How to House Train a Yorkie or Yorkie Puppy
Many people believe that house training a Yorkie is a harsh task to deal with. Moreover – there are new puppy owners, who are mislead that house training is quite difficult for this breed. However, as a matter of fact, house training a Yorkie will not be such a tough mission. On the contrary: house training a Yorkie is actually very easy task that you might have, when it comes to taking care of your little friend. Naturally, some good efforts and the right approaches will be needed, because if you believe that every dog – including the Yorkie you have just bought and accommodated at home – has the instinct not to pee or poop, where it lives and sleeps, you are wrong. There is no such a instinct and you need to do what you have to do to teach the puppy to find its toilet area.
Today, we will give you several important, basic and what is more important: effective tips for house training a Yorkie. Check them out below and on mandatory consider them once you decide to get a Yorkie or in case it is already in your sweet home:
Table of Contents
House Training a Yorkie or Yorkie puppy
Understanding Yorkie’s limits to hold its needs
Depending on its age, a Yorkie puppy has an average limit to hold its needs. So, a puppy owner should not be rough and expect it to wait for the whole day till you get it out to poo or pee. This is why it is highly significant for you to understand the duration of the time the Yorkie can hold its needs depending on its age. The least puppies of 1 or 2-month can hold for up to 2 hours. A 3 month old puppy can hold for 3 hours at most. Older puppies of about 6-month old can wait for about 5 – 6 hours. When the dog becomes an adult, which means at least 1-year old, it can hold for about 8 hours. However, the worst thing a puppy owner can do is to make such a delicate creature to hold 8 or more hours. This is too long time and make sure you do not allow such a torture to happen to your Yorkie.
Finding the right time to start house training a Yorkie
Indeed, this is a quite important step of the whole education. The right moment to start house training a Yorkie is key to make it efficient. In most cases, experts claim that the sooner you start training your Yorkie, the better. But there is a border you need to skip and take into considerations, too. You always have to keep in mind that a small puppy will be at first quite stressed. When you take it at home, it will need some time to get used to. And you know that a little Yorkie can be very stressed, which is very dangerous for its tiny heart. So, give your puppy few days to adapt to the new environment and then, start the house training program as soon as possible.
Don’t change the places
It is a key element into giving the right and proper education for your puppy where to poo and where to pee. The more often you change the place for a walk, the more difficult for the puppy will be to figure it out, if it needs to hold its needs more or not. The same rule refers to house training and the potty location, as well. Once you establish the WC area for the puppy at home, shift it only if you really need to and there is no other option for you.
Know the times when your puppy need to go out or you need to show it the WC place
There are several key moments, when your puppy might have some needs. If you remember them right from the very beginning of your house training, you will not have any hygiene, stain or poo problems either on the carpets, or on the furniture at home. Always, take the puppy to its WC area at home or for a walk at the outdoors during these moments from the very first moment you bring the puppy to your family.
* The first moment is right after waking up. Since the Yorkie sleeps for such a long time (sometimes up to 10 hours per day even), after waking up, it already has a need.
* Also, 20 minutes after its meal might be ok to take the puppy to the toilet. The Yorkies have very fast digestive systems and the needs come quite soon after a meal.
* Last, but not least, on mandatory show your puppy the toilet area before a nap.
Choose the most suitable housebreaking method for a yorkie
There are several methods you can take under considerations, when it comes to house training a Yorkie. However, we have picked up the best tested ones among them. Check them out below
The freedom method
This is one of the best housebreaking methods for yorkies and other toy or small dog breeds. It allows you move around and at the same time allows your puppy to freely walk and play around the home area, which means, both: the puppy and the owner have the freedom to move alongside the house and at the same time you will both be close to each other. However, the signals for what your puppy is going to do will come from a leash that is supposed to be attached to the Yorkie’s collar and the other end of the leash have to be attached to your belt or belt loop (you can use thread to attach it). Using this method you can see what your puppy is doing and you can easily prevent mistakes. However you have to be careful and don’t walk around too fast.
