Want to be the best mommy :) Please help!!!
 

Ok. I got Tank a month ago. He is a teacup and very active. I work at a hospital, where I am gone about 11 hours a day. He is fed in the morning and is taken out before and after eating to do his business. He is also fed in the afternoon, where I take him out when I get home and many times, till I go to bed, after that. I am currently "trying" to crate train him. I feed him and take him out of the crate while I am at home. I have been told, by countless people, "He will be fine in his crate and will not pee or poop in it bc he won't wallow in it." I have given him just enough room to lay down and turn around (just like I was told). Almost everyday when I get home...there is poop and pee all over him. I don't know if he is too young (12 weeks) and too little, or if Im doing something wrong. When he is out of the kennel, I take him out frequently.

I know it is not good to wash a yorkie too much, but I cannot see where it is good for him to have pee and poop all over him either!!!

11 hours is a very long time for a pup to hold it. Maybe you could try an xpen instead with pee pads in it .. away from his bed?

A lot of dogs won't go in their crates. Some do even with little space. I agree with Ladyjane. You are gone too much for your pup to hold it and peepads are going to be the best option for you.

Is he alone in the crate for 11 hours at a time? If so, that is way too long and he just can't hold it. You say he's little (physically) and young correct? That means he has a tiny bladder, and needs frequent outings. (every 2-3 hours or so)

Can you have a neighbor, or a friend that can come let him out of the crate while you are working?

If that's not possible, there is an alternative, expen with piddle pads. It limits his area so he doesn't mess up in the house, but it's small enough to give him designated areas:
-eating area (he should have food and water available at all times anyway)
-sleeping area (a nice soft bed for him. :))
-potty area (piddle pads)

You can start with piddle pads, and when he's older and able to hold it, you can train him to go outside. Having a dual trained yorkie has a lot of benefits. :)

Yorkie pups tend to need to do every 2-3 hours. And with you being gone for 11 hours the puppy has to relieve itself somewhere. I agree with previous posters about the ex pen with potty pads inside. I hope it helps. I don't know if you have read this but this might help with any other questions you may have about your puppy.
http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/gen...w-parents.html
Good luck!:)

I thought that was a long time too. The breeder I bought him from said that he was pad trained. We started him in a small bathroom where I had pads out, with food and water. He used the bathroom in the floor more than the pads, so thats why I chose the training kennel (wire kennel). I have a woman that I work with, who has 3 yorkies and she has the same schedule as me. She keeps her teacups in there for that long too and said that one day he will just quit using the bathroom in the kennel as he gets a little older. Everybody has their own opinions on how to do things.....I just need to find what is best for Tank man :)

And you dont even need to invest in an x-pen, you could just get a full sized crate, and put the pee pad on one end of it or fence your boy in a space that's easier to clean. Of course your pup could still make a mess but it should be more manageable.

Our female made terrible messes until we let her wonder around the whole main level of our house. After that, although she may not be confident enough to go on the pad every time, her messes are in one spot. After a long day working, the last thing you need is to come home and have to give your pup a bath every night and clean the kennel; cleaning up one spot is a whole lot easier especially if its on tile.

A 12 week old pup should not be expected to hold it for 11 hours.

For the health of kidneys, bladder, and other vital organs, I would never force a dog to hold it for 11 hours. It is not healthy for humans, and it is not healthy for dogs. You can almost guarantee stones, urinary tract infections, and premature breakdown of related systems. Drinking frequently and eliminating waste is how we clean out our bodies. Our pets need the same.

I re-read your initial post and I see I may have misunderstood about the 11 hours. However, I agree with everyone about piddle pads being a highly desirable option for your pup, even when he grows older. Some people do leave their dogs without potty breaks for 8 hours, but I stand by what I wrote: this is not healthy long term.

So I am to understand that Tank has been home for already one month, and he is not barely 12 weeks old? So the breeder released a "teacup" at 8 weeks, omg. I would not believe this breeder in saying he is already pad trained. Puppies this young need to go able to go every 2-3 hours. They will not benefit from being crated 11 hrs a day. Your co worker at least has yorkies who can keep each other company, but still her situation is less than ideal. Yorkies love to be with their humans.

Tank is soiling himself bc he can't hold it that long. Could you? I agree with the others to get an ex pen and have enough room for his bed and food, and the rest of the area covered in pee pads. As he gets older, you leave less pads down until there is just one. Don't give him the opportunity to pee anywhere else but the pads. If you only put down one, you are setting him up for failure. Make it so it's near impossible for him to fail.

:thumbup:

Pups are done being weened at 8 weeks, and spend week 8-12 learning social skills from mom and litter mates. This includes early potty training lessons that the breeder helps with. I say "early potty training" because they learn the basics. Once you take them out of their environment and into a new home where they are all alone, you have to start over again. They do retain basics, but the rules they had at the breeder's house may not all apply to your house. (differing styles etc.) So when you have a pup that was taken at 8 weeks, you can't have very high expectations. There is teething, which can throw them off. A new environment, throws them off. And, since your Tank is all alone, yup, that's going to throw him off.

