How to Train a Yorkshire Terrier to Pee Outside

Hello Catarina, She needs to be strictly crated when not supervised so that her only option for peeing is outside - for potty training to be effective you have to control the environment enough that the dog doesn't have regular accidents inside anymore; only then will rewarding pottying outside work. Dogs have a natural desire to keep a confined space clean. By crating a dog inside and preventing messes inside you are encouraging that natural cleanliness and helping the dog associate that with the rest of the house in addition to the crate. Your dog is obviously associating it with your bedroom which is good - when she wakes you to go potty I suggest you take her potty, but after she goes potty if you don't want to start your day at that time make her go back to bed - you may need to put her into the crate for her to learn this. Check out the Crate Training and Tethering methods from the article linked below. Focus the most on the Crate Training method to encourage her desire to hold it in a confined space. You can also work on teaching her to ring a bell to go potty once she is going potty when you take her and not inside anymore, if she doesn't find her own way to alert you while in other parts of the house too. Since the article linked below was written for puppies and she is older, instead of taking her potty every hour, you can take her potty every 3-4 hours (more often is fine, and longer periods are fine when you are not home as long as she is in the crate, but at 3-4 hours she is more likely to go when you take her potty). If she goes potty when you take her out, then when you come back inside you can give her two hours of supervised freedom if she is truly empty - if you are not sure attach her to yourself with a six or eight foot leash and watch for signs that she needs to go, like the Tethering method. After two hours of freedom, put her back into the crate until it has been 3-4 hours since she last went potty - so that she is not free when her bladder is full but still gets used to holding her pee a bit. If she doesn't go potty when you take her, try again in 1-2 hours (depending on how long it's been since she last peed - how long you can make her wait). Crate Training and Tethering methods: https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-german-shepherd-puppy-to-poop-outside Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden

Sam is a cute little guy! Thank you for the question. Sam is tiny, and a tiny dog has a tiny bladder - some little dogs just have a hard time holding their urine all day. You have tried pee pads but they did not work? How about trying the Porch Potty? It is basically a dog litter box but is made with either real or synthetic grass (real grass is often preferred as it helps them relate to the grass outside). As well, there is the litter box option as expertly described in this guide on training a Chihuahua: https://wagwalking.com/training/litter-box-train-a-chihuahua-puppy. The litter box may prove to be more successful than the pads because sometimes dogs associate pee pads with carpet and know that they are not allowed to pee on a carpet. If you have not had Sam that long, he could still be adjusting to the new home as well, and may improve as he gets used to the surroundings. Good luck and enjoy your cute companion!

Hello Kaylee, First, I suggest having him evaluated by your vet to make sure there is not a medical issue interfering with his ability to learn this - such as a form of incontinence or urinary tract infection (I am not a vet - so cannot offer medical advice). Second, make sure that you are cleaning up all accidents with a pet safe cleaner that contains enzymes. Enzymes break down pee and poop to a level where the scent is fully removed. Other cleaners aren't as thorough - even bleach. The smell needs to be fully removed for pup not to be attracted to potty on the area again. Look for the word enzyme or enzymatic on the bottle - not all pet cleaners contain it so check. Make sure that there is nothing absorbent in the crate. If you need a non-absorbent bed, check out www.primopads.com. Make sure the crate is only big enough for him to stand up, turn around, and lie down - and not so big that he can go potty in one end and stand in the opposite end to avoid it. If pup has lost his natural desire to keep a confined space clean, you can also set up an exercise pen in a room of your home without carpeting (like a guest bathroom or laundry room - with appliances off). Place a disposable real grass pad on one end of the pen and a non-absorbent bed in the opposite end. Have pup stay in that pen at night and when you are not home. Real grass pads - also on Amazon: www.doggielawn.com www.freshpatch.com www.porchpotty.com When you are home, use the tethering method from the article linked below. Watch pup carefully for signs of needing to potty and take him out quickly when you see signs he needs to go. If he begins to squat before you can stop him, clap your hands three times to interrupt him (no other punishment though), then rush him outside and reward if he finishes there. Tethering method: https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-german-shepherd-puppy-to-poop-outside If the issue is anxiety or crate set up, stick with the crate instead of teaching a grass pad, and work on the anxiety and crate set up. In general it sounds like pup could benefit from learning better independence and confidence so I suggest teaching a long Place command, distance Down- Stay, having pup work for what he gets in life right now by having to perform a command first, practicing entering and staying in a crate while the door is open (with you present for this - should be closed when you are gone), and not being allowed to demand your attention - you be the one to call him over for affection and have him do a command like Sit first - tell pup Out if he barks or nudges you for attention. Finally, teaching certain types of tricks that require doing new things and practicing overcoming agility type obstacles (You can buy or make your own) can help build overall confidence. Place - work up to staying for 1 hour: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O75dyWITP1s Down-Stay - use a 30 foot leash to tether to a treat and practice in a field from a distance - work up to this: https://www.thelabradorsite.com/train-your-labrador-to-lie-down-and-stay/ Working method and Consistency method: https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-doberman-to-listen-to-you Crate manners: https://thegooddog.net/training-videos/free-how-to-training-videos/learn-to-train-the-good-dog-way-the-crate/ Out - which means leave the area: https://www.petful.com/behaviors/how-to-teach-a-dog-the-out-command/ Confidence building via agility obstacles: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=elvtxiDW6g0 It's possible this is also just a potty training issue. Check out the Crate Training method from the article linked below and see if any suggestions there differ from what you are already doing. The times can be adjusted to taking potty every 2-3 hours like you are doing at this age, but the steps for returning pup to crate if they don't go and when to give freedom should be consistent with what you are doing now. If all of that is being followed currently, it likely is another issues like medical, anxiety, or having lost the desire to keep a confined space clean. If pup is lifting a leg on furniture or only going potty when nervous or excited, it could also be a marking behavior or submissive or excited peeing - which are treated a bit differently than the advice given above (although building independence/respect will be part of the solution for marking). Crate Training method: https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-german-shepherd-puppy-to-poop-outside Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden