Piddle problems

[mrsdeere]

Quincey is almost 4 months old. He joined our family on Labor Day weekend. I am a stay at home mom and thought I could train him with no problems... Not so....

I tried an open top kennel when I was not at home and he jumped out. I tried the closed top kennel for night time (which he was supposedly accustomed to) and he opened it. I resorted to baby gates in the doorway of the kitchen. These lasted about 2 days and he jumped out and was without a piddle pad for about 4 hours, marking his territory all over the first level of the house. My husband modified the baby gates so it was more difficult for him to climb over but he has figured it out with a little help from our cats how to get out but not how to get back in.

I am getting very frustrated!!! I take him out in the morning for 10 to 20 minutes and he will do his business. When we come in he will travel the house with me as I get my son up and going for school and undoubtedly think he can urinate wherever he is. His favorite place to go is at the top of the stairs or in my living room. Unfortunately not every room in my house can be blocked off so I clean it up and walk him to the piddle pad by the door and show him where to go. I even went as far as putting a pad on the upper level of the house and he just looks at it and walks away and piddles elsewhere. I tried special treats for good behavior but I think he likes the attention he gets when he piddles on the carpet. I had to get rid of the rugs by my doors (and replace them with piddle pads) because he will simply walk over to them and pee without any warning he needs or wants to go outside.

Am I confusing him by taking him outside and having the piddle pads??? Will this settle down soon because this adorable little 3 lb. puppy has ruined the carpet in every room of the house.

[MyFairLacy]

This is why I don't like pee pad training. I think it just teaches the dog that its okay to go in the house and a lot of them get confused and will go whereever. I'd stick with taking him outside only, especially if you are home during the day. I'd also buy a wire crate and crate train him. When you take him out of the crate, immediately take him outside to potty. If he won't go, put him back in the crate and 30 minutes later try to take him out again. Once he goes, you can let him out in the house for a bit before you take him out to potty again. If you find he pees in the house when he is out, put him on a leash and attach it to you so that he is never very far from you so you are always supervising him. Take him out really often - like every 30 minutes at first if you have to. I'd also look into getting him neutered ASAP

[daisy mae06]

Yorkies can be one of the hardest breeds to potty train. If you do a search in the training section you will Find lots of great advice.
If you need more help after that I would be glad to offer my knowledge about it.

[marcerella02]

Originally Posted by MyFairLacy

This is why I don't like pee pad training. I think it just teaches the dog that its okay to go in the house and a lot of them get confused and will go whereever. I'd stick with taking him outside only, especially if you are home during the day. I'd also buy a wire crate and crate train him. When you take him out of the crate, immediately take him outside to potty. If he won't go, put him back in the crate and 30 minutes later try to take him out again. Once he goes, you can let him out in the house for a bit before you take him out to potty again. If you find he pees in the house when he is out, put him on a leash and attach it to you so that he is never very far from you so you are always supervising him. Take him out really often - like every 30 minutes at first if you have to. I'd also look into getting him neutered ASAP

you might also look into belly bands. i know that a lot of little boy owners use them for their pups who like to mark their places. I know that Des (Tiger's Mom) sells them and i'm sure many others on here do as well. Good luck. yorkies are tough to train!

[mrsdeere]

If I use the wire crate should I use it for both night and during the day when I have to go out without him? My experience with crate training during the night is that they get so upset that they do their business in side it and then scream all night long. This was with Pom-a-poos.

Sorry for all the questions! I thought I was ready for this and certainly didn't go into it blind. I just want it to work.

[marcerella02]

Originally Posted by mrsdeere

If I use the wire crate should I use it for both night and during the day when I have to go out without him? My experience with crate training during the night is that they get so upset that they do their business in side it and then scream all night long. This was with Pom-a-poos.

Sorry for all the questions! I thought I was ready for this and certainly didn't go into it blind. I just want it to work.

the wire crate should only be for the day.... at night he should be in a regular crate with only enough room to lay down... NO extra room (until he is older and can be trusted) will he cry... you bet! but... when he DOES stop, you let him out... to pee.... use your key phrase (Layla's is... hurry up) if he goes... great.. back in the crate.. and if he continues to cry you at least know he has peed and you can let him cry it out.... if not.. wait again utnil he stops... let him out... and then right back in. Layla needed to pee at night.. at least once.. until 8 months... so hang in there we know you didn't go into this blind but it can be overwhelming we ahve all been there... stick to your guns... if you want him crate trained... let him cry.. he will be fine.. Layla now LOVES her crate and goes in when SHE is ready for bed. can we see a picture of this little guy??

