New Yorkie mom needs advice on potty training

[ebenn0710]

Hello everyone,

I've had my little baby yorkie for about five weeks now. She is about six months old (this is a best guess) and weighs 5.4 lbs. She was obtained from a resue shelter by someone and the person couldn't keep her, so he gave her to me. She is very sweet and loveble and loves to play and cuddle.

We also have a cat and another dog, a german shepard mix who she gets along with very well. The cat is another story.

She had her first vet visit two weeks ago, and it was discovered that she had a urinary infection, for which she was given anti-biotics for. The vet also told me that he thinks she is a silky, yorkie mix.

Anyway, she was obviously use to sleeping in bed with the other owners because the first night we had her, at bed time she jumped on the bed and attemped to pull back the covers and made herself right at home. I now realize we have to put her in a crate at night because she occasionally will wake up in the middle of the night, go poop and pee on the floor and get back in bed. I even put potty pads on the floor, but she perfers he carpet in the middle of the night. This has only happened a couple of time, but once is too much. She will be crated from now on until she is trained.

Last night I took her out to go potty and she peed, but not pooped. I then put her in her crate and put her in our spare bedroom at about 1am. This morning at 6am, t my surprise, when I opened the door she was there to greet me all excited. She somehow opened the crate door during the night to go potty! I found that she pooped on the carpet next to the door. This was very disappointing, and I need some advise on what to do. I tried keeping her in the crate in our bedroom, but she crys and wimpers off and on all night. I take her out first thing in the morning, feed her, and then she is left in a small inclosed area with pee pads during the day when I'm at work. I also come home at lunch time and take her out for a walk and she does very well during the day. It's just the pooping in the middle of the night I'm having a problem with, and the fact that she doesn't know how to tell me she has to go.

One more thing, she is also in heat now. Could this be having an affect on her behavior? I have a follow-up appointment at the vet today to determine when I can get her fixed.

Any advise for me on the potty training thing?

[gidget529]

Hi. Congrats on your new yorkie! So nice of you to rescue her! I am not sure if her being in heat is affecting this behavior - it might. Maybe a breeder will see this thread and give some input on that.

I put my little girl in a playpen (some ppl here use what's called an x-pen). I place her bed in there and pee pad. It is right next to our bed where she can see us. I use a sea breeze petite pen which opens. She walks right in every night and sleeps through the night in there; however, there is an option w the pee pad in case she has to.

Your pup seems like she cannot hold it through the night, so I am not sure crating is a good idea. I would try the play pen. If not, I would just be prepared to get up w her when she needs to to relieve herself. You could also try letting her sleep in bed w you, and when she needs to relieve herself put her inside the playpen w pee pads in it, so that she is confined to that area until she goes, and then it left back in bed.

I wish you well. They eventually do get the potty training w consistency. Hang in there!

[gracielove]

I can tell you that a female dog in heat can very well go off her potty training. Especially a young dog like yours. Also I would have her rechecked just to make sure her bladder infection is completely gone. You might try restricting her food intake so that she is able to digest her last meal and eliminate before she has to go to bed. Young dogs do not have as much ability to control he bowel and bladder. Can you confine her at night in the same area she is confined in during the day since she does well there?

[SophieKatesMom]

I had a hard time potty training Sophie Kate and finally had to go strictly with the crate training.

I am trying ot remember at 6 months of age how often I was taking her outside but I would guess maybe every 2 hours. What really helped me was documenting her potty "actions" for a few weeks so I could get a schedule - once that was a established we stuck with the schedule and only increased time as she got older.

One thing I would recommend is a late night walk with your baby so she can go potty and then right to bed. Some people don't agree but I take away food and water until morning after the late night walk.

You will get there, it will just take your attention and learning her habits.

Good luck.

[susan lynn]

Congratulations on your new baby and Welcome. I had a lot of trouble with my first female, but she hates to potty aoutside and prefers the potty pads in the laundry room.Good Luck.

[Teresa Ford]

Congratulations on your sweet baby. I can not give you better advice than crate training it is what worked for me.

[capt_noonie]

With a UTI clearing up, you cannot really get upset with her having accidents. I think with hold food earlier in the evening, and walk her after her last meal before bedtime. If there is nothing left in her system she can't possibly have an accident. The problem with that, is that puppies that young need to eat about 5-6 times a day. That being said, if they are out on their walk long enough, they will pee and poop.

I had no problems with having Uni in our bed from the first night. I kept a collar with a bell on her at night (all the time really). If I heard the bell I would get up and take her to try to go potty. Even if she was just adjusting herself and didn't need to go. I would be with her for 10, 20, 30, one time 40 mins until she went. Plenty of sleepless nights, but she was pretty much potty trained by 5-6 mo and completely trained at less than a year.

First get that uti cleared up, then worry about potty training.