I was going to mention awhile ago and forgot, but they do have x-pens with covers. Yorkies are famous for climbing - even as tiny puppies.:)

Let me give you an example, I say to you, "no te enojes". If you don't know Spanish then you don't understand what I said. Just like your pup. He does not understand what you want him to do. Posters gave you excellent advices on how to housebreak your pup. I would be careful not to give treat every time he goes potty otherwise he'll think he'll get the treat every time he goes. Praise should be good. Have a lot of patience with him. I like Cesar Milan's methods. Here's the link on housetraining:

Housebreaking | Cesar Millan

I remember when I took in unwanted Chihuahua, Java, she was extremely nervous. She freaked out at every noise around her. I did not comfort or talk to her during the walk. When the motorcycle passed by, it really scared her but we just kept walking. Days went by, more confident she became. Good luck. Oh, I said, "don't be mad" in case you are wondering what I said in Spanish. :D

My Westie was very hard to handle as a pup; and believe me, there were many times when I wished I could send him back! I just wasn't used to that much energy and stubborness. That's a Westie trait. I swear there were times when I didn't even like him . . or he us, I felt.

I was (am) a single working Mom so I understand time constraints.

We started going to agility training one night a week. That helped us bond so much. Ringo loved it and he got used to 'obeying' our commands for a treat. It really did help.

This may not be available in your area. But you can train tricks for fun and get used to working with your dog ~ in a fun, enjoyable way. No pressure.

I would go back to crate training if you can - start over from square one. You will have to go with him when he goes out so you can see if he pees or poops. If you catch him in the act of doing something right (like going outside) ~ then praise, praise, praise. Have a party! Have some great treats - like cooked chicken - or whatever he loves. The minute the last drop hits the ground - treat like crazy and make a big fuss about what a GOOD BOY he is. Such a great dog!

He will eventually 'get' that peeing and pooping outside is what you want him to do. He will want to please you; and he will want those treats!

It is crystal clear to me that you don't have time for this pup. You even said it in another thread. You made the comment that rescues would not adopt to you....NOW do you understand WHY?

http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/3230973-post5.html

My suggestion to you is to make a choice and I am going to only suggest two options. Find him a loving home OR take the time with him that you do/did with your children. You CAN do that IF you CHOOSE to do so! Didn't you have to take the time to potty train them? And, didn't you have to take the time for other issues with them? If you had time for them, then you can take time for him IF you choose to!

IF you choose to take the time with him, you will have a wonderful companion for years to come. They are what we make of them! I have taken in some real problem children over the years and with time and patience turned them around. They are not going to just become what you want by a little wiggle of the nose. It takes time, love and patience!

Yes, he runs from you. I imagine he is afraid of you....your posts about him are quite depressing. These little guys are very intuitive. You say you are not hurting him...maybe not physically, but he knows you are fed up. Try a positive approach with him and you might be pleasantly surprised!
Here is a great link about housebreaking:

Free House Training for Puppies and Adult Dogs - No More Accidents Starting Today!

NO! I have 90 acres of farmland behind me and live on 3 acres. I DO NOT let Jackson off leash there. I never once said to let him off leash before learning recall. Sorry but I don't think running around a house is sufficient enough exercise for ANY dog. You try to stay in your house and jog around it every day 24/7 for your mental stimulation. I think you would go crazy after a few days.


Hence why I said: "I realize ALL of these things aren't always capable of some people but I do believe good exercise would help 90 percent of peoples dogs problems most of the time."

I'm NOT saying every one should bring their dog to a training class, or take agility classes, or go to the dog parks. I realize not everyone has the time or the resources to do it. But a WALK is necessary when owning a dog. I don't live in a neighborhood and I have to drive up the road a few minutes to one with sidewalks to take him for a walk. And sorry I will never think running around a house or being tied to a 30ft line is a true form of exercise. A replacement? Yes. When we can't get out, I have Jackson play fetch or run around the house when I didn't have time to take him out, etc. but it should not be a replacement.

