Potty training issues

[miikah rae]

I've been reading alot on potty training my pup and boy is it giving me a headche. There is so much information out there and i dont know where to begin. The breeder that I got Autumn from told me to line the xpen up with pee pads (which i did and she does pretty good with), then gradually take them away. Well I allow Autumn to roam free in our apartment but she only seems to stay in the living room which is great for now. When she has to use the bathroom she goes in the xpen an handles her business. I do want to take her outside eventually to go but she hasnt had all her vaccinatons yet so I was informed not too which is fine. The question is am I setting myself up for failure if she uses the bathroom inside then all of a sudden I start taking her out when she fully vaccinated? Is it possible to train them to go both places inside and out, which I think i would want to do cause the winters are brutal here. Also am I giving her too much freedom to roam the house. even if its jsut the living room. I see alot of people say to keep puppies confined to the xpen till they are house broken. I can leave the room to use the bathroom and come back and she's in the same spot i left her. I'm just so confused about this potty training its driving me crazy. i knw it takes time and patience which i have but she jsut seems to be on the right track except for the fact that if she's so go in the house i would like for it to be in the litter box but she just seems to not care for it yet. I even put her pee pad in it to encourage her to go in it and when I saw her doing the "potty shuffle" I hurried to get her in but she just stopped and didnt go at all. Any suggestions or feedback is much appreciated.

[HERBS]

Maybe I am mis-reading but what I am getting from your post is you would like her to eventually go outside right? You have her on piddle pads now and are trying to also get her to use litter? That is all very confusing to a little one. I personally feel the first thing a breeder should tell a potential buyer is yorkies are a bit stubborn and take a while to potty train. I train mine probably different than the next and they do different than the next and so on. I can only give you my method and you do as you wish with my personal process.

I put a piddle pad by my backdoor (leads to my fenced backyard). I use the SAME command each time "Who wants to go outside"? Then I open the backdoor and eventually they learn to go out. Most dogs that live inside have a sense that grass=pee. You will need to use the same command over and over consistantly through out the day. Praise is a must to allow her to know she did something right. The piddle pad I use if they need to go during the night or when it rains or snows here. If you do not have a fenced yard, continue to use the piddle pads until she has received all her shots. I would suggest keeping the pad out of human sight and in the same location for ease in the future i.e. backdoor, laundry room, etc. Then after the shots, let her out in a fenced yard or with a leash on a walk. Piddle pads are a GREAT tool for cold areas as you mentioned. Just don't confuse her in your urgency to get this taken care of quickly and introducing her to 3 potty areas is confusing. Best rule of thumb is, they have tiny bladders and like babies, they do not understand there is a designated area. It takes LOTS of time and patience that is true. I have yorkie mommy friends that still have potty issues at a year old. I thankfully feel my method has worked personally. If you are not consistant and stick with one location, you will fail. I hope I helped Good luck!

[miikah rae]

Originally Posted by HERBS

Maybe I am mis-reading but what I am getting from your post is you would like her to eventually go outside right? You have her on piddle pads now and are trying to also get her to use litter? That is all very confusing to a little one. I personally feel the first thing a breeder should tell a potential buyer is yorkies are a bit stubborn and take a while to potty train. I train mine probably different than the next and they do different than the next and so on. I can only give you my method and you do as you wish with my personal process.

I put a piddle pad by my backdoor (leads to my fenced backyard). I use the SAME command each time "Who wants to go outside"? Then I open the backdoor and eventually they learn to go out. Most dogs that live inside have a sense that grass=pee. You will need to use the same command over and over consistantly through out the day. Praise is a must to allow her to know she did something right. The piddle pad I use if they need to go during the night or when it rains or snows here. If you do not have a fenced yard, continue to use the piddle pads until she has received all her shots. I would suggest keeping the pad out of human sight and in the same location for ease in the future i.e. backdoor, laundry room, etc. Then after the shots, let her out in a fenced yard or with a leash on a walk. Piddle pads are a GREAT tool for cold areas as you mentioned. Just don't confuse her in your urgency to get this taken care of quickly and introducing her to 3 potty areas is confusing. Best rule of thumb is, they have tiny bladders and like babies, they do not understand there is a designated area. It takes LOTS of time and patience that is true. I have yorkie mommy friends that still have potty issues at a year old. I thankfully feel my method has worked personally. If you are not consistant and stick with one location, you will fail. I hope I helped Good luck!

Thank you much. i do want to eventually take her outside to handle her business because there really isnt anywhere in the home out of human sight that i can have her potty area. I just tried the litter once cause i was told that you can train them to use that but i definatley dont want to confuse the little one with her potty spot. i'm definatley not trying to rush things either but just wanting some advice an seeing if i'm doing something wrong. i will stick with the pads till she can go outside. unfortunatley i live in an apartment complex minds well say a dog community so there it's a fenced in area for her to use, she gotta share the grass with other dogs. Thanks again for the help

[CaraJo]

I am having the SAME problem with my Yorkie! She can't go outside for over 2 weeks (after her last vaccination on Thursday, the vet said wait a week). I'm stuck with using the piddle pad inside, and yes, in human sight. Ick. She does such a good job with Number 1 but not so good with Number 2. I'm scared that she won't know what to do with herself once I bring her outside to pee. She gets so scared when we go outside to the car to pick up my fiance from the airport every night, much less going out where there are a million other dogs in the apartment complex. I really hope she gets over this. Also, she seems like she's constantly sniffing even after she's gone potty. I have a feeling we are going to have a tough time with my lil Lillie. However, keeping the piddle pad in one place is really good advice! I'm going to see if that works with the Number 2 deal as well! Thanks!