Need some encouragement and belly band?

[Cooper2010]

He won't stay in an x-pen. He can climb over.

I can't edit the above post, but he was 5 months old, not 15. Sorry.

[Britster]

Originally Posted by Cooper2010

He gets plenty of exercise. He has a 30 ft. lead that I attach him to every day. I would love to play ball with him, but it's hard when he MUST be leashed because he won't follow a COME command. He knows it, he just doesn't do it!! It's like he loses his mind when he's off leash. He's searching for rabbit poo or he's barking at cows, horses and chickens. There's too much stimulus for him and I don't know what to do!!! I've worked too hard for my home to have it ruined. When I've been away for a few hours and come back in, it smells like dog. That's not acceptable.

I have a 50ft lead for Jackson because we live on 3 acres, however tieing a dog to a 30ft leash every day isn't what I'd call 'exercise' by any means. He used to be off leash more but I don't trust him as much anymore since he darted off a few times. They're terriers, and they're KNOWN to be much harder to train off leash, though of course it CAN be done. Recall is something that must be worked on every single day if you want a reliable recall and even so, a terrier was bred to hunt mice and rats, so yes, they're going to be more interested in 'hunting' or chasing. The key is making yourself more interesting. You've got to find his currency, or his form of money. You say he likes cheese, you could use that. Or find something else he loves, it does not have to be a treat. A favorite toy, or anything can be used.

In the meantime, practice! A few times a week, I put Jackson on his 50ft lead, and let him wander and sniff and play, etc, and then I get something like chicken or cheese and get him to come to me. I use the word 'here' but the key is not to actually SAY the word until he's physically coming to you. I see people saying "come! come! come!" over and over again and it just becomes another word that the dog hears all the time and means absolutely nothing. Dogs don't speak English, so they must be taught. Also, if you could find a local dog park, or any fenced in type field (often times high school football fields, tennis courts, etc are fenced) and let him just RUN and get his energy out. I don't think Jackson would ever be able to survive on just his 30 ft leash every day.

To me, he just sounds like a dog who has a lot of pent up energy, a lack of training, and is anxious, fearful and nervous. And there's lots of things you can do to improve that, as I've listed above in my posts.

[Cooper2010]

Ok. Thanks so much. I'll make even more of an effort.

[Lizzie07]

I am with Itallian Greyhound rescue and I have to say, IGs are hard to housetrain. I believe most toy dogs are and that it's the price to pay for darling little dogs.

Probably 80 percent of IG rescues are turned in due to housetraining issues. When I get a male foster, the first thing I do is put a belly band on him. This way my house doesn't get marked, and I am not frantically chasing a dog around trying to watch him every second, although I do watch him closely. I also ignore mistakes in the house. I praise, praise, praise and praise some more when they potty outside. I also watch them when I let them out, everytime so I can praise them.

They do eventually get it, but it might take time. Don't trust too early.

[DvlshAngel985]

Originally Posted by Britster

I have a 50ft lead for Jackson because we live on 3 acres, however tieing a dog to a 30ft leash every day isn't what I'd call 'exercise' by any means. He used to be off leash more but I don't trust him as much anymore since he darted off a few times. They're terriers, and they're KNOWN to be much harder to train off leash, though of course it CAN be done. Recall is something that must be worked on every single day if you want a reliable recall and even so, a terrier was bred to hunt mice and rats, so yes, they're going to be more interested in 'hunting' or chasing. The key is making yourself more interesting. You've got to find his currency, or his form of money. You say he likes cheese, you could use that. Or find something else he loves, it does not have to be a treat. A favorite toy, or anything can be used.

In the meantime, practice! A few times a week, I put Jackson on his 50ft lead, and let him wander and sniff and play, etc, and then I get something like chicken or cheese and get him to come to me. I use the word 'here' but the key is not to actually SAY the word until he's physically coming to you. I see people saying "come! come! come!" over and over again and it just becomes another word that the dog hears all the time and means absolutely nothing. Dogs don't speak English, so they must be taught. Also, if you could find a local dog park, or any fenced in type field (often times high school football fields, tennis courts, etc are fenced) and let him just RUN and get his energy out. I don't think Jackson would ever be able to survive on just his 30 ft leash every day.

To me, he just sounds like a dog who has a lot of pent up energy, a lack of training, and is anxious, fearful and nervous. And there's lots of things you can do to improve that, as I've listed above in my posts.

Great advice Brit! You said everything that I would and more.

OP I have an insanely nervous dog too. It took a while to get him to trust me, then another chunk of time to get him to let loose and play. Then another while to get him to play with toys.... etc etc etc. I could explain how belly bands can work to your advantage. It seems poop is a bigger culprit then piddle, so really, you just have to watch him. I know it sounds insane and almost near impossible to watch them every stinkin' minute, but really, these stubborn creatures need all the help we humans can offer them. Hang in there! It will get better.

[Cooper2010]

Originally Posted by Britster

I have a 50ft lead for Jackson because we live on 3 acres, however tieing a dog to a 30ft leash every day isn't what I'd call 'exercise' by any means. He used to be off leash more but I don't trust him as much anymore since he darted off a few times. They're terriers, and they're KNOWN to be much harder to train off leash, though of course it CAN be done. Recall is something that must be worked on every single day if you want a reliable recall and even so, a terrier was bred to hunt mice and rats, so yes, they're going to be more interested in 'hunting' or chasing. The key is making yourself more interesting. You've got to find his currency, or his form of money. You say he likes cheese, you could use that. Or find something else he loves, it does not have to be a treat. A favorite toy, or anything can be used.