I am in college, not high school. Yes, I am 20 years old. I probably have a lot more time on my hands than a mother with 3 kids. But I know MOST of my friends and family friends are mothers, with full time jobs and children and they still have time to take their dog for a walk. When you make the commitment to get a dog, you must give it the time it needs. My step-mom works, she has my 6 year old brother that she takes to school, picks up, takes to practice, volunteers at his school, they go out to dinner, etc, but she still makes sure to get her 2 dogs a good walk, or a bike ride where they run next to her on the bike. They have a huge fenced in yard but it's not always sufficent enough. Dogs get bored and they get destructive.

Every dog is different... some dogs might be perfectly okay to be inside 24/7, and some are not. In your situation, it sounds like your dog needs more stimulation. He sounds like a bored fearful puppy. I am not a professional dog trainer however I have researched and studied dog training ALOT because it's something I'd like to do in the future. I also dogsit on the side and have trained many dogs, old and young, while they are in my hands. I also have volunteered at our local animal shelter. I am giving you ADVICE because you ASKED for it. Don't like it? Fine, don't use it. And continue to have your dog behaving the way he is.

:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:

Let me start "fresh" on your question about potty training. After reading all your responses I can see where you have......in your own words failed him.

You are a busy mom of teenagers and on the run all the time. At 5 months you brought him home and he did pretty good for a short time and now he has regressed because you have given him too much freedom and allowed him to roam freely in your home. At first there was the occasional accident and you attributed it to him being a new puppy but as time has gone by there are more and more accidents all over the house. You take him outside every 2 hours by the bell in your kitchen to remind you to keep him on a schedule. Since you do not have a fenced yard he is put onto a stake with a long lead to go potty. He's outside for a while and you go into the house to finish what you were doing (dinner, laundry, cleaning up his pee :rolleyes:). He is your first small dog and you have always has large dogs in the past that you were able to open the door and let roam freely on your land. The others were potty trained without hardly any attention to what they were doing. You worked with them for about a week and poof they were at the back door scratching or barking to got out. Now this little guy is peeing and pooping all over your house. You have tried to contain him in an Xpen but he escapes so you have now resorted to a crate where he whines and cries to be let out until you put him back out in the yard on the long lead. When he comes back in after a short stay he poops at your feet. Your husband is mad that your "had to have puppy" is crapping all over the house, your kids are being bitchy from being forced to picking up poop and pee from "your dog" and you are disappointed in not getting your baby replacement. They are teenagers and you are starting to see that they will soon be gone and this little guy was going to be your little cuddle bug. Instead he had turned your life upside down with his training problems, socialization issues, the kids are not helpful and are demanding all of your attention in their high school years. Now he has turned into one more annoyance in your crazy hectic life. You are totally frustrated and think that getting a small cute puppy was a huge mistake. :(

So have I hit the nail on the head? Don't get angry with me just be truthful. Promise I think I can help you. :)

Wow. I know this wasn't aimed at me but it is exactly how I felt about Ringo for awhile. Just another noose around my neck. I admit it. And the resentment ~ just more work for me to do.

It took a very nice agility trainer to get us all working as a team. She could see that I was struggling with all aspects of Ringo ownership. So different from any other dog that I ever had; ON TOP OF all my other duties and commitments. He was EXTREMELY difficult to train and handle.

I am so thankful to her for bringing us all together; I was so stressed out. She would always talk with me after class and make suggestions about how to handle my little bundle of pent up energy.

If not for her . . . well, I don't know. She gave us a new start.

Brit may be a college student (not high school) however she has done a lot of research. I am old enough to be your mother (I have a daughter older than you), and I am not adverse to taking advice from a college student who is as well read as Brit.

Is it possible that you just don't have time for this little one. You say you have reached the point where you almost don't like him any more. YT's are intelligent and I am sure he is picking up on the fact you are obviously starting to resent him.

I have two rescues now, yes they pee and poop in the house and it seems like we are constantly cleaning up after them. I don't like the house smelling of poop and pee, so we have to constantly clean up. I found spraying the floor where they have gone potty with vinegar helps.
Belly bands help with the males. Yes they pee in the belly bands - that is the whole idea.
This last week we started using the pee pads, but unfortunately they think the pee pads are for tearing up sometimes.

