Help! Yorkie training problems
 

Hello,

I don't know what to try next. I have had my pup for 2 weeks now. Some background, I have a female, 9 week old, weight 1.4 lbs. I am having a very hard time training her. She uses the inside to relieve herself about as much as she uses the outside, about half and half. She also uses the bathroom in her crate. Something I thought dogs never do. And last but not least she loves to eat any poop she can find outside, not the fresh stuff. It is poop she finds while searching for a place to poop outside.

She doesn't seem to adhere to any of the crate training rules. I wonder if it is the way she was raised prior to my getting her. Her breeder said he had fallen on hard times, and his house had no furniture in it. I only saw the front room, so I have no idea what went on in the back part of the house. He made sure I did not see it. He fed my pup some Karo syrup while I was there and I wonder if that was all he had to feed her. He said he had been training her on newspaper. Who knows. Anyway, I need all the help and information I can get on resolving all the different problems I am having with my puppy's training.
Thanks in advance,
Belle

Please don't expect to train a 9wk old puppy! You can, however, pee pad
train her but to crate train her at this age is asking way too much.
Her bladder can't hold anything much at this age, she's an infant.
The bladder in a puppy this age can't hold much more than 45mins-1hr.
Add 1hr for each month of age. You don't have a problem you have
a baby.

Carol,
My vet acted like it was okay to crate train her. I was going to check out another vet any way. I can always read up on pee pad training. She doesn't seem to be interested in the pads at all, she likes to play with them.
Thanks for the reply,
Belle

I don't use a crate. I use a child's small playpen, purchased from toys r' us. Pup's bed on one end, and paper on other end. Keep some of the urine scent on new paper/pee pad. As stated in the other reply, she's young and it takes time.

Karo syrup may have been given to prevent a potential hypoglycemic incident due to the excitement of your visit.

LOL at this age anything is a toy.
Some puppies aren't even taken from their mother's until they are 12wks
old which is the best way. Anyhow you now have an idea how long
she can hold her bladder. If she drinks it would be best to get right out
at this age so she makes the connection and of course a special treat
when she goes, one that she does not get indoors. Make it worth the
effort for her something she looks forward too. They are smart but can be
stubborn when it comes to training. Don't expect too much at this age
but certainly keep trying with the pads. So many have good luck with them
so it does work.
Good luck,

Crate training is ok, however you just can't expect to be in there for more than probably two hours. To avoid getting up at night I would recommend putting her in a confined space such as an exercise pen or small bathroom and cover the majority of the floor with pee pads or paper, and have her bed and food in the uncovered part. As she gets used to it you can start removing the pee pads and giving her a designated place to go. If you always keep it in the same spot she will get used to going back to that area.
Be prepared that it can take a very long time to completely house break a dog.

Thanks for the pointers, I need all the help I can get.
Belle

It can take months and months to train a yorkie...and your baby is WAY young...be prepared that it's going to take time! I would definately train her to a pad...that way she will get used to using it instead of your floor.
I had to take Daizy out every 1/2 hour for a LONG time...so she could get used to going potty outside. I still kept pads inside for any accidents...although she only used the pads 1/2 the time. Thank goodness I had all hard floors at that time!!!

Also make sure to take her out immediately after each of the following:

eating
sleeping (daizy always has to go potty right after she wakes)
playing hard
chewing on a toy or hard treat.

Good luck and remember it isn't going to happen overnight.

Definitely take the advice given here. a small pen is in order. Bed on one end, pee pad on the other, food and water on the end with the bed. Your pup is just too young to expect so much out of. This set up works great. Alleviates owner stress.

The Karo was surely for preventing a hypoglycemic episode. Our breeder told us to give some to our puppy as soon as we got him home. No worries. :)

Good luck and keep posting.

This is what is working for us! I have a 15 week old Yorkie Poo and a 14 week old Yorkie puppy!

The Yorkie poo we got when she was 8 weeks old. We started her in the bathroom with a baby gate at the door with news paper.. She did Great and I decided I didnt want my bathroom smelling like pee anymore so we bought a crate. The first day she peed and pooped in the crate so I put one of my sons elmos book in it to block it off VERY VERY small so she could barely turn around and MAGIC she never peed or pooped again. Also everytime I take her out I take her to her pad and stand there with her until she pees... At first it could be 30-45 min before she went and I am not joking. I would make a HUGE HUGE deal everytime she went and gave her a treat. Also if I was playing with her I would take her over to the potty every 20-30 mins. She is so good now its amazing! Hasnt had a accident in over a week! And sometimes she will fake me out and squat just to get a treat!!! So it takes time but it works! Now my Yorkie puppy we just got him and hes doing good too... He still hasnt gone over to the pad on his own yet but same thing i stand there with him until he goes and i take him every 20-30 mins!! Only three accidents so far which is from turning my back. If i cannot watch him 100% I put him back in his crate. He does not cry in his crate at all. GOODLUCK!

i dont think there is anything wrong in crate training, i live by it.

Well, Ally has used her pee pad a few times. And at one time today, I took her out and she peed and pooped within 10 minutes time. She has gotten where she doesn't like the crate.

I put a pee pad in the bottom and a blanket in half of the crate. Any time she uses the bathroom in there it is never on the blanket, it is on the pee pad. Ally falls asleep on my lap and then I put her in here crate, she starts to cry, one night she cried for an hour straight and I had to get her out. I have been getting her out and letting her sleep on my lap. I think I have spoiled her and I have only had her two weeks.

My husband is losing patience with the whole thing, which makes for a lot more stress. He loves her but he hate the accidents in the house. I'm just going to keep at it.

Thanks for the reply and the information, I am absorbing all the info I can and it is helpful.
Thanks again,
Belle

Oh, crucial point. PRAISE like crazy and use treats! It works to your favor for sure.

And if you decide to use pee pee pads, Gridlock brand are amazing.

I'm glad things are working out so well for you and your puppies. I guess I just need to be more patient. Looking forward to when she is trained.
Thanks for sharing what works for you.
Belle

Your puppy looks like my Ally. I do praise her and give her a treat. But she is so excited about her treats anymore and I am going to get her a different kind. Thanks for the pee pad recommendation.
Belle