[MyFairLacy]

Originally Posted by mrsdeere

If I use the wire crate should I use it for both night and during the day when I have to go out without him? My experience with crate training during the night is that they get so upset that they do their business in side it and then scream all night long. This was with Pom-a-poos.

Sorry for all the questions! I thought I was ready for this and certainly didn't go into it blind. I just want it to work.

Yes I would use the crate for night and during the day if you're only gone for up to like 4 hours at a time. Make sure the crate is only big enough for him to stand up and turn around and lay down in. If you give them too much room, they'll go to the bathroom at one end and lay down at the other.

[marcerella02]

if you can try and plan when you go out.... make sure he has eaten... peed... played.... pooped/peed (in that order) and then he will be empty and tired... so he will be ready for a good nap while you are out also at night.. when Layla was still untrusting in her crate she wasn't allowed to have water past 7 pm... we didnt' go to bed UNTIL she had peed adn then if she cried once she got in there... i knew she was fine and would just have to cry it out. make sure he can see you when he is in your crate... Layla's is on a table next to my bed...and maybe a comfort object...a shirt that smells like you... dogs are pack animals and sleep together.... i also put a towel around her crate so she can't see around.. just out the front which is directed at me. i dont' know if you have had a dog or not before... so i'm just trying to tell you everything i have tried and that has worked.... sorry if you feel i'm patronizing you.. i'm not trying to and also.. NEVER put him in his crate as punishment... ie. if he pees or poops in the house... his crate should be HIS place that he loves to go...

[MyFairLacy]

Definitely try to get him on a schedule too if possible. Take him out for the first time in the morning at the same time if possible, feed at same time each day, take water away at a certain time each night, try to take out and potty around the same time during the day too.

[marcerella02]

Originally Posted by MyFairLacy

Definitely try to get him on a schedule too if possible. Take him out for the first time in the morning at the same time if possible, feed at same time each day, take water away at a certain time each night, try to take out and potty around the same time during the day too.

lol i feel like you and i are having a conversation about training

[mrsdeere]

I thank you for your profound wisdom!!!

I've had several dogs in the past, the easiest trained being a Lab and the worst being pom-a-poos. My pom-a-poos ended up fighting so much I couldn't keep them because they scared the kids and frankly they scared me too! My Lab I had when I was a teen and she ran away durning a move and I never found her. I love Quincey. The fact that he like to ride in the car with me and follows me everyehere I just don't want him to pee and poop everywhere.

[hha]

Oh boy, I just posted about how well my little girl is doing with the pee pads..She's almost 13 weeks and is actually going to the pee pad most of the time already..I would suggest the thing my husband made for me for the baby gate..I had 2 dogs that kept going up over it, so, he took a big piece of poster board and rigged it with this thing on the back that goes up over the gate..it's too high for any dog to jump, but I don't know what the part is he put on the back..I told him he should make them and sell them..we have an xpen we used for training, the biewer would go nuts in it and climb it, so hubby make a wooden top to it with hinges on it so we could get in to get him, but he couldn't get out..I feel for you, I have been there, and it is very trying, but if you can just keep on a few more mos. he will calm down and hopefully be housebroken..

[mrsdeere]

I thougt of doubling up the gates (one on top of the other) for when I'm not at home. I would like to see a photo of your modified gate as my husband is very handy.

[For My Coby]

You're getting a lot of good advice and there is a ton more in the Training forum right here on YT. If nothing else, you will learn that you are definitely not alone in your troubles.

One other suggestion I would make is that you might be giving him too much freedom before he is trustworthy. The thing that I've learned about housebreaking through the years is that if I can set myself up for SUCCESS only, mistakes are very difficult to make. Coby is 8 months old and just recently got free reign of only his second room. He spent all his time in the tiled kitchen with some supervised trips to the living room. Now, although he stays in his kennel when we are gone, he now has free run of the kitchen and the living room. I will be adding another room in the near future. But by really taking baby steps, I find that I limit the mistakes and celebrate the successes. That seems to turn into more successes than mistakes.

Good Luck!!