You need to have patience, and that seems to be something you are lacking. - And with three kids, a job, ballgames and stuff, all that could tend to wear out your patience.
Yorkshire Terriers are "high maintenance" little dogs. And yes, they can be stubborn and have a mind of their own and "dig their heels in".
They are not the perfect dog for those with children, jobs, ballgames and stuff taking up the majority of time.

You are either going to have to be patient and work with him, or let him go to someone who can.

I always say "I lucked out. Lula is an amazing dog. Great temperment and very well behaved". If I say this around people who know me well they will quickly remind me that I did not luck out, I worked really really hard to ensure Lula would be a well ballanced and happy dog.

I work 2 jobs and still find all the time I need to spend with my Lula. She is such an amazing part of my life, I cant help but want to spend every minute I can with her.

I know that if she does somthing I dont like it is because I have allowed her to do so.

I can see your frustration but "there is no time" is no excuse. If you cant properly care for your dog you should not have one.

Actually all of their lives but especially when they are young they take work and commitment on your part. That just goes along with dog ownership. I think if you wanted less work you should have gotten a cat.

Belly bands will help with marking but potty training problems you just have to go back to square one and do crate training. I had one that had potty training problems and she was 3 and I was successful getting her trained with crate training so it can be done

My Cooper was easy to train BUT I am home with him all the time. I took him out every 2 hours and said go potty. I now have to walk outside with him every time he goes. If I just open the door for him to go outside he will sit there and wait for me to come out. I am trying to break him of this because it is getting cold here and I don't want to go out and stand in my pajamas.

On the other hand if we go to other peoples houses he will mark at their house so I put a belly band on him. We are working on that bad behavior and you are right it is hard to break.

I find that when we go outside that he has to smell, smell, smell then decide to do his duty. Watch and be patient when he is outside and you will see they do the same thing every time they are ready to poop.

Now that it is cold he will pee and then think he is going to come in, I pick him up put him back on the lawn and say I know there is more and then he figures out goes and runs back into the house. Dogs will poop at about the same time everyday. If you know when that time is you can kind of control it.

Best of luck in training be patient, and consistent, they like a routine I'm sure he will come around.;)

Celeste

I hear three issues here: won't Come, nervous, and not potty trained.

Come you can work on. It's actually very common for little dogs to fear your approach, and almost all dogs love a good game of Chase more than they like the Come command. There is a lot of information on this forum for training a strong recall. There are also things you can go to help him learn human body language so he can understand that walking straight up to him is not a threat.

Nervous: as recommended, walk, walk walk. Chase him around the house if he likes it (though that also stimulates peeing and pooping, so maybe not).

Potty training: you've been given a lot of advice already. Here is my 2 cents. When I started potty training Thor, I did not fully commit to it because like you, it just sounded like overkill. It took me about two months to accept how much work it would be. I know it sounds crazy, but I took two weeks and really did NOTHING but watch him, with BOTH eyes. I had tried just keeping ONE eye on him, and he would potty so fast I would miss it. It was way harder than I expected, and I definitely thought at one point he would never get it, but at the end of the journey... you have a potty trained dog. It's worth it. :)

It sounds to me like you are at your limit and you are asking permission to rehome your dog. If I'm wrong, my apologies.

I didn't realize how much attention Yorkies needed compared to other dogs. I've had many dogs in my life. Except for one male miniature dachshund (who belonged to my mother), potty training was a snap. Take them outside, wait till they go, lavish them with praise. They get it quickly and it's done. With Tallulah, I assumed that with all my experience, it would be a breeze to train her. She's about 30%, but so strong willed. Last night, we did our routine in the bathroom. She walked over to the pad, looked at me, stepped away from the pad, and wet on the tile, all the while giving me a look I can only describe as defiant. I paid no attention to her, cleaned it up, and went on with my routine. This morning we did our routine and she used the pad exclusively - and got immediate praise. Sooner or later she is going to get it.

