How can I efficiently kennel and potty train my yorkie puppy at the same time?
Question by mbushatz: How can I efficiently kennel and potty train my yorkie puppy at the same time?
I just got a yorkie pup (2 months old). My husband is slightly allergic, so he must be in a kennel at night. He also has to stay in a kennel while we are gone at work (until he can be potty trained). I heard that you are absolutely NOT supposed to let them out of the kennel when they are whining or they will think that they can just whine and be let out. Here’s the problem- he wakes up at different times in the night and starts whining. We have decided to just let him whine and not take him out of his kennel to go outside. Well, sometimes he goes to the bathroom in his kennel at night. I can only assume that some of the whines really mean “take me outside” and some mean “i’m sad- let me out” . I feel like I am stuck in a catch 22- if I let him out when he whines then I am kennel training incorrectly- and if I leave him in his kennel and he goes to the bathroom then I am potty training incorrectly. I could set my alarm to let him out, but he whines at different times each night.
Best answer:
Answer by B.
At only 2 months old it’s totally fine for him to go pee in the kennel – use some newspaper and dip a little of it in his urine (i know this sounds gross) – he will smell it on the newspaper and know that it’s “ok” to pee on it. Eventually he’ll only pee on the newspaper and when he gets a little bit older you can take the paper out (when his bladder is big enough to hold it for more than a few hours – don’t forget his bladder is small right now!) and he will know he has to wait. The newspaper makes it much easier to clean up too, and I think they even make potty pads that you can buy in stores these days… Good luck! Most dogs aren’t potty trained until at the earliest 6 months, many a lot longer! The newspaper method gives you the certainty of knowing that he’s whining because he wants out because it doesn’t take them long to figure out where to “go”. GOOD LUCK!
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Ohh, I don’t envy you. Potty training a puppy is hard work, but the good news is that doing it with a kennel will help you out a lot!
The general rule of thumb with puppies and bladder control is that they can hold it for one hour for every month of their age up until about one year, when they should be good to go. So, your little pup likely can hold it for two, maybe three hours tops right now.
Unfortunately for you, I think that does mean you’ll have to get into the habit of getting up at scheduled times during the night to take him out to do his business. It may help, during the night-time hours, to put your pup on a leash as soon as you open the crate, to emphasize that the trip is ‘all business’, as opposed to playtime. Go outside, wait 10-15 minutes ( I know, it sucks in the middle of the night, but you’re going for long-term success here, so it’ll be worth it!), then go right back to the kennel. From there, ignore any whining until the next scheduled potty break.
If you develop and stick to a consistent schedule, I’ll bet you will decrease the incidents of pottying in the kennel. As a side note, be sure that the kennel you have chosen is not too big for your dog. Dogs are very clean animals, and will not potty where they sleep. However, if the crate is large enough to potty at one end and sleep at the other, they will do just that if given no other alternative. Just something to think about…
Good luck to you!!
He’s just away from his mother and siblings, so of course he’s whining.
And if he’s peeing in the kennel, he’s not getting out enough. Dogs don’t usually pee where they live..that’s why you keep them in a cage. You keep them there and train them to pee when they’re out.
And you just can’t put him in the kennel and leave him there all night. He’s just a baby. He has to pee more often than that. Every couple of hours, usually. And his whines don’t mean “take me outside” yet because he doesn’t know what that means.
The best thing to do is keep him on a feeding and watering schedule. Take him outside a short time after he eats or drinks, and praise him profusely when he pees outside.
When you see him squatting to pee, swoop him up and get him outside.
Before long, he’ll get used to the concept that peeing outside is good, peeing inside is bad.
Never, ever hit him, even if he pees in your favorite shoes.
And he’s crying in the cage because he’s lonely. It’s scary when you’re a puppy and nobody is around.
Potty training a Yorkie is much, much harder than other larger breeds. I have a 1 year old Yorkie and it nearly drove me mad training her. They have teeny, tiny little bladders which can not hold that much pee. You could set an alarm and get up and take him out half way through the night, I never did that for fear that she would think it was me giving in. You have to stay consistant with the crate training no matter what you decide. Is the crate really small? It should just be big enough that the puppy can stand up and turn around. The reason is that generally a dog will not pee where it sleeps. Although if they just can not hold it they can not hold it. Some of his cries are probably “please come get me” and others “I have to go pee”. To help your puppy feel secure in the cage give him an old towel that smells like you. I slept with an old towel next to me one night and the next night put it in the crate so that the smell would sooth the puppy. Also cut water out earlier in the evening. If you put him to bed at 11 – Give the last water at 8. The rule is usually 10-15 minutes after it goes in – it comes out. So take him out then and again right before you put him in the cage for the night. If you want to get up at 3 and take him out again, make sure you do not hug, kiss and cuddle him then. He will not see the difference between potty break and love/play time. He will just think – I cry she comes. I hope this helps, you might have a rough time of it. Puppies are not meant to be in cages for 16 hours a day. I am an advocate for crate training. I used to think it was cruel but I see now that my dogs love it. They like the security and place of their own. However, 8 hours while you sleep and I am assuming 8 hours at work it a long time. It is not uncommon because that is how American life is but it will make the crate training more difficult. Good luck
When your yorkie is in the house, limit his roaming room and keep a leash on him. This sounds annoying but it really helps the pup learn that peeing here and there is not okay. Taking the time to be vigilant now really pays off later. Don’t encourage your pup to pee in the kennel with newspaper -dogs like their sleeping area clean and that should be encouraged, not trained out of him. Take the puppy out for a pee break during the night. Use the same command for getting him to go all the time like “hurry up, hurry up” or “do your business” etc. Make sure he is getting lots of love and exercise outside of the crate cause that sounds like a lot of time in his kennel. Good luck and enjoy him!
I find with a small dog it helps tp carry crate out and then let dog out, then lots of praise when they do their job.