart last night... every trainer I've ever spoken to there has been incredibly knowledeable and very friendly. I'll have to keep everyone posted on how it turns out - cuz I definitely have a very stubborn little guy on my hands!!

Daisy42706 · 09-22-2006, 08:06 AM

TO SWEETCUTENESS...

As much as it hurts me leaving her w/out water..I did last night..I stopped give her water at 8pm..and all night. This morning there wasn't as much pee as usual. She ate and drank fine this morning. So no water today either until my husband comes home during lunch. I haven't figured out yet how to put her pictures up..but my baby girl is EXACTLY one month older than your baby!!

trixiesmith · 09-22-2006, 11:09 AM

This information is all so good! I too am having soooo much trouble potty training my 14 & 17 week old pup.

If I get an Xpen and put potty pads in. Do they automatically go over to the potty pads? Or do you have to teach them that also. If this is a stupid question, please forgive my ignorance.

09-21-2006, 06:35 AM	#1
Daisy42706 Yorkie Yakker Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Illinois Posts: 32	Advice on Potty training I have had my baby since 7/8/06, she was about 2 months old. I tried potty training her..but then we had to move in August..Then early September my husband and I went on vacation..and left daisy with my mom. So I understand that us moving and not being home made an impact of her not being trained already! She will be 5 months old next week...and I need advice on how to train her. So far we are trying to keep her on a schedule.. 1. Take her out as soon as we wake up...(but she has already pooped/pee in her crate) to pee..then she eats. 2. After she eats we put her back in her clean crate..while we get ready for work. 3. Before I leave I take her out once more..she only goes pee. 4. Then my husband comes home for lunch and takes her out..all she does is pee. 5. We get home from work and she has pooped/pee in her crate again. Then we automatically take her out regardless. 6. She comes back in and eats 7. 1 hour to 2 hours later we take her out and she poops/pee outside. 8. then we go to bed around 10pm..she sleeps through the night..then we do it all over agiain. **What are we doing wrong? I am also slowly trying to get her used to getting her hair brushed..right now she hates it. But we do it about 10 mins per day...same with her teeth We are also going to enroll her in a puppy obiedience class HELP!!

09-21-2006, 01:06 PM	#7
Jaxon's mom Love my handsome boys Donating Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Windham, NH Posts: 1,821	Maybe try adjusting the times you feed her? You should be able to figure out approximately when she's pooping and how long after she eats that it happens. My mom's dog Maltese is very routine - she eats and then within an hour she poops. Unfortunately Jaxon isn't like that - he poops first thing in the morning and then again between 4:30 and 6pm. No where near when we feed him. With the brushing, just keep it up. Jaxon is almost a year and he's JUST getting better with brushing. It has always been a struggle and he'll only tolerate it for a little while. __________________ Andrea , Jaxon & Andrew

09-22-2006, 07:52 AM	#13
SweetCuteness I <3 Ferdinand Donating Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Arizona Posts: 1,444	I am so glad that I'm not the only one having huge problems potty training my furbaby... my little guy is 4 months old (17 weeks). We've had him since he was 9 weeks old. He's in his crate at night, but we leave him in the gated laundry room during the day because I didn't want to leave him without food or water for 8 hours. He only weighs 2.3 lbs so I don't want him to go hypoglycemic. He always pees in his crate... usually poops but not always. I noticed that someone mentioned above to leave the puppy in the crate with no water during the day as well. Is that okay to do? I've always read that they should always have access to water. I don't want to do anything that will make him sick (like withhold food/water), but I guess I need to change something because it's SO frustrating! We just enrolled him in the Puppy training class at PetSmart last night... every trainer I've ever spoken to there has been incredibly knowledeable and very friendly. I'll have to keep everyone posted on how it turns out - cuz I definitely have a very stubborn little guy on my hands!! __________________ Britta ...and Ferdinand too

09-22-2006, 08:06 AM	#14
Daisy42706 Yorkie Yakker Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Illinois Posts: 32	TO SWEETCUTENESS... As much as it hurts me leaving her w/out water..I did last night..I stopped give her water at 8pm..and all night. This morning there wasn't as much pee as usual. She ate and drank fine this morning. So no water today either until my husband comes home during lunch. I haven't figured out yet how to put her pictures up..but my baby girl is EXACTLY one month older than your baby!! __________________ DAISY & SAMANTHA Daisy

09-21-2006, 10:54 AM	#2
Daisy42706 Yorkie Yakker Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Illinois Posts: 32	I would apprciate any suggestion/advice..I am new to this site and in desperate need!

09-21-2006, 11:53 AM	#3
Ladylavender YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Soddy Daisy, TN Posts: 733	1. How big is the crate compared to her body? If she is able to poo and pee in a corner of the crate and move over to a dry area, you need to make the crate smaller. You may have to block the back of the crate with boxes or containers so that she cannot get to it. You need to make the crate space only big enough for her to stand up, turn around and lay down. 2. She obviously is not sleeping thru the night if you are waking up in the a.m. to poo and pee in the crate. Soooo, you may need to wake yourself up in the middle of the night to let her out. However, if you make her crate smaller, she will probably whine to be let out anyway. However, if she is not whining and her crate is small enough, you are going to have to set an alarm. If she can be in the crate 4 hours during the day without messing in it, then you need to set your alarm for 4 hours from when you go to bed. 3. When you are home, is she out of the crate? If she is, you need to limit her to one room only and you must keep an eye on her at all times. You probably should be taking her outside every hour on the hour until she gets the hang of asking to go out. Puppies will usually have to go that much. If you cannot keep your eye on her, then you need to put her back in the crate, x-pen or have her leashed to you for the time you are busy. Then when you take her out of the crate or x-pen, (when you can watch her again) take her out immediately. You should only progress her to other rooms when she is fully house broken. 4. Everything else you are doing is what you should be doing. 5. You must keep this routine up until she is house broken. Even when you are tired and don't feel like it after a hard day at work. You must never let up! Consistency is the key. As far as the hair is concerned, what you are combing thru is the puppy hair and that gets tangled alot and it is hard to comb thru. Once my Millie was groomed, for the 1st time and they cut off some of the puppy hair, it was much more manageable and easier to comb thru and Millie did not put of such a fuss. But you need to keep up the 10 minute combing everyday. After a while they get used to it and will tolerate so much better. I know Millie does and she used to Hate, Hate, Hate it! good luck