T's vet wants her to stay inside as much as possible because she showed signs of allergies on our first visit -- so I needed to find a way to help her get exercise and burn up that incredible energy indoors. We have a very large kitchen, so I sit in one corner and throw her squeaky toy over and over until she gets tired and climbs in my lap. "Come" is a challenge, but "Fetch" works 90% of the time. I try to do play time with her when I'm a little tired - we both win. She gets the attention and exercise she needs, and I get a little rest and a lot of love.

Can you enlist any of your kids in helping with your little one?

Can you find anybody nearby who does daycare for little dogs exclusively? I found a wonderful place just a few blocks from me that does "Yorkie Camp." I realized the first weekend I had her how hard it is for these little guys to be alone a lot, especially when they're puppies. Now T goes to camp when I'm at work and I think we're both much happier than we would be if I left her alone. She loves going - can't wait to get down and play with the other dogs. And she loves to come to me at the end of her day because she knows we will have dinner, more play time, and some quality napping time on my lap. I also feel much better knowing that she is being watched by people who know and love these little dogs. A bonus is that she is learning better manners all around by being around the other dogs. It's not cheap, but probably costs me less than the damage to her and to my home if I left her alone, even confined.

On approaching your dog, are you extending your hand to pet him on the head or the back? I've noticed that the only time Tallulah shows fear of me is when I do that. I think it's instinctive. I've learned to approach her by putting my hand below her eye level. She loves to come up and rest her chin in my hand -- then I can pet her anywhere after the initial touch on the chin.

You have gotten a lot of good advice from others -- and I think the common thread is that it takes a LOT of time and patience to train a Yorkie. If you can do this, the rewards are huge. I hope you are not getting your feelings hurt by the strength of some of the responses -- people are giving you their best advice because they feel so passionate about their dogs and want you to have the same good experience. If they didn't care, they wouldn't say anything and let you flounder on your own. When I was looking for a Yorkie, I got several messages that on first reading hurt my feelings or even made me a little angry. But after reading more, I found that they just wanted me to know how much of a commitment would be needed and the information they gave me saved me a lot of expense and pain. These people are always the first to answer when you have a question, and to be supportive when you need comfort.

If you have reached the end of your rope, and I think maybe you have, perhaps the best solution for you and for the dog is to find him a new home. It really sounds like you have too much on your plate to be able to give your dog the time he needs to become a happy part of your family. This is not a reflection on you as a person -- just an observation that at certain times in our lives, a pet with lots of needs is just not a good match for us. I know that a few years ago when I had my invalid father living with me, despite all the support I had from the rest of the family and hired caregivers, I would never have been able to handle a "regular" puppy - let alone a needy little Yorkie. I don't think there's any shame in throwing in the towel and finding a new home for your dog, as long as you can make sure he goes to a good home. There are people here who can help you with that. That doesn't make you a bad person or an incapable person -- just a human who has too many responsibilities to take on another big one.

I can understand your frustration with the potty habit issues. We adopted our yorkie and have had her for a year now. She constantly has to be kept up on training habits. She will be good for awhile and then she goes right back to her intentional puddling and pooping on RUGS! We remove rugs as much as possible. We keep her in a crate at night and now are only allowing her in a square pen during the day. I take outside and allow her freedom only when by my side.

I think your dog senses that you don't like him. Dogs can read our energy better than we can read ourselves. I would like to hear something positive about your pup. You really need to focus on the positive aspects and keep your energy upbeat. You have been given great advice so I won't repeat it in my post. I just feel very sad for your dog. Somewhere along the way you never bonded with him and I am sure that hasn't helped with the training. Good Luck.

You have been given some excellent advice. I wish you luck with your little Cooper.