In the meantime, practice! A few times a week, I put Jackson on his 50ft lead, and let him wander and sniff and play, etc, and then I get something like chicken or cheese and get him to come to me. I use the word 'here' but the key is not to actually SAY the word until he's physically coming to you. I see people saying "come! come! come!" over and over again and it just becomes another word that the dog hears all the time and means absolutely nothing. Dogs don't speak English, so they must be taught. Also, if you could find a local dog park, or any fenced in type field (often times high school football fields, tennis courts, etc are fenced) and let him just RUN and get his energy out. I don't think Jackson would ever be able to survive on just his 30 ft leash every day.

To me, he just sounds like a dog who has a lot of pent up energy, a lack of training, and is anxious, fearful and nervous. And there's lots of things you can do to improve that, as I've listed above in my posts.

We're on 20 acres of open pasture and wooded land. Should I just let him go when he won't come back when I call him? That's responsible. Your definition of exercise and mine are extremely different. He has a big enough house to run wild in that he could wear himself out if he didn't soil every square inch of it.

[orlnurse]

Originally Posted by Cooper2010

We're on 20 acres of open pasture and wooded land. Should I just let him go when he won't come back when I call him? That's responsible. Your definition of exercise and mine are extremely different. He has a big enough house to run wild in that he could wear himself out if he didn't soil every square inch of it.

I don't think that's what britster meant. I think she was referring to being on a 30ft leash is probably not sufficient exercise. While everyone's definition of something could be different, you after all did come here to seek advice. In knowing that, you may get some responses that you don't completely agree with.

[DvlshAngel985]

Originally Posted by Cooper2010

We're on 20 acres of open pasture and wooded land. Should I just let him go when he won't come back when I call him? That's responsible. Your definition of exercise and mine are extremely different. He has a big enough house to run wild in that he could wear himself out if he didn't soil every square inch of it.

I think what Brit wanted to say that tying a dog on a leash and letting him run around by himself isn't *stimulating* exercise. Brit even said she doesn't let Jackson off leash because of trust issues, similar to yourself and your little one. I'm lucky that Kaji has awesome recall, so I personally would allow him off leash as long as I'm with him.

Do you walk your little one and for how long? During the training process with my little one, I walked him 5 times a day. I'm not joking, it was 5 walks in addition to potty breaks. All walks lasted anywhere from 20 mins to 2 hours. He didn't have much time or energy to get into mischief. I know that sounds like a lot, but I was blessed to have the time to do it. When I started working, I cut back a lot on his outside time and he spent more time in his expen. Whatever enclosure works for you is what you should use, same as I used what worked for me. I made the expen small, only using 4 panels. he had enough room for his bed, a few toys, and his water and food bowls. Any time I couldn't watch him (like work hours) I would place Kaji in the expen. If I was home doing chores or whatever, he was tied to my hip with a 6 ft leash (tied tight, so it was more like 4 ft). He obviously has to stop long enough to piddle or poop, so if I kept going, he was forced to do the same. Also, when he wouldn't poop, a fast paced walk always helped to get things moving for him.

Please don't get frustrated with the responses. We as a community can only share what we've done and how we have achieved success individually in hopes that there is something in our response that can help you or anyone that is reading have success as well.

[Cooper2010]

I've read enough here to be well aware of that. Maybe our lifestyles aren't the same and I can't do everything that she does? Maybe I don't have access to dog parks, etc? I know what should work, and I know what isn't working. I can only do what I have the resources to do.

[Cooper2010]

I may be confused, but isn't Brit a high school student? If that's the case then I can certainly understand the criticism. I'm 40, with 3 kids, with a job and ballgames and all the stuff that goes along with middle/high school kids. It's not always possible to go to doggy classes, agility, etc. This has been his schedule from the beginning. He did well initially.

My apologies if I have her confused with another person.

[Cooper2010]

I will offer a sincere thank you to everyone who offered their advice. I spent half of the morning taking my daughter to an orthodontist appt and the rest of the day until 7 tonight having a root canal "redone". My face is swollen, I don't feel good and I'm going to bed.

Thanks again and sorry for being snippy.

[yorkieusa]

Originally Posted by Cooper2010

I may be confused, but isn't Brit a high school student? If that's the case then I can certainly understand the criticism. I'm 40, with 3 kids, with a job and ballgames and all the stuff that goes along with middle/high school kids. It's not always possible to go to doggy classes, agility, etc. This has been his schedule from the beginning. He did well initially.

My apologies if I have her confused with another person.

The failure isn't your dogs. The failure is in something that you're not doing. You are saying you don't have time to properly train your yorkie.

Has he been neutered?

[Cooper2010]

Yes, he has been neutered, that was stated earlier. Since my schedule will likely not be altered, what do you suggest I do with my untrained Yorkie since I've failed to properly do that?

[yorkieusa]

Originally Posted by Cooper2010

Yes, he has been neutered, that was stated earlier. Since my schedule will likely not be altered, what do you suggest I do with my untrained Yorkie since I've failed to properly do that?

I did not read every comment. It just seems fairly obvious that you failed in his training somewhere along the line. You admitted that he started out very well. I would highly recommend taking him for walks - at least a mile and preferably longer - after his meals. Assuming you use a good quality food, then he should only be pooping no more than twice a day.

He needs a routine in order for any training to succeed. Yorkies really are not hard to train. Reward him as previously mentioned.

Mine is totally housebroken and has been since 6 months of age. You can do it, too, if you follow these simple steps. He needs a simple way to tell you he needs to go potty. I have used bells on my door knobs. It has been successful. I wish you lots of luck, but give him a chance to be successful. It is not his fault.

[Cooper2010]

Thank you. I also have bells and clickers. I will make it a point to walk him more.