Help,,,are all Yorkies so strong willed ?
 

Prissy is trying me in so many ways..I was training her to go out on the covered porch on a Pet Zoom, was doing ok until it got so cold,,,then she would fake pee, :confused:I know crazy,,she would squat and pretend and then when she came in she would do it on the floor...She hates the cold and just wanted in.:rolleyes: I know she was doing that b/c I had some newspaper underneath the Zoom to see if she was peeing. I swear she is 16 weeks old and a handfull.

Ok, then I set up a pet apartment inside last night, I did this with 2 crates, I put fake grass in one crate and then she could go from her sleeping part to the grass crate. I've also ordered pee pads and a thing to place them in since I know she would shred them if given a chance.. I would prefer her to pad trained since she can't go out into the yard b/c of all of the wild animals here..

So have I just screwed her up in so many ways??? I love her dearly and only want the best for her..any idea of what I can do to be a better Mommy to Prissy?:cry:

You haven't screwed up. You're learning a very a liable lesson, yorkies are smarter than we give them credit for!!!

Keep trying and be patient with her. 16 weeks is still very young, and she has a short attention span. Be consistent and she'll get it.

You are a good mommy, don't worry. :)

Terriers are generally strong-willed. :D

For potty training, consistency is key. Is the Pet Zoom a fake grass thing? Choose one contraption/material as the potty area. Prissy may get confused with having different things in different places: different kinds of fake grass and pads, indoors or outdoors.

When she does potty in the right place, throw a party and praise her each time. Give her a small treat.

I know she is very smart but I was afraid that I am messing her up...we love her so much,,I can't imagine how we went so long without her..

It's amazing, isn't it? Even in a short period of time, you can't remember what life was like without them. Kristin gave you good advice. Too many options at the same time might be a little confusing. pick one, whether piddle pads, or fake grass, set up a schedule and stick with it.

That is why I am so upset, I keep changing things on her and I know she is confused...so I get the puppy pads Tuesday, is it too late to train her with them? The Zoom is a fake grass thing, I thought it would be best at first but now I don't think so. She absolutely hates the cold so I hope she can now be paper trained.

Persistance! We got Andy trained in about 3 weeks. He goes outside now, and its MUCH colder here.

Andy responds VERY well to treats. (and what dog doesn't???) :)

She was doing well with the Zoom until it got really cold..I would take her out when awaking, after eating, after playing and after chewing a lot..it is all my fault for confusing her, she is extremely smart.

It's never too late to teach them anything. Kaji was pad trained at 18-20 months (I can't remember)
I had to change where he pottied due to us having to move. I had him go through a relocation, living with new people in a new place, and re-learning potty behaviors. Talk about too much at once!! I made a schedule, stuck with it, and have a piddle pad trained pup!

Oh, and Andy figured out pretty quickly, no potty, no treat!

It is not too late. I would recommend using the pads only then. Keep the pad within easy reach at all times. Don't expect her to travel from one end of the house to the other to get to it, especially when she is a young pup.

Take her to the pad when she wakes from sleeping or a nap, after each meal, playtime or anything exciting. Use keywords and phrases like, "Prissy go potty" when you put her on the pad. Once she gets the hang of the pad, you won't need to bring her there.

If she has an accident, just say, "Uh oh" and clean it up. Show her the pad and use keywords.

Supervision and limited freedom in your home are important for training. Increase freedom as her potty habits develop. When you can't supervise, put her in an xpen or gate her off in a small room with the pad.

Max shredded his pads a bit when he was a pup, but he quickly gave it up. Some people prefer washable pads for this reason. However, if you ordered disposables, that would mean another material change and more confusion for Prissy right now.

:thumbup::thumbup: Teddy was 100% outdoor trained when I brought him home at 8 months old. I retrained him to use pads too.

Thank you all for responding and I will be persistent with the piddle pads..My husband is even afraid for her to be outside and he thinks pads are the way to go...he thinks that I am over thinking all of it, that could be true but I keep trying to think ahead for all different issues. I will try to do better,,send up some prayers please, this is going to be a rough ride.

One of mine is real strong willed like that the other just goes along with anything and was a breeze to train so they all have different personalities

Now that is awesome,,,there is still hope for Prissy and me.:D

Wow, that is wonderful...

Of course there is, you are a good mommy working very hard to do the right thing. How sweet that your husband is protective of Prissy too. :)

We both love her very much and Yoshi is still on the fence..she is so strong willed and it is a pain trying to keep a tee on her.:confused: She doesn't like clothes either but I am being persistent about that too...my husband loves to see her in dresses, she gets them off easily since they are a little big.:D

I love this forum, everyone is so helpful...