This sadly sounds like a story that happened in our family last year. The circumstances are different, but the frustration sounds the same. My daughter had two Yorkies. She was 100% dedicated to them in the beginning..she worked full time...she went out alot at night...dogs stayed in the laundry room due to no time to walk them and they weren't potty trained..daughter gets married..hubby doesn't like the potty messes in the house..they stay irritated at the dogs now constantly because "nothing is working". The once happy Yorkies now cower when daughter and SIL come home..bark twice as much as they did..and this cycle grows more intense by the week. I try and nurse them through this trying time as well as I could, but when "nothing works" nothing WILL work if you get my drift...baby comes along and now I am bringing the furkids to my house because I feel sick and sorry for them and its breaking my heart the way I watch what is happening to their little spirits. After going through this for a year and a half (she had the dogs for 4 years) and many tears later because I could not have her two and my three in my upstairs apartment...I insisted she rehome them..I can look back NOW and see the reason the frustration wasn't resolving, was because she was done! I feel like it was a "set-up" for the inevitable. They do have wonderful, loving homes now, and I hope if the OP is at this place, that she can be honest with herself. Yorkies sense when you are frustrated and angry with them. They will act out, because they have no clue why and what you want from them with this emotion. Watching the transformation of my daughters two absolutely convinces me of this. We have crazy busy lives too, but I make time for my dogs because my heart is in this. They are my second set of kids and I'm in it for the long haul.

Potty Pals
 

:aimeeyorkAlmost think that is what Yorkie owners should be called. It seems that I am hearing more and more on this issue about Yorkies being difficult to housebreak. I too am having issues with my 4 yr. old. Well, we think that's how old she is. The vet records and the papers didn't match and I didn't know until after I bought her. My new vet says she is between 3 1/2 and four at the very most. So I guess I will have to make up a birthdate for her. Back to subject: Her potty habits were brought on by her raising with other kennel dogs and not getting the proper care.--(we believe) Appears to have been taught to go on throw rugs. She is very loving and very loved. BUT--is still learning how to control her potty habits. She will not bark to let me know she needs out, but will bark to come in. In general, she doesn't bark much at all. We put her in the crate at night and when gone for extended hours. We now are allowing her to be in a square pen with a blanket and her doggy bed for daytime. Otherwise she is allowed to be with me outside (which is quite often on the farm) or by my side in the house when I can keep an eye on her. Right now the livingroom (her favorite place) is off limits.--

This is me in a nutshell. My baby boy moved off to college and Beau was practically dropped in my lap. I'm just not in a good mental place right now. I'm away from home 10 to 12 hours a day working/gym. Beau goes to work with me every day so he's not home alone....but just getting him back and forth EVERY day is sometimes frustrating. When my boss retires (probably Dec 2011) I won't be able to bring him to work anymore. I am wondering now why I thought a new dog would be a good idea. We are back and forth with potty training. Most of the time he is awesome....then there are days when I'll bring him in from pottying outside and he'll go straight into the bedroom and pee in the carpet.

Hi... Sorry I'm just now seeing this thread... sorry you're still having problems....

It actually sounds like you've been doing alot of the right steps necessary to be successful in housetraining him... I think you just hit a snag (as I did with mine).

Everyone has given great information, hopefully I can add something here.

First thing, the 5-6 drops of urinating when you bring him back into the house concerns me. I would have my vet check him for a Urinary Track Infection, before assuming it's behavioral.

(Just a note...please take no offense, I don't know if you know this or not... but when a belly band is used, it's best to put a women's 'panty liner' or similar product in it to absorb the urine. Sometimes it's not enough and you make have some leakage, you may need to use 2 panty liners.)

Next... what consistancy are his stools? Soft but formed, or more hard? Does he strain while pooping? If they are on the hard side, try adding green beans to his diet. I add 5-6 per meal for an 8-10 pound dog. They won't cause diarrhea, but they will make pooping easier, maybe more easily stimulated by exercise (the walk), and may improve his timing.

My dog was doing the exact same thing. Go out to pee, come in to poop. Very frustrating. I don't think it was intentional on his part, but like your pup, he was just overstimulated with the smells and stuff outside he wasn't able to concentrate enough to get the pooping started. So he would come in the house where everything is familiar and where he could relax, and it never failed, he'd poop inside.

If you've never caught him pooping outside, then you cannot praise him for it, so he doesn't know to do it, outside. Hence, he's never been 'trained'.

Training is teaching the dog a specific behavior, and then being able to have the dog repeat that behavior 3-4 times. The actual 'training' is teaching the behavior, and tons of praise to let the dog know that what he did is good. This is a one time deal. The rest of what you do afterwards is reinforcing the training, each time the behavior is repeated. That's why it's important to do this when you have a day or two that you can really devote to working with him, because they can't do repeat pooping, back to back.

I adjusted his walk to come in the house, and for that next crucial 15-20 minutes, he stayed on leash, and I took him back out to finish. This was our new system, until he did repeated poops outside, where I could praise and reward him. Then he finally relaxed enough to pee and poop outside, so I didn't need to bring him in then back out. Sometimes though he still forgets, so I watch him right after he comes in, if he even looks toward the door, he goes back outside. Actually I don't think he forgets to go while he is out, I think it's more that he doesn't realize he has to poop till he gets back into the house.

I hope this method works for him (and you). Another issue I had to deal with is my dog doesn't like to 'Go Potty' if I'm watching him. At least he didn't at first, so I had to be very still and look away so he could 'Go'. After a couple food rewards though, he got over it.

Also when he 'goes', give it a name. 'Go Potty' is what I use, so when I say that he associates it with the act. Start saying it only when he's actually 'going', which is really hard if he won't go while you're watching. Also, don't always bring him right back in the house after he 'goes'. You don't want him to associate 'Going Potty' with the end of the walk, or fun time.

One last suggestion... have you ever taken him with you when you run errands or drive the kids where they need to go? Just saying... I took my pup kayaking (she barked the whole time) but when we got back home she followed me around and wouldn't let me out of her sight... I think she wanted to make sure I didn't go without her! And here I thought she hated the excursion with all the barking she was doing!

Sorry, one more suggestion... I went on vacation and found my house trashed on my return. I have 4 Yorkies and a sleepy husband.... he just doesn't get their signals LOL! I saw an informercial on a floor steamer (I already have one for my hardwood floor) but they used it on the carpet claiming it removed stains and odors. Well I tried it and so far it seems to have worked. I also own professional carpet cleaning equipment (side job) and this steamer left the carpet smelling it's best yet!

I have just looked at your past threads and noticed this one:
http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/sic...-necrosis.html

If Cooper hasnt been well latley this could set him back in potty training.

I've read all these responses and would like to thank everyone for their advice. I'd like to address a few points if I may. I've never just "put him out" on a lead, I always stay out with him. His poops are soft and formed, and when he doesn't poop, I crate him for 30 minutes and take him back out again. The leash, attaching him to a limited area, seems to be working well, we are almost through day 3 with no accidents inside. He's peed in the belly band twice. I wash it and dry it and put it back on him. He's not happy with these circumstances but this is the way it is.

Brit, I apologize for my earlier comment about your age, you didn't deserve it and I'm sorry.

LJ, I don't think my posts about my dog are depressing. He had a health issue that I nursed him through, and he has potty training issues. This one is certainly depressing, I was frustrated, at the end of my rope and desperate. From reading this forum, I knew what I had to get at Petsmart Monday when I stopped there. I knew he needed more freedom (longer lead), I knew he might do well with a bellyband and I bought 3 different types of treats and a treat bag.

I do take him on car rides, he gets more time in the car than he probably likes. I've said this before, so it shouldn't be such a shock, but we live in two homes. One every other week. He travels with me to my home in Ocala, where he has a fenced yard that he can just be off leash, to here, where he has this vast area, unfenced with all these smells. I underestimated an animals ability to adjust. My children's father and I are divorced. We rotate custody, they spend a week with me, a week with him. I travel back and forth on those weeks.

I DO NOT want to rehome him or give up on him. I made a commitment to the dog and I'll uphold it. If these circumstances are something that are unreasonable or can't be achieved then I guess I'll have to rethink my commitment. My children and spending time with them are first.

