Need some encouragement and belly band?
 

I'm at my wits end. My 11 month old has completely regressed in house breaking. This may be long, so please bear with me.

He will pee when I take him out, but not poop. Within 5 minutes of bringing him in he poops. He gives me no signal that he needs to go out. I think alot of what he's doing is marking, 5 or 6 drops. He was neutered at 5 months.

Today I bought him a 20ft lead to give him more freedom when we're out. I can also attach that to a door knob and he can't reach the carpet. I bought him a belly band, even though I'm not sure what the point is? He pees in that? I spent all day yesterday shampooing my carpet and I'm not half-way done. I've worked and worked with this dog. I've even resorted to a kitchen timer to take him out every two hours. Still, not 15 minutes go by after taking him out and he's either peed or pooped in the carpet.

I've reached the point where I almost don't even like him anymore. A pet is supposed to be enjoyable, not non-stop work and aggravation. I know some of the things I'll hear, but believe me, I HAVE worked with this dog. At this point I think he's hard headed and stubborn. He's spent more time in his crate the last 3 days than he's been out.

The ONLY thing I've found to motivate this dog is cheese. He cares nothing for treats or toys. I'm ready to give up.

I posted this here because there are only 5 viewing in the training forum. I'm so discouraged.

I'll be watching this thread because I'm having the same problems with Rhett. He's also taken to lifting his leg in the house (he was neutered at 6 months- so I thought we would avoid this :( )

I read earlier today that if you can't "watch" them at every minute, which is completely unrealistic, then keep them attached to you. So I'll attach him to a doorknob. I'm done feeling bad about my methods. I've done EVERYTHING that I know to do.

I understand your frustration. When we got Toby back in December (a puppy mill rescue) his foster mom told me he was 90 percent housebroken. He is neutered and 4 years old. He too had belly bands but she said he rarely wore them. DON'T GIVE UP. There is hope.

I'm no expert on potty training but here's my story. When we brought Toby home, he marked (even though he is neutered) so that made me decide to use the belly band. You ask what's the point of a belly band since they pee in them...............from what I've read and been told, dogs do not like to be wet so by wearing the belly band they will learn to hold it longer and longer to keep from wearing a wet belly band. Keep him on a schedule and praise, praise, praise every time he potties outside and praise him with cheese if you have to. Housebreaking won't happen over night. I've learned, thanks to all the information I've read and received here at YT, that with consistency you can housebreak your dog. I'm living proof. I used to free feed (left food down all the time so they could eat whenever they wanted to). Due to Toby's newly diagnosed luxating patella he now gets 1/4 c. food twice a day, morning and evening. What a difference that makes in his potty schedule. We keep a potty pad down in the foyer for those "just in case" times and he used to use it to poop on once in a while. But now I have to say the potty pad is down for emergencies only. He poops less frequently (only once or twice a day now) and I pretty much know when he needs to do that.

If we leave to go anywhere, I tell him "let's put your pants on" and he stands still for me to put on his belly band. It takes time and patience. Don't give up on the little guy.

I'm sure there are others that can give you more advice but this has been my experience. I can't remember the last time he's hiked his leg on anything in the house. Good luck and keep us posted.

Can you keep him corraled in just one room with no carpeting? I kept Ziva in the dining room(blocked off, tile floor, no furniture) for way longer then I ever thought we would. When I read your post I feel your frustration- I thought of the saying "it's always darkest before the dawn" Things will get better!

I've always only fed him twice a day. There is no rhyme or reason to his bathroom habits. No signal, no turning, no sniffing. Just, "this looks like a good spot to eliminate".

Also, it's impossible to use gates the way my house is. I put him in the bathroom Friday while I ran an errand and he shredded two rolls of toilet paper.

He sounds like a ball of energy! Do you take him on walks to tire him out? We too were unable to use baby gates in our home, thus came the belly band. When we first got him, he wore it a lot but now he only wears it when we leave and 99% of the time whenever we come home, he is still dry.

Welcome to the wonderful world of potty training a Yorkie. This is one subject I can give you a lot of advice on since it took 3 tries to get Sophie Kate potty trained.

1. Limit the space your Yorkie is in, no free roam of the house until he does his business outside. Treat free roam as a reward for good behavior. I would recommend a Ex Pen or a crate, we use a crate and Sophie Kate goes in it everytime we leave if we are going to be gone longer than 1 hour. If its a short trip we give her limited roam in our Master Bathroom.

2. Get a special treat as a reward for doing his business outside. In my case it was Cheerio's - they are only given for one reason going potty outdoors. Also give a lot of "good boys" and cheers, reward him for going where he is suppose to go.

3. Get your Yorkie on a schedule, we go for potty walks at 6:00 am, 7:30 am, 6:30 pm, 9:00 pm and right before bedtime - even on the weekends (should note I have a dogwalker who comes everyday around Noon also).

4. It sounds like your Yorkie may be like Sophie Kate and needs to walk before she poops. Sometimes it takes 15 minutes but you will figure out when he has to go and make him stay outside until he goes and then give him a treat (I gave treats for both pee and poop).

Good luck, do not get discourage.

This is just my advice but I am sure some of the other experienced owners can give you advice also.