09-21-2006, 11:54 AM	#4
Lacy's Mom YT 3000 Club Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: El Paso, Texas Posts: 3,065	Sounds like you're doing everything right. Don't know why she is pooping before bed, but then pooping again during the night. Pooping can be stimulated by a vigorous walk - so maybe at lunchtime you could do this, but it doesn't sound like you are coming home from work with poo? Here's the match trick: You insert the non-sulfur end of a soft match from a book not a stick. Some people use it to train their puppy so they don't have to wait -never tried it myself. Ok, so what is this trick, you ask? First, get yourself a book of matches. They need to be the soft kind that you rip out of a book. Second, rip off a match. Third, this is where it gets weird; insert the NON-sulfur side, or the torn side, into your dog's rear end. DO NOT LIGHT THE MATCH! I think that goes without saying, but believe me, I have fielded that question before. Insert the match about halfway into the backside of your dog and let the rest hang out. Any further and it could go all the way inside and that would be bad news. Now wait. The match is going to be an irritating feeling for your dog. Your dog is going to want to get rid of that feeling. To get rid of it your dog will squat to try and push it out. In the process of pushing out the match your dog will make a bowel movement and voila! Mission accomplished. The only reason for using a match is because it is the right size and has a soft texture. As far as the urine goes she really should be able to hold it according to the times you are giving. I really prefer to have the crate opened in a gated pen with a pee pad area so they can go when they want. If you feel she is going too frequently (doesn't sound like it from what you have said) she could possibly have a bladder infection - a urine sample taken to the vet will show this easily enough.

09-21-2006, 12:02 PM	#5
Ladylavender YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Soddy Daisy, TN Posts: 733	Oh forgot to add: How are you feeding her? If you are free feeding I would stop that for the time being. You need to get her on a feeding schedule so you can pretty much calculate when she will need to go poo. I fed Millie in the a.m (before work) and in the p.m after work. She would have to go poop in the morning when she got up and in the pm after we got back from work. Only 2 times a day. Do not feed her while you are at work and no water in the crate while you are at work. This should limit her peeing. Otherwise water should be given to her freely while you are at home. I agree with the long walks. We took Millie for a long walk before we went to work and after we got back from work. Walking does help stimulate the bowels. Also she would pee at least 2-3 times on her walk in the afternoon when we got back from work. And no water after 8pm. That gives enough time for all the water to work thru her system before 10pm and she should do better at night.

09-21-2006, 12:43 PM	#6
Daisy42706 Yorkie Yakker Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Illinois Posts: 32	The crate is pretty big for her..but she doesn't go in one corner and lay in the other..she goes all over the place and as soon as she sees one of us she decides to jump right on the poop! When we are home she is out of the crate and able to be in the living, dining rooms, and kitchen..I have no choice because my condo is open like that. But she is not able to go into the bedrooms or bathrooms. About feeding..We feed her twice a day. Once before we leave for work and then when we come home. I am going to try the no water trick..but the match thing is something new..I have never heard of it!

09-21-2006, 01:25 PM	#8
Daisy42706 Yorkie Yakker Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Illinois Posts: 32	Thanks everyone for all your advice and help!! I really appreciate it! I will be working on her!!

09-21-2006, 01:37 PM	#9
doortego Little Bit & Buttons Donating Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: US Posts: 2,160	Is it okay to stop the free feeding even if your 5 month old weighs only 3 pounds? Thanks

09-22-2006, 04:17 AM	#11
Ladylavender YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Soddy Daisy, TN Posts: 733	I only fed Millie 2 x a day and she was under 3 lbs at 5 months old. She did well with that. 3 lbs seems small and fragile, but Millie may have been small, but never sickly or fragile. She was pretty hearty. So I never worried about her. At 5 months old they can go from 3 feedings to 2. (If healthy and no history of glycemic episodes). Also, If you can't limit the space that your dog has access too, and cannot watch her every second, I would invest in an x-pen or tether her to you so that she is by your side at all times.

09-22-2006, 06:36 AM	#12
Daisy42706 Yorkie Yakker Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Illinois Posts: 32	I feed Daisy twice a day..she will be 5 months old next week..and she weighs about 2lbs 10oz..is that too small?

09-22-2006, 11:09 AM	#15
trixiesmith Donating Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Tulsa, Ok Posts: 274	This information is all so good! I too am having soooo much trouble potty training my 14 & 17 week old pup. If I get an Xpen and put potty pads in. Do they automatically go over to the potty pads? Or do you have to teach them that also. If this is a stupid question, please forgive my ignorance.