Trigger will be 11 weeks old tomorrow and I'm still having trouble with his loo habits!

he is still determined to wee on any mat he finds. my bath mats will be rotten soon! i change it daily!

last night he climbed his way up on the sofa (his newest trick) and deliberatley wee'd on it!! and earlier he did the same thing on my cushion. it's driving me mad!

Aww 11 weeks!!! Shoo, don't know what to say about his loo habits!

Maybe you could stick a wee paper onto the bath mat with some masking tape.

It will take some time. Ciara also did that

I had to replace our bathroom mats. I even used to pic them up an only put them down weekends cause she used to mess on them the minute they are there!!!!

Even when we put paper down for her she would wee just next to it on a soft spot. Unfortunately it took her a while to stop the bad habit. But not she scratches the sliding door or wakes us up by liking our faces at night when she wants to wee and we let her out.

I know its difficult because Taylor is all grown up and have good loo manners already!!!

Just be patient!!!

Cash also loved to wee on my bath mats and I got him out of the habit by doing two things. I take them out last thing at night and first thing in the morning. And I took the mats away for a while. It's a habit that won't be broken while the mats are still down - then it's too easy to just wee on them.

I find that my yorkies hate anything cold or wet under their feet and in the winter we have more accidents inside. Of course, when it rains, June just refuses to go outside and I have to put down one of her washable pee pads and hope that she will use it. Cash will go outside and then come back inside soaking wet. And guess where he wants to sit to get warmed up? My lap!!

If Taylor already has good manners, she will eventually teach the puppy. It took me more than 3 years (!!) for Cash to be house-trained - he never goes inside anymore. June still has a lot of accidents inside. I think that the reason yorkies are hard to house-train is because it just takes them so long to grasp that they shouldn't wee inside.

At 11 weeks Trigger will definitely still have accidents. And the best way to break his habit of going on your mats is to take them away for a while. And establish a routine where you take him outside and wait until he is finished. If Taylor is used to this and will go on command, the puppy will be house-trained so much quicker.

My yorkies (almost all of them) only stopped weeing in the house at age 5 - 6 months!

If they wee on carpets..soak up with paper roll and apply ordinary bicarb ( i use a cheap plastic sifter) sprinkle on a leave for about 20 minutes then brush or hoover up.
Every other week I used my steam cleaner with half /half water and vineger..takes away the smell. Once my puppy peed pads went down they prefered that and left the rest of the house alone. Its often advised not to give a tiny puppy the run of the house when not trained...I agree with Bella Petit most dont get the right idea untill 5/6 months
Once they are 6 months, much easier, and the garden is the prefered choice ....although Yorkies are renowned for little mistakes when your not looking ..keep that bicarb on hand

Yorkie- Porium
Home of Arelli Yorkies & Posh Pooch Products

Bicarb sounds like a good idea! I will try use it.

Please don't get me wrong, an accident here or there does not worry me at all ( except when you step in it at night with socks on!) and when im at home like i was this weekend they play outside all day and we have no accidents!

I have picked up all our mats and i try and keep the bathmat up at all times too in case. but i mean ANYTHING soft! he even tried to wee on our clothes on the floor while i was showering! lol!

I tried those sprays from Pick n Pay called get off and wash and they did nothing! we keep our bedroom doors closed at all times!

I think he either really likes the feeling of something soft under his feet before he goes or he thinks that to go on something soft is the right thing to do and the right place to potty.

Maybe stress to him that it isn't by reacting very surprised and shocked when he does it. Don't let him see you clean it up (it can become a game for them ) and if you aren't already doing it, select a potty spot for him in the garden and take him there after naps, meals and games. Stay with him and place him back on the spot if you are sure he needs to wee. When he is almost finished, say your command for pottying (mine is Pieppie - Afrikaans, lol) and praise him when he is done.

When he starts looking for a place to wee, you need to be there to guide him to the correct place. You will need to be very alert. They tend to wee on the mats when you are looking away for a second.

The most important thing is that he doesn't think it is right to do this and that it doesn't become a habit. But he is still a really young puppy. He just needs loving, firm guidance.

YES! sometimes I havent even seen him come into the room and suddenly there is a wet patch!

I think as a small puppy he was contained with his litter mates on sponge and therefore sees the warm stuff as a loo. he has slowed down on weeing in Taylor's bed though thankfully!

I have praised him endlessly this weekend for going otuside (he thinks im a little mad when i do) and luckily he lives to imitate Taylor so im hoping her good manners rub off on him soon!

UPDATE!!!! last night Trigger who will be 13 weeks tomorrow, decided to POOH on the couch! and he did it the other night too.

He has learned to climb up onto the couch and bed so the 2 of them wait for us to go to bed and then move back to the couch! I can't explain how angry I was. I let it slide the other morning but this morning I was in no mood and I took him and showed him and told him how bad he was and skooted him towards the door after a tap on the bum (which I HATE doing even though it was a small tap literally) and he ran like a bullet.

Straight after that he came running in and wee'd in the spare room on the carpets and I just lost my head and went to the room and shut the door to get ready before I went mad!

Pooh in the house if you have to but NOT on the sofa for Pete's sake!!! How lazy is this dog and scared to get his feet cold!?!?!? thank goodness for dry diets and firm poohs though otherwise I may have packed up and run away!

