To neuter or not!

[lanicha]

Harlem is 3 months. He pees on the floor sometimes and we constantly have to clean up the bathroom floor where we keep him. The house is starting to smell like dog because of one too many pee stains on the carpet. (Two part question) What's the best cleaning product for cleaning up pee and poop? Also, my dad said that it's going to get worse when he starts to mark everything when he's in heat and that I should get him neutered. I am scared of that. I would like for him to be used in breeding at some point but I don't want a dog smelling house forever. Dad said that it's almost impossible to get that smell out of the carpet. Any suggestions and at what age is neutering suggested?

[maybeiloveyou]

Neutering is recommended before 1 year of age usually, most people get it done around 5-7months of age.

Dogs don't come in "heat", only bitches do. So he'd be peeing/marking territory constantly. When dogs become sexually mature their pee starts to smell REALLY bad.

You can buy belly bands, which will solve this problem. It's just no fun changing pads full of pee all day, but if you want to use him for breeding I think that's what you have to do!

[connie777]

First...male dogs don't go into heat. Only female dogs go into "heat".
An very good product for cleaning the urine, vomit and poo is Nature's Miracle. It's a liquid and available at PetSmart and many other places. I think I even bought it once at Home Depot or Menard's. Not sold at Walmart. Follow the directions on the bottle.
I had my puppy Bentley neutered at about 6 months of age. His father is an AKC Yorkshire but his mother was Yorkie and 25% s**tzu so i did not plan to breed him.
I had him neutered because i wanted to calm down his macho attitude a bit. And i didn't want him to start the "leg lifting" 9marking) around the house. When I took him to have his nail clipped at about 5 months of age he became so ferocious and nasty...even with two people and a muzzle the job could not be done. The groomer suggested he'd probably be more agreeable after he's neutered. Though he was always a sweetie and very nice except for nail clipping.
Anyway...I understand it is better for the health of the dog to be neutered unless you are planning to breed him.
Nature's Miracle is really the best odor treatment.
Do you have puppy pads in the bathroom for him?
I found puppy pads slowed down our housebreaking and I regretted using them. Because allowing a pad is the same as telling the dog to pee in the house. It felt like I was rewarding him for peeing on the pad. But in his mind he didn't know that and probably thought I was rewarding him just for peeing.
I have been able to get him trained without the pads now. But while I was using them...I ended up placing pads in several places. If he peed on the floor (or pooped) I would immediately use the Nature's Miracle on the spot. Then I'd put a puppy pad there as well. And I watched him closely. If I caught him about to pee...I'd take him out fast...or if it was not able to take him out...I'd put him onthe pad.
I suggest:to take him outside more often to prevent the mistakes in the bathroom. He's only 3 months...so he can't hold it like a big boy yet.
Good luck

[lanicha]

Thanks Connie. I will get the Nature's Miracle as soon as I can. Unfortunately, I would like to have a yorkie that is kinda self suffiecient and can be able to use the pads on his own so that we don't have to worry about him when we are out. My goal is to have a yorkie that doesn't potty outside. i just don't want him to go out and get dirty or get on the ground period. I know that is impossible but I would like for him to go on the pads. Thanks for explaining everything and I think I may have him neutered after all. For the sake of owning a great smelling home one day!

[lanicha]

Thanks for the info. Is it real surgery?

[Olivier]

Mine go on the pads and outside too . I don't really believe that pee pads slow down potty training .

[Yorkieluv]

If you don't want your dog to mark all over your house, you need to get him neutered. My yorkie was neutered and he doesn't mark in the house at all. My mom hasn't neutered her maltese/shih-tzu yet, and he does mark everywhere, but he will be getting neutered very soon. I don't know if it will be too late to stop the marking, but she wants him neutered anyway. My aunt's yorkie was never neutered and he marks all the time!! Neutering is real surgery, but if your vet does the laser surgery, it helps with the healing time and everything Just ask your vet to use gas anesthesia instead of injectable anesthesia. Gas anesthesia is safer and the dogs come out of it much quicker.
Our dogs are trained to go on the pads and outside. They mostly go on the pads, but they know that they can go potty outside on the grass also.