You just have to be patient and if you're not there to watch him and guide him, do as Capt Noonie said and set him up for success.

Gizmo is not a "teacup" is going on 9 months and I don't leave him in the crate any longer then 7 hours.

Way too long for a smaller baby.

thank you to everyone who has taken the time to help me!!! I feel so bad now!!! Can someone please tell me what an ex pen? Would an ex pen allow me to work my hours and still keep him happy and train him at the same time?

Amazon.com: ex pen - Home & Kitchen: Home & Garden

There's many options on amazon. I would still try to get someone over to take your baby out, or maybe take your baby to daycare a few days a week just so he remains social.

I wouldn't enjoy over 11 hours locked in my room, and I know Giz wouldn't either. I know it can be challenging with work schedules, but and expen as well as daycare will be big helps.

My Yorkie is 10 years old and still goes both pee and poop in her crate.

ex pen= excersize pen. Like a baby pen. LOL I don't even know how to spell excersise, much less do it myself! :sidesplt:

Join the club...

By the way, I hate your avatar, it makes me crave tacos! :p

I have a pack n play ( human kid one) Pnut is in there for 8 hours, he holds it. I have his food water and fav toys and also a bed. He does just fine.

Since ur little guy is a pup you need to put some puppy pads and train him to use those, then from there train him to go outside or hoeever you want him to go! I agree with the others 11 hours is too long to hold it! Good luck! Congrats on ur baby

:) pnut is 4 and still goes pee/poo in the house!!

Ok. So I just looked at the ex pen. What would be the difference between the pen and a small bathroom with the same thing, like I was doing before, but with more pads and add a bed in his kennel?

Ex pens dont train ur dog YOU train ur dog. Just because you put your dog in there doesn't mean he will train his self, training a puppy is a full time job!

I like the expen idea bette because it can be in a more familiar area and less potential from him getting bored and chewing on a cabinet, or moulding, etc.

:thumbup::thumbup:

First I would like to welcome you to YT:) Please read, read, read, alot of good info on this site.

11 hours is way to long to be away. Yep Yorkies love people, mine act crazy if I'm gone for more then 5 min they act like I've been gone 5 hours. Also just so you know their is no such thing as a "teacup", it's just a breeders way of saying small and they are just trying to justify a large price tag.:aimeeyork I would look into trying to find someone to let him out sometime during the day. I come home for lunch and I'm only at work 7 hours a day and my guys are alot older then 12 weeks.

I know it won't train him. I just need to find a way to have him taken care of while I'm not here. I know it is not sanitary for him to lay in his waste. Off the top of my head, I do not have anyone who can come by to take him out. I work four days a week and am home 3. I am worried about what to do with the days I'm at work. When I am here I take up a lot of time with him (he's actually in my lap right now). He's the only man that I have that does not back talk me :)

that does make sense!!! :D

Don't you think 11 hours is a long time to be alone? Aside from the potty issues puppies need a lot of attention.. Maybe you can look into a dog watcher for a couple hours!?? I am sure you love him, but I think he is alone way too much.

I have to agree with this comment. It's going to be extra hard to train a puppy that young when you're not around 11 hours of the day. When you are home work extra hard to take him out often and try the suggestion of lots of pee pads (over bathroom floor) or x-pen and start removing one at a time until he's always using a pad and not the floor.

I used to work 10 hours when i first got my second dog. it was hard on them both but they had a buddy to keep company and i took them to work with me if my husband wasn't home for 8 hours during my shifts. i've never left my dogs alone more than 6 hours at a time without having someone come over and let them out. even just an all day trip i always get an in-law or dog sitter to come over and give them a pee break. not fair to make them hold it just because they can.

puppies i wouldn't leave more than 4 hours max without someone giving a potty break. or adapt to using pads so they can go when they need to go.

good luck. oh and just a little reminder, there is no such thing as a "teacup" yorkie. you just have a very small bred yorkie under the traditional size for a yorkie. "teacup" is a term that makes some of us cringe because it's mostly used by not so great breeders to sell tiny pups.

Im going to look at a daycare here in town. :) didn't know we had one until my boyfriend just told me!!

A general rule of thumb is that a puppy can only "hold it" for about an hour for every month old after 3 months of age (a 4 month old puppy can hold for about an hour, 5 months 2 hours etc.)

Out of curiosity, please tell me that you are leaving food and water available for him the whole time you are gone. 12 hours for a 12 week old puppy is far too long to go without food and is a hypoglycemic crisis waiting to happen.

He's too young for day care. He shouldn't be around other dogs until at least 2 weeks after his final set of puppy shots. Maybe a pet sitting service that comes to your home would be a better idea for right now.