Pee Pad or Litter Box?
 

My Milo is starting to get better with his pee pad training now, but once in a while he still chews up the pad or brings in in his bed and it's pretty nasty. Has anyone used a litter box for their Yorkie pup? What has a greater success rate? What are your experiences?

I read this once before and learned from it myself...:thumbup:


Litter Box Training your Yorkie All animals, including humans, excrete biological waste. This means that your dog does it too. Gradually, the act of going to the bathroom becomes more structured and a place is set in which we must travel to in order to do what needs to be done. Your Yorkshire Terrier does the same thing, eventually. For your new Yorkie Puppys, going to the bathroom is going to be tough to monitor and get right. It is important to train your Yorkie puppy so that they know where they can "go", and where they can't. Yorkshire Terriers are smaller dogs compared to most, and more of an inside breed then an outside, of course thats not to say they don't like the outdoors. One of the most popular methods for this tiny dog is litter box training. This method is highly convenient for those people who live in apartments and can not take their dog outside whenever they need to go, which is quite often for Yorkie puppies.

Like all training methods for bathroom usage when dealing with puppies, your going to need to give your Yorkie a special room. This will be his confinement area. Its not a prison, so do not think of it as one, it is simple a training ground that your Yorkie puppy will be spending a lot of time in. This room should probably be a bathroom with tile so that "accidents" are easier to clean. Do not disillusion yourself, your puppy will have accidents, so as soon as you accept that fact the easier it will be. Move all of your dogs toys, his drink bowl, food bowl, sleep area, etc. into the room you have chosen. As stated, Yorkshire Terriers are small dogs, so the litter box that you get does not have to be jumbo size. It should be relatively small, about 3-4 inches in height and about 15-20 inches in length. Its going to be very important for your Yorkie to be able to get in and out of the litter box with ease. You don't want him to have to climb mount Rushmore in order to go to the bathroom. Be sure to place some papers inside the box, as well as under it.

Starting from scratch with litter training can be somewhat difficult. You will be going through much trail and error, so be sure to having your cleaning supplies ready and nearby. If your Yorkshire Terrier is not around you, make sure he is in his "special" room. This is where he will spend his time when your not around. If you are spending time with him, make sure that he is near you and can only go to his room if he needs to go. Make sure all doors are shut, besides his room, and if he tries to "eliminate" near you, shout "No!" and clap. Your Yorkie will be shocked and either stand still, or run to his room quickly. If he stands still, walk up to him and make sure that he sees what he has done. Give him a firm pat to the bottom, just hard enough to let him know somethings wrong, but soft enough so that it doesn't hurt him/her, just make sure he sees what he did, and then bring him to his room. Once you have reached the room, place the puppy in the box, say a keyword or phrase, something like "Poop Box" or "Use Box". When your Yorkie puppy is in the litter box, lift it, place it down, wait for him to leave and repeat three or four more times. Of course this means nothing to a Yorkshire Terrier at first, but they will begin to form a connection as time passes. So each and every time you see him about to leave a "gift" where he isn't suppose to, shout "NO!", make a loud noise (Clap), give him his little rear-end slap (optional, but recommended), and say your box phrase. Once this is done, bring him to the box and repeat the phrase again and again, as well as placing him in the litter box and doing the lift method.

As time goes by, you will notice that your Yorkshire Terrier is going to the bathroom on his/her own. Of course, in their early months your going to have to be with them constantly, but as they get more bladder control and learn where it is appropriate to "go", you will have far less accidents to clean up. Make sure you give your cute little Yorkie plenty of attention and encouragement during this training regimen. If this is your first time litter box training a Yorkie puppy, remember its a learning experience for both of you, so be patient and understanding and you will both get through it with little stress.

Thanks for the article. Do you use a litter box yourself? Has it worked for you?

We have always used pee pads for all of the puppies which has worked wonderfully well. As for the "playing" with the pad, it's like any other training issue, it takes a lot of attention and perseverance. You would need to dedicate yourself as much to train your pup to use the litter box, so in the end, I would rather change out puppy pads then change out litter box contents. But, of course, that's one reason I don't own a cat! :D

Good luck with whatever direction you go!

We tried the litter box, but Gracie just wanted to eat and play with the doggie litter. It did not work for us.

I tried but :thumbdown I am using the pads and it seems to be just the right choice:aimeeyork

We tried a litter box with Aira but she just refused to use it. All she would use it for is to roll around in the litter (newspaper litter). She also started to eat the litter and drag it out everywhere. So we tried pee pads.

As soon as we gave them to her she was going on them. So once she was using the pee pads regularly I put the pee pads in the litter box. She just doesn't like having to step into the box and would pee right in front of it. So now we just use pads and she is usually pretty good.

We've had her for six weeks and she's been going to the pads on her own for about three weeks :) She still has poo accidents if we aren't watching her closely enough though but is getting better and better all the time :)

I guess it sounds like I should stick with the pee pads since they seem to be working fine. Although on other threads I've read, quite a few people had said that while away from home, their dogs had problems finding and using the pee pads, but not so much the litter box. I guess I will have to deal with that when the problem arises. Thanks everyone for the feedback :)

Sugar uses a potty pad in a littler box. He likes to go right on the edge so it keeps everything confined. You might try one of the frames that hold the pad down if your main problem is Milo playing with the pad.

I have a pug and he is not litter box trained, but "cage-trained". We did pretty much the same thing Sandysand said, we made the kitchen his "special room". We put newspaper in the bottom of the cage and then 15 minutes after he ate we would put him in the cage and wait for him to go, then when he does take him out and treat and praise him. this worked well b/c he hated being in the cage, so he caught on fast: "when I pee in here, they let me out".

i think the cage works better than the litter box, but not if you plan to cage them when you leave, like a lot of people do.

Thanks Nikki. What type of frame would that be? Where can I buy one?

EXACTLY the same for us with Emma. We switched to pee pads and they work great!

I also want to mention a couple of other things about potty training...

It might be good to pee pad AND outdoor train your dog. That way, they know they can go on walks, and when you're out and about with them. The best way is to PRAISE PRAISE PRAISE and reward with small treats when they go outside or on their pads. Both of our dogs are trained in both ways, though Milli prefers outside, while Emma prefers her pads!

Pee pad training is great, especially if you travel with your pet or go to someone else's house with them. When Emma was about 8 months old, we had her overnight in a hotel for two nights, and we put the pee pad down on the floor. She found it right away, and we never had any issues with it. It also has worked well when we've gone to my brother in law's place or to my grandparents' house. When you get there, just make sure to place your dog on it, and say "potty" (or whatever word you're using) a few times so they know that's the place to go, and they will remember!

Our girls are pad trained because it's much easier to take pads when traveling, in motels and in family and friends homes and the motor home.

Same here. Bengi likes to go at the edge, so we use the pad inside the litter box.