[connie777]

Neutering is surgery. But it is far less problematic than spaying a female. because with a female they actually have to open the body and remove ovaries (may uterus?) I don't know about that.
With neuter a male the testicles are just removed.
Bentley had that done around 6 mos of age...though I hear it can be done earlier. Mao vet prefers to wait until the dogs puppy teeth are out and new teeth are in.
I live in the country and the vet I used come to town on the first and third wednesday of each month. We have other vets as well. I choose the vet who charges $85.00 rather than the one who charges $160.00.
I brought Bentley to his office att 9:00 ANM...and picked him up at 3:00 PM.
he was awake but still groggy from the medication he received.
I brought him home and he slept most of the evening.
When he was awake he was a bit stumbly on his feet...but he could walk.
He appeared to be a bit uncomfortable so I gave him one half of a baby aspirin.
By the next morning he was romping about and I I had to try to keep him from jumping on things.
The area of the incision was closed with stitches. It was swollen at first...as the vet said it would be.
There was no problem whatsoever.
Neutering is quite a simple operation.
He never started marking. Ar 6 months he was just starting to raise his leg to pee. He still raises it sometimes...but usually does not.
He's very good about holding it now...and I can leave the house as long as 7 hours without him having an accident. maybe longer...but I have never needed to be gone longer. If I need to be gone very long I take him to my daughter's or have her stop over to let him in and out.
I have pad available...but only put them down if I know I will be gone quite a long time....like all afternoon.
He was doing perfect for about the last 5 months ...(up to age 11 months) Then I changed the arrangement of some furniture in the living room...and he suddenly decided to poop behind a certain chair. Then one day he looked right at me...squatted and peed on the rug!!!!
I made a big deal about it...and put him outside. I sopped it up...put on some Nature's Miracle...and put out a puppy pad (like returning to diapers!). That problem only lasted a day or two.. He's now doing very well again ..... going outside 100%.
I notice that in the morning...if I try to ignore him too long (like I don't want to get up yet).....that's when he may give up....and dump on the floor. So if he acts like he need to go....out he goes.
if I let him out around 10:00PM he won't need to go out again till 7:00 or 7:30 AM.
I think if you want the dog totally self sufficient...not needing to go out....I'd try litter training with the paper pellets they use for dogs (and I think rabbits.) I think it would be less expensive to buy large quantities...like for rabbits. Not the $15.00 bad at PetCo.
It looks like person with the cat door to the garage and a safe area is a great idea.

[connie777]

sorry...when i read over my own posts i always see silly typo errors that the spell checker missed...oh well.....that's what I get for being a two fingered typist who watches my hands rather than the screen.
Sometimes Bentley is stepping on the keys as well
Well....I guess the basic idea gets across..

[connie777]

Originally Posted by Olivier

Mine go on the pads and outside too . I don't really believe that pee pads slow down potty training .

You are right...the slowing down of training might just have been my experience.
And the pads did play an important part in the process.
I think that the basic idea of the pads is...not as a stop gap or step in trauing. Instead it's either..train to the pad or tain to the outside or train to a litter box.
Trying to have 2 or 3 places available will likely confuse a young dog.
I eventually felt the my was getting congratulated for being a "good boy" when he used the pad AND when he went out. Soon he didn't know what the congrats were for.
But..I'm glad I still kept some pads on hand in the house...because in the lousy winter snow...I didn't relish letting him out at 15 below with the wind blowing.

One of my problems in the first months was Bentley refused to step on wet grass when he was really small. And in the house he would ONLY pee on the carpet. If I put him a room wuith a waterproof floor (kitchen, laundry or bathroom) with newspaper on the floor...he would not go,
His favorite substrate was carpet or grass! Butit had to be dry grass
He never once wet pooped on the hard floors of the house...or on pavement.
When snow came...fortunately he didn't mind going on that.
By the time grass came again this Spring...he was taller and does not mind stepping in wet morning grass.

[twalla]

Sam got fixed at 5 mos old. He is still a squatter and I hope he stays that way.....

[JeanieK]

You can train a dog to go exclusively on pee pads. but don't expect miracles at 3 months.

And if you have any hope of getting him trained, start by confining him to a smaller area until he knows what the pee pads are for.

Once he gets in the habit of pottying any where and every where, it will be a lot more difficult to retrain him.

[SJK1113]

Originally Posted by Olivier

Mine go on the pads and outside too . I don't really believe that pee pads slow down potty training .

I agree. I use pee pads for Jake, and he rarely has an accident. He will go on pads and outside. I got Jake in Sept. and he was so tiny that I didn't want to take him outside in the winter. So, I used the pads and he caught on to that really quickly. Once the weather got warmer, I started taking him out to play, and he has learned to potty outside as well. I think the pads are great for these small dogs. I live in Ohio where we have some pretty rough winters sometimes and LOTS of snow and cold temps, and I'd prefer not to take Jake out in that if I can avoid it.