New Member needs help!!!!

[thypes]

Hello all. I have joined in hopes of someone being able to tell me what to do. I was given two yorkies, brother and sister. They are now 10.5 months old and still not potty trained. I have tried crate training and using puppy pads in a confined area. Nothing works. I am so frustrated to the point of thinking I may need to give them to someone more experienced. I am not a new animal owner, as I own a pekenise and have had several cats over the years. I also have questions regarding their eating habits.......they never seem to get enough food or water. ........

Please help, I want these babies to be a part of our family, but at the rate I'm going, I can't let them loose for an extended amount of time.

[Joeysmom]

Are you home with them all day? Definitely keep them confined in a play pen or safe room when you are gone.

Belly bands work great. I haven't used the diapers for girls. Yorkies have to go potty frequently, even when they are adults. How long are you trying to get them to wait?

Have they been vet checked as to make sure there isn't a health issue with the excessive thirst?

Anyone else have some good ideas?

good luck! I hope you can work it out

deb

[CollegeCutieUSF]

For the potty training, you might want to take them out to pee frequently throughout the day, until they get the hang of things. They're probably just getting used to their environment and need to get used to it. You might want to try those sprays they sell at petsmart that attracts dogs to pee in certain areas. You could try spraying that on the potty pads and see if it helps.

As for the eating, my yorkie is a picky eater..he almost never eats the recommended amount of food per day...but he does drink a lot of water. Maybe you just need to try and different kind of food? That's what I did with mien and it has helped. Also, if you don't think they're eating enough, you can take them to the vet to see if it's somehting physical, or you can give them nutrical which is a food supliment (i think?) You can give them that when you think they haven't eaten enough.

Hopefully others will have more information for you.

If it ends up not working out for you and you feel you need to rehome them, one of my friends is looking to adopt a yorkie and I would probably be interested as wel, as Mr. Biggs doesn't yet have a sibling.

I hope everything works for you! And it was so nice of you to take those babies in!

[yorkiesmiles]

Welcome to YT. I think consistency is the biggest thing. I'm wondering if you've tried any one thing for a long enough period. Are you trying to get them to go outside or just on the pee pads?

I hope you don't have to rehome them - just keep working with them. Are you rewarding good behavior - pottying outside - some people say this works for them. I know praise is huge.

YT is such a great place to learn. You might want to use the search options & read up on what has worked for others.

And if you stay around - Ambassador Bubba says you need to sign your boy up for our Little Gentleman's Club - which you can do on this thread: http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=106129

[love_me_cody]

Hey, have no idea about the potty training but i wanted to say... YAY! a Pekingese owner!

[thypes]

I appreciate all the input. I definatley have some things to start with. I do work full time, so they are home all day. They are taken out right before we leave for the day and back out as soon as the first kid gets home from school. Their names are Charlie and Brandie. Charlie gives no indication that he has to go, at least Brandie wines........but she wines all the time........lol. Anyway, I think I might look into another dog food, I was feeding them Royal Canin, and have changed to Iams. Anyone have any suggestions??? As for training, the reason the puppy pads don't work is because they chew them up. But, I'll give it another shot.

Keep the input coming guys........and thanks for welcoming me in.

[Akhong]

congratulations and WELCOME to YT!

As far as the pee pads go, if they chew them up you can buy a plastic holder for them. And I feed my little tubby INNOVA dry dog food.

Once again, congratulations with the new fur additions to your family! I'm sure in due time your little yorkies will get settled in to their new home and things will settle down in general.

Best of luck to you!

[yorkiesmiles]

Originally Posted by thypes

I appreciate all the input. I definatley have some things to start with. I do work full time, so they are home all day. They are taken out right before we leave for the day and back out as soon as the first kid gets home from school. Their names are Charlie and Brandie. Charlie gives no indication that he has to go, at least Brandie wines........but she wines all the time........lol. Anyway, I think I might look into another dog food, I was feeding them Royal Canin, and have changed to Iams. Anyone have any suggestions??? As for training, the reason the puppy pads don't work is because they chew them up. But, I'll give it another shot.

