Hello and wee problem

[SnowWa]

My yorkie is only 2 1/2 months old and I have only had him for 2 weeks.

Because he is so young, he sleeps a lot and this helps. But I keep him with me almost constantly..... on the davenport - in a bed in the kitchen -- in a bed in my office - sleeps with me at night - etc.

I take him to his puppy pad almost hourly - and he usually pees. I take him more often if he hasn't gone for a while.

I take him outside also. (I want him to learn that he is supposed to pee on his puppy pad or outside - not just in one place).

He's pretty good about sleeping most of the night, but if he does wake up, I take him to his puppy pad.

So - after all my times taking him to his puppy pad - he really does use it most of the time - and he has gone there himself several times and gone to the bathroom. (Good for him!!!)

Now the bad news - I work and am gone for about 6 hours - four days a week. When I am gone, he is confined to the kitchen with his bed, toys, food, and a puppy pad. And, he uses it some of the time - but not always.

So - I think we are making headway - but I do know that I am going to have to keep up this regimen for the next few months ahead and be consistent.

It's work - but not really that bad - he doesn't weigh a thing, so carrying him off to his puppy pad often really isn't any work. But - I have to remember to do it consistently. And, I have to get up in the middle of the night if he wakes up. (He almost always goes then.)

I personally don't like crate training. I have crate trained before and don't like my little puppy confined to a crate all the time. I'd rather keep a constant eye on him. I'm sure this is just a matter of preference.

Good luck - Carol Jean

[FirstYorkie]

Originally Posted by Ex-SRD

Thanks for the tips - we've put some of them into practice, and she isn't peeing in her cage anymore (it seems).

but.....

she still continues to pee on the floor. She will be scampering around merrily for a few mins, then will just squat and pee.

Wow! How great that you actually tried some of the things suggested! You'd be surprised how many people post, ignore the advice, and then complain again about the same problem a short time later.

I'd say that you are making progress. She's no longer peeing in her crate. Sounds like your little girl has a small bladder and has very little warning before she has to go. I KNOW it is a pain, but I think you are going to have to take her out more often, and probably, *alot* more often. She may have to go as often as every 20 -30 minutes until she starts to learn.

Be sure that you give her LOTS of opportunities to be successful outside and then really reward lavishly. I always gave a tidbit of people food when Joey pottied outside and oodles and oodles of cuddles and "aren't you the smartest puppy ever?" type praise.

Another thing that may be lacking is a way for her to tell you that she needs to go. What I've used successfully with several dogs is a bell hanging on the doorknob of the door they go out to relieve themselves. It will ring naturally every time you go in and out, but you can give it a jingle to be sure that she notices it. Most likely, she will start ringing the bell *very* soon to be let out. This is the hard part. She wants out but doesn't always have to go to the bathroom. Have patience. Every time you hear her ring the bell, RUN to open the door. She may even stand there and stare at you like "why did you do that?" That's okay. She's got to learn that bell ringing = door opening. Before you know it, she'll be ringing the bell and going out to potty.

I can't say it enough: REWARD HEAVILY!

[FirstYorkie]

2 more thoughts if you're not tired of reading yet:

While she is pottying outside, softly say "go potty"(or whatever you want your cue to be). Say it every time that she is doing it right. Before too long, she'll learn to go when you tell her to.

Also, IF she is staying dry in the crate, you might can stretch her bladder a little. After she has successfully pottied outside, she gets a few minutes of free play time (just be sure that you end it BEFORE she pees on the floor) and then she goes into the crate for a few minutes. This way, she learns the sensation of holding it. To begin with, these lengths of time will be quite short - maybe 20 minutes play time followed by 20 minutes in the crate, then outside again. You can gradually increase the length of both play time and crate time, but what you DON"T want to do is leave her long enough to have an accident in the crate.

GOOD LUCK! Let us know how it's going!

[Ex-SRD]

Thanks for these tips - we are using the cue 'go wee wee' - dont know if it's working yet.

Friday night we had her in the lounge for about 4 hours - in this time we let her into the garden 4 times and SUCCESS no wee inside.

Still some slip ups - but fingers crossed

[Wendy Becker]

My new Yorkie Charlie is also 4 months old...We thought he was sooo smart, and was pottie trained easily. Although we now know that they need constant supervision. Sneeky little devil's. He had us fooled, He would go outside with his other siblings...but discovered that it was much better to go on the carpet because it was cold...he went for one week without going in the house, but then voila..when we werent paying attention, he thought what the heck...I thought we had him trained...but I guess I still need to watch him all the time. I here now that they will catch on withing a couple months. But like they say...soooo darn cute, what do you do? How can you be mad? Just keep on it. I will never sit down again.