OH MY GOODNESS!! Do you free feed him? It is difficult if they have food available all the time to anticipate when they will need to go to the toilet so you can take him out.

No they eat twice a day and I only leave some food down in the day but they are outside which is fine. at night they eat and then it's normally finished or i pick it up to prove a point and encourage them to eat!

I sleep like im dead at night so I never wake up to take them out and we leave the door open...but if i was him I wouldnt go out in the cold at night either! but on the couch? INSANE!

Od Dear sorry to hear your having such a difficult time.
There are many theories about toilet training and crating is one of them. Am I correct in thinking he has the run of the house? cause this could be a problem for you. Most animal behaviour experts favour only praise when they do something good and ignore the bad stuff...I know its hard, but the little rascals dont really understand what we want of them.
A few years ago I looked all over the internet about toilet training and decided on my pee & whelping pads.

Google "Pish Pads"
"An indispensable indoor elimination aid for use in crates, training trays, exercise pens and travel kennels. The three-layer bonded construction features a non-staining top layer for quick absorption, a middle soaker layer that collects liquid, and a stay-put waterproof barrier that protects the floor or surface. More environmentally friendly and cost effective than throwaway pads, Pish Pads are machine washable and can be used over and over
The reason we sourced them was that no one would send whelping pads/ pee pads to South Africa. We have had two types manufactured and they arrive any day now.... plain white for whelping boxes and paw print design. they all have same special soaker and 3 layer bonding..puppies cant rip them up and most important they work!!
If your interested in how to use them send me a pm. Also read the Yorkie Forum on toilet traing...these ladies. and there are many of them have tried everything there is to try and you will get a lot of useful tips. There is nothing they dont know or havent tried re their Yorkies
Hope this helps Janice

YORKIE-PORIUM
Home of Arelli & Posh Pooch Products

Arelli, would you mind letting us know where to find these pish pads? I read up about them and they seem very useful! For my last puppy, I made washable pee pads, but they are coming apart and I will need something else to use in the future. So please post the info

Hi Marilize,
These are new in our range of pet products
The shipping handlers expect the cargo with the the pads to arrive in Durban on 1st July . These have been made at a factory supplying hospital incontinence pads....hence the bonding and soaking layers are top class.I got samples of them 6 months ago and have been testing..they soak up and wash beautifully time after time,continue to lay flat and protect your floors, carpets etc.
White 34 x 36 inches .. R110 each Best for the whelping boxes
5 Pack (R100 each)
10 pack (R90)

Paw print Taupe with blk paw look very nice
34 x 30" R160 single
5 Pack (R150 each)
10 Pack (R135 each)

Postage I am keeping as cheap as possible..R60 PO BOX to PO BOX 24 hr courier if under 2kg.

Crate training.....I live by it!

Okay, well I don't cage the puppy, but she is confined to the kitchen. We built a gate high enough that it can't be cleared by jumping. Take away all mats in whatever small room you choose, and make sure the dog has easy access to go outside. (We cut a doggie hole in our door.)

The 1st thing in the morning & last thing at night....Potty time outside. Keep a treat in hand and give it to the dog immediately when it potties outside. Be sure to have a repetitive praise technique when good behaviour happens... (Good girl! Good potty outside!) Eventually, the praise is enough (without the treat). The last stage is that the dog keeps being good because it is self-rewarding...much the same as children being rewarded.

The more often you can reward your dog for doing the right behaviour, the better. The number one guideline is to prevent mistakes from happening, and promote good experiences for the dog.

It's not an overnight process. Remember, at 4 months of age, your puppy is about 2 yrs old in dog years.....YES, the terrible TWOS! Give it some time and be consistent.

This is a sure-fire path to success! Bella (my 3,5 yr old) never potties inside. She's also very helpful in training the pup. Let the puppy watch the older dog (if there is one) do the "right thing." Praise the older dog and let the puppy watch. They will catch on, and it makes the older yorkie feel good to be in the limelight.

**Soft Treats Only**Rawhide can kill your little friend.

Good luck! The house-training can be tricky. Do what works best in your house setup. Every house's layout poses different options.

Thanks for this advice. I will be needing it again soon!!!!!

Funny my new puppy (who is about at his terrible 2's!) loves any mat or carpet! he actually doesnt like to wee on the tiles and if he goes outside he will always go on the grass...unlike the older one who will go outside but do her thing on the paving!

When I am at home for the whole day I never have a single accident inside. but when you arent there all day i suppose you have to expect accidents to happen because they can;t hold it in all day and need the guidance to go outside even if the door is left open.

the puppy is definitely learning a thing or 2 from the older one though and the older one is only 10 months old so she is also still learning a lot!

what i do find amusing is when I find a wee inside and I say in a stern voice "who did this?"...if it isnt Taylor she comes and hides by my legs and watches the puppy as if to tell on! he will run because he knows it was him and he is in trouble! If it IS her she disappears like a thief in the night! lol!

happy days for you Val! lol! I LOVE the puppy stage but damn is it hard work!

my worst is getting up in the night to wee in a pair of socks and stnding in a little puddle...I could flip my lid! It happens regularly because my dogs also seem to like the bathroom for some reason!