Keep the input coming guys........and thanks for welcoming me in.

Well Iams is not the highest quality food. Here's a website that compares food (6 star is too much for yorkies - look at a 4 or 5 star) http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_f...ndex.php/cat/1

Some good choices include Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover, Wellness, Candide, Innova, and more on the list.

Sometimes they don't so much as tell you, but watching for signals helps. Also, taking them out frequently when you are home and praising every attempt. Where are they when you're at work? Are they kenneled or confined to a safe room - where they can't do too much damage?

[CollegeCutieUSF]

Originally Posted by thypes

I appreciate all the input. I definatley have some things to start with. I do work full time, so they are home all day. They are taken out right before we leave for the day and back out as soon as the first kid gets home from school. Their names are Charlie and Brandie. Charlie gives no indication that he has to go, at least Brandie wines........but she wines all the time........lol. Anyway, I think I might look into another dog food, I was feeding them Royal Canin, and have changed to Iams. Anyone have any suggestions??? As for training, the reason the puppy pads don't work is because they chew them up. But, I'll give it another shot.

Keep the input coming guys........and thanks for welcoming me in.

Mine used to chew up his pee pad when he was a pup also. I bought one of those plastic cases to put them in.. (it's just a big plastic frame and the pad fits right in the center)...that stoped him from tearing it up. For the food, I wouldn't feed them Iams.. I haven't heard that many good things about it. The yorkie formula of Royal Canin is a much better choice... Mr. Biggs used to be on it, but he stoped eating it, so we switched to the dog food rolls by Natural Balance (I think that's who makes them)

[Sunnie]

Since you work all day, you might want to try the washable pee pads. They probably tear up the regular pads because they are bored. Everyone has given great advise. An x-pen with toys, a place to sleep, eat, and pee pads is almost an essential when you work. Just be really consistant when you are home. It will take some time, but it WILL happen.

[For My Coby]

Welcome to YT!

I would suggest you try a different food. The link on the dog food grading Yorkiesmiles gave you is a good one.

Where are they kept while you are not at home? In a kennel, an x-pen? If they're in an x-pen, I agree they might be bored and using the puppy pads as playthings. I use the washable pads.

Coby is 10 months old and is kenneled while I'm at work. He holds it and then pees when we get home. He loves his kennel and if we are getting ready to go, and I don't have a dog purse or a leash in my hand, he runs in his kennel automatically (and gets a treat of course!). (My older Shih Tzu has the run of the house as he is 100% trustworthy. If we're going to be gone more than 4 hours or so, we use an x-pen.

Glad you found YT. You'll get help AND support for a tired mind here.

[Felina]

Glad to see someone else here from Jacksonville! Welcome to YT and congrats on your new yorkie additions. How long have you had them now?

It does seem to take longer to get these little ones housebroken and with such little bladders they do have to go more often than the bigger dogs.

I have a 10 month old female that will do great for awhile than all of a sudden one day she seems to forget everything she's learned. I still crate her when I leave the house but my almost 2 year old has free roaming privileges but then I'm never gone more than four hours at any given time.

I can't wait to see pictures of your babies!

[sweetheartsok]

Welcome to YT! Potty training these little ones is frustrating and very different then other breeds, not sure why. They must have exceptionally small bladders. I had a pom and he wasn't this difficult to train. Anyways....best thing you can do is use washable pee pads. I use the disposable with a tray and they still seem to find a way to tear them apart. I'm switching to washables ASAP. I've also resolved myself to using belly bands for my boy and a diaper for my girl when they are running about. Makes life a lot less stressful. My girl isn't liking the diaper very much but I'm sure she will get used to it. I wish you all the best of luck. Don't give up on them they will give you more love then pain. Do what you need to do to make your life and their lives less stressful.