The pen or gate method
This is a method that requires you to install another accommodation area for those moments, when you are out of home. As a matter of fact, the method is quite suitable for people, who are in general outside their houses – either for work, at school and etc. To confine your puppy you can use a small gated off area or portable canine playpen. Since this will be his place when you are not at home, it could be good idea to keep the puppy confined from time to time when you are home too so he won’t associate the area with being home alone. With this method you have to take the dog outside or to the puppy pad all of the times listed above.
A few words about Crates
Experts recommend you not to go too far with the crate accommodation with your puppy. Some Yorkie owners believe that if these puppies are so delicate and fragile, they should be preserved and saved in the crate all day long. No such a thing. Also note that the puppy will poo or pee no matter the size of his area when he just can’t hold his needs any longer. So there is no benefit to keep your puppy in so small area. Yorkies are very tender and sensitive dogs and they are threatened to get a claustrophobia, so make sure you replace the crate with playpen or gated off area.
Prepare for bedtime properly
You do have your evening rituals before going to bed, right? Well, a Yorkie puppy does need the same ritual, as well. What does this mean? It means that you need to feed the dog with its dinner at least 2 hours before its bedtime. Also, take the puppy outside for a walk or bring it to its toilet at least half an hour before it goes to sleep. Please, do not rush the puppy and let it at least 15 minutes to do handle its needs – whether at the outdoors or in the domestic bathroom area.
What to do in case the Yorkie pees right after getting back inside the house after a walk?
Things like this happen quite often. Most of the Yorkshire terrier owners admit that in the beginning they have such a problem: not succeeding to teach the puppy to pee, while being outside for a walk. But the big mistake is your own, the owner’s mistake. What owners usually do is not to wait enough for the puppy to get some fresh air, to play and run, and then, to pee. Imagine, this is you after a hard training in the fitness. Your digestive system gets stimulated after the workout, right? Well, the same thing happens to the Yorkie. So, a walk should be at least 15 to 30 minutes. This is enough time for the puppy to get some fresh air and to pee after a short game or some running.
Still, there is a possibility for your puppy not to get used to this. There is one trick you can try, though, to eliminate this problem. Once the dog gets back inside the house after a walk, hold him in your lap for about 10 minutes and then, take it out for 20 minutes more. The puppy will hold his need if he’s sitting on their owner’s lap. Eventually, the Yorkie will “understand” that this is the time it should go to pee or poop. Give him lots of hugs, treats and happy words when he does what you want.
Marking is not urinating
You need to get used to distinguish ordinary peeing from marking. Marking is a different physiological process that refers to both: female and male Yorkies. When a male Yorkie marks, it means it claims its own territory at home. On the other side, if a female dog marks, it means that it wants to attract a male dog. However, urinating means releasing the full bladder. On the other hand, marking is only slight spraying of urine and it is not that much as an amount. There are some ways you can, though, stop marking or at least to minimize its bad effects in your domestic living space. First of all, you need to neuter or spray all the animals you have accommodated at home. This is how any of them – including the dog – will not need to mark its territory, if it is a male, while females will not mark any territories to attract males. If there is spot on your carpet, furniture or any other place at home, you can remove the urine smell and dirt enzyme cleanser. It is a must not to apply any chemical cleaning detergents, because they might appear quite poisoning for the delicate body and organism of your Yorkie. Don’t get angry for your Yorkie’s marking. It is a common behavioral issue that is fully natural. The best way to prevent the bad effects from marking is once you see your dog to get ready for making, to take it outside your house. Of course, this is not possible all the time – especially if most of your time you are out home. But don’t worry, marking is a temporary moment and eventually it will go. It does not mean your Yorkie has forgotten its inside toilet area. Marking is not urinating. And you need to start distinguishing them not to make a mistake in the overall Yorkie house training program you have planned or started already.
Use this short, but very detailed and helpful guide and start Yorkie house training with the necessary basic knowledge you need to have. Make sure you visit a vet in case you see some strange or weird behavior in your Yorkie’s actions, when it comes to peeing or pooing. Good luck and don’t forget: love your Yorkie and do everything possible to make it comfortable in your home place!