He's really not a ball of energy. He a nervous little dog. Any little noise sets him off into a barking fit. When I try to pick him up, he tucks his tail between his legs. Honestly, if anyone were to evaluate him, they'd probably think he's been abused. That's not happened. He's just so nervy! I'm almost ready to ask the vet for a mild tranquilizer. He has no reason to behave the way he does.

When I call him, he actually runs from me instead of to me. I cannot let him off a leash outside, when I do it's like he doesn't even know his name. He won't even turn and look when he hears his name.

First, how much exercise does he get? I find lack of exercise to be a problem with a lot of dogs, especially the little ones which people often think don't need it, but in reality... alot of small dogs often need even more exercise than big dogs. I know if Jackson does not get his exercise, he will get ornery and start to chew up things (and he's 2), and get into things (like toilet paper). A tired dog is a happy dog! Completely wear him out and he won't have time to think about chewing things up. I give Jackson 35-45 minute walks per day (M-F). Every night, we do trick/clicker training for at least 15 minutes (mind games tire him out), and/or do a 10-20 minute game of fetch inside the house running down the hall. Every Saturday is agility class, dog park for 2 hours, then a trip to Petsmart/Petco/etc. A few times a week I bring him to my dads fenced in yard with their dogs where he does even more running. I realize ALL of these things aren't always capable of some people but I do believe good exercise would help 90% of peoples dogs problems most of the time. Some use treadmills in the winter time when walking is not possible. Also, training. Has he been to any obedience classes, does he know any basic commands? These are key to a happy life with your dog, IMO.

After impleting an exercise routine, start at square one again. When you ARE home, take him out every 30 minutes. I know it sounds excessive, but set him up to succeed. Then the following week, up it, and take him out every hour. Then up it again, etc. Go slowly. When you aren't home, he should be crated, so he does not have the option to chew up toilet paper. Don't set him up to fail, pick up everything and puppy-proof the house. :) I'm sure he senses your frustration too (and it's understable why you are frustrated) so try to be cool and calm. He will pick up on your energy.

You say you bring him outside and he will pee and come 5 minutes later inside and poop.... well, when you know he doesn't poop when you're outside with him, why are you allowing to come into the house free roam, knowing he has to poop? I know when Jackson was a puppy, if he would not poop in the morning, he would go directly back into his crate for another 20 minutes or so, and then I'd try again. Until he pooped outside, he did NOT get that freedom.

How much did you socialize him as a puppy? How old was he when you got him, and where did he come from? Has he had any training? These can all play a part in how an adult dog will act.

I got Jackson from a BYB in Baltimore City. All he knew was her, his mom, his siblings and the owners young daughter and stayed in her bedroom for the first 9 weeks of his life. So he came to me pretty terrified, even puking in the car ride home, but quickly warmed up once meeting my moms dog.

The first day I brought him home, he was introduced to my then-4 year old brother, my dad, and my stepmom, and their JRT dog. A few days later, he was then introduced to my mom, stepdad, young sister and their dog. After having him for a few weeks, I had introduced him to most of my family and a few close friends.

If I had gotten him, brought him home, and just not done anything, I don't think he would be the dog he is today. He's still very shy; he doesn't really like strangers to come into our house and pet him. He prefers to watch from a distance. But I always made positive associations- everytime a stranger came in, he got a treat. I would take him to my cousins little league games and any kid that wanted to pet him, would give him a treat. I began teaching him the basic 'sit' and 'down' etc at 9-10 weeks old. I've found that tricks really boosted his confidence. He now knows around 30 tricks or so and it's a great way for him to feel good... he loves doing them and will obey commands even from kids he doesn't know. We are enrolled now in our first organized training class in agility and it's really boosted his confidence and made him less fearful.

Now at 2 years old, he is actually voluntarily going up to strangers in pet stores, and in public places and actually enjoying a nice petting (he still puts his ears back and shyly approaches) but I'm definitely very proud of the work we've accomplished. My point to this post is to say it takes time, patience and work. :) They can't do it on their own.

I have been doing that....when he doesn't poop, he goes into his crate. What I'm saying is that all the times that I take him out, he just needs my back to be turned to get a drink of water and he's pooped. It's completely impossible to "watch them every second". NOW, he goes directly into his crate where he whines and cries. 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.

:thumbup: Great advice. I was also going to suggest starting over with crate training or keeping him in an xpen and allowing him to come out only to go potty outside. I would suggest that instead of keeping him on a long leash in the house. You will have more control of that small area and hopefully it won't be on the carpet. I agree with the energy that he may be sensing as well. Trying to stay cool and calm may allow him to start trusting you rather than running away. He may also benefit from some obedience training as Britster suggested. Hang in there! If its any consolation, my yorkie that's 14 months old still isn't 100 percent potty trained.

I got him when he was 15 months old. I took him to work with me, around other people, I walked him around the block. Shortly after, in July, he started barking aggressively at any customer who came in. He's regressed in everything. Now I no longer take him to work with me due to his lack of being house trained and his barking behavior. He started out well, and just went backwards, no matter what I did.

No, he hasn't been in any training, I don't have time or funds to take him 60 miles one way for training classes that may or may not work.

I have no idea how much he was socialized when I got him. Not much, I'm sure.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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?

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.

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