My girl that is strong willed doesnt like clothes either and will pant and act stressed untill you take them off

aaw, that is terrible. Yoshi, my peke never liked clothes either but I didn't try very often, I think if I had stuck with it he would have got used to them as a puppy, now if I put a shirt on him he will lay down and pout at me.:D

my two are 15 weeks and doing very well with the pads,I have them in an xpen with pads in one area ,and an open crate with their bed in another corner. I did have a pad holder but they took it apart every chance they got ! I couldnt use fabric pads because I use two pads about 5to 6 times a day maybe more,to keep the area clean.:animal-pa:animal-pa

Being consistent is the key. Purchase a liquid house training aid if you are using the grass or unscented pee pads. I have always gotten the Out pads that Walmart sells and Gracie went right to them right away. I had one pee pad in the bedroom and one in the living room when she was a puppy. I really think their little bladder needs a little extra help especially as puppies. When she was 6 months old I decided she was doing so well I would just have the one in the living room and put away the other one. Low and behold out of habit I found her peeing where the other pad had been. So their little minds do get accustomed to having things a certain way. When I switched to a different brand of pee pads that claimed to be the same as the other I had to use the liquid house breaking aid on them because apparently they did not attract as well as the ones she was used to using.

You are dealing with a little puppy. You have a lot of training to go but getting her used to one potty training method is going to help. My girl is one of the strongest willed dogs I have ever known but I really don't think they are manipulative as some say. I do think they learn differently than some dogs do and are quite a bit smarter than certain dogs. Some Yorkies do hate the cold and yours is a pup so you can't blame her for not wanting to be out there in the winter weather. I am the first to say you have to be firm and consistent with these little ones but you just can't get mad at them they are just too darn cute.

By the way, in order to eliminate the bedroom pee pad I had to slowly move it toward the living room. It took many days of moving it just a few inches at a time. I finally set it right next to the one in the living room and eventually was able to just remove it. I had many frustrating days with my baby when she was a puppy. I don't know if I trained her or if she trained me but it has been a learning experience for both of us. I love her dearly and would not have her any other way. I have often said that I have had many dogs through my life but Gracie is a whole new thing for me. The terrier personality is something else. I did have to learn that I could not train her the same as my other dogs. Just enjoy her you will get through it and be the better for it.

I think of Mina as I did my children (wrong I know but it works for me). If she goes outside and the weather is cold and I dont think that she has pottied. I check for wet. I am forever looking for a toy that will challenge her and tire her out. Newest is a Kong treat ball with a ziggy stuck in the middle. She can reach a very tiny bit on each side but she knows that there is more. She is busy and that is why I am able to sit here and type. I have to stay a step ahead so I am already thinking about the next thing that will be new and entertaining. I did the same thing with my children when they were toddlers. The favorite toy is a chew stick stuffed into the little hole in a Kong,she cannt swallow the whole thing and she has a handle to hold it with. She still has to play right beside me for this one.

You are like any parent,pet or people, you are wanting only the best for your baby. The fact that you care means alot.

I feel your frustration, but I have to say, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Just be consistent, sometimes you have to wait them out, they really are more clever than they are strong willed. They know humans very well. Best of luck to you, keep us posted on your progress :thumbup:

Hear that, Sally? :wink::shade:

I will keep trying since we do love her and we don't have any other options..we have had several dogs and she has been more high strung than any of them, We have always been dog lovers, well we love animals. My husband said that I have finally met my match, I too am very strong willed and Ray has never trained me yet.

I think I started thinking about the piddle pads when talking about her getting spayed. I have stressed myself over that and it is a few months away.

That is the gist of my post above :D

Be patient. You will never outsmart her, but with time and love and patience you will be rewarded with a loyal friend for life ;)

I look at my oldest daughter (age 25yrs) and look at Mina (age 1yr) and know that there is hope for Mina. You just keep on trying and working it out.

I just told Mina no bark,she sat up and licked my finger. I had to look the other way,I just laughed. Right now she is laying behind my laptop,fussing at me because she wants where the computer is. It must be nap time. Later folks gotta go be a petparent.

Ha ha I love it, she fake pees, that's so adorable! By the way, dogs typically don't like to go in a crate, so if you have pads or grass in a crate hoping they will dog there, it will be harder to train them. The will actually hold it for longer if they are in a small den, so I'd use the grass or pads without putting it in the crate. Best of luck!

This is a bit opposite :rolleyes:.....

but I am the fake pee-er in this house! If I want Sugar to go potty on her pads when we are traveling (we usually keep them in a bathroom because that is where she likes to pee :) ) I have to "fake pee" on the potty to get her to follow suit :D