He is also spending all day out of his crate, yet with limited freedom. We ARE almost 3 days with no indoor accidents.

Thanks again for the encouragement.

Thanks for the heads up... I just went back and read most of the OP's threads... so much info is missing from this Original thread I need to change my reply.

Issues needing attention that were not mentioned in this thread to begin with that will greatly affect Cooper's and your success in housetraining:

1. Having recently had FHO surgery.

Any surgery/anesthesia will cause setbacks in housebreaking. Start at the beginning and retrain. It is rare that any Yorkie will not have some pottying issues during recovery.

2. Bringing a new puppy into the household.

This can greatly affect Cooper's behavior, especially when the new puppy is a 'girl', and I assume is now getting more attention from everyone in your household than Cooper is. Yorkies can feel threatened upon the arrival of a new puppy. This could very well be 'marking' behavior you are seeing in him, because he feels insecure and is trying to establish his 'place' in your home. Hence his preference for your lap, opposed to playing with his toys. Again, have the vet check him for UTI first. Also, to help correct this, you really need to go 'overboard' on attention to him.

3. Having two homes.

Cooper will need to have housebreaking lessons in each house, from the beginning, and probably refresher lessons each and everytime time you switch locations.

4. Issue I forgot to address in my first response: Going off lead.

Basicly, he is still very much a puppy. He is too young to be able to be trusted completely, even with expert recall training. You are expecting too much of him.

Also, if he is really into sniffing and exploring instead of listening to you, that tells me that he would benefit by having more outside time... outside the yard.

5. Issue not addressed: Early neuter:

As I am just learning about this issue... I highly recommend that you have a long discussion with your vet on this subject.

It is very possible and I highly suspect that Cooper was neutered a bit too early, and some of his problems may be a result of that. Hormones cause things to switch on and off through a dog growing years, and neutering early turns everything off at the time of the neuter.

6. Yorkies are different from other breeds. I do think you may be lacking in your acceptance / understanding of this fact. There is a bond that one can have with a Yorkie, and it is the strongest and most amazing bond I've ever felt with any dog. Until you approach having this strong connection with Cooper, I fear you will have problems with him. Until you can get him to trust you, he will 'act out'.

He sees most of your treatment of him as threatening. You absolutely must rid yourself of any 'dislike' of him... he can and does sense this. You need to think more along the lines of ' I love you unconditionally' (and mean it and commit to him) and realize that his behavior is not 'him', it is only what he does, and he does it because he's getting mixed messages from you. In order for you to be successful with him, you have to eliminate this confusion you are creating in him.

And, in summary, you may now think I am 'off my rocker', but I will say this... if you do not comprehend #6 or think it's all rubbish... my advice to you for Cooper's well-being would be to rehome him, asap.

Congrats on Day 3 Accident free! Yay! :D


(I do hope you're feeling better!)

I'm glad to hear that you don't want to give up your little dog, and that the situation is improving. Here's hoping he continues to be accident free and you and your family can start enjoying having him again.

3 days with no accidents is huge! Once I got to that point from Thor, it just got better from there. We went 5 days, 10 days, 3 weeks, and finally, I considered him trained.

Just a warning, when you start racking up multiple days, it's that much more heartbreaking when they have an accident. It's so hard to start the count again. But they do learn.

I really think you're going to need to walk him more. Even if you are outside with him on a long lead, it's just not the same as going for a walk. Even when I talk Thor to a park, he won't run around unless I'm up and walking around as well. Even weirder, he won't walk on the grass unless I do too. Oh well, we both need the exercise!

Yes, I've been walking him, even it's just around the house over and over. I just fed him a scrambled egg with his food, he picked out the egg, left the food. He just had a bath also and he's off leash for a little while, he's enjoying his freedom for a while.

I got Beamer's belly band from T Bumpkins & Co (Cathy is a member here). Her belly bands come with washable pads that velcro inside the band. You don't have to wash the whole belly band every time.

Washable Belly Bands by T. Bumpkins & Co. and Doggie Pee Pads

Thank you, I'm a believer now and would like some extras. I'll check out your link. :)