Learning how to house train a Yorkie is not difficult. The seven steps are simple. We’ll show you how. Actually deciding to do the steps in the middle of your busy life is the challenging part, but hard work up front will make life easy in the future.
Here’s an infographic on how to housetrain your Yorkie. You can use it as a reminder – but read the article to get a full understanding on what to do.
Step #1: Mindset, Commitment, and Consistency
Successfully potty training a Yorkie is more about your mindset and commitment to the process than about your dog’s natural abilities.
It’s all about you. When your dog has access to your house, you are always on call. Your most important task is to diligently follow the protocols for potty training…no matter how inconvenient.
The more time and effort you put in over the first few days and weeks, the less effort you will have to put in later.
So in the beginning, you have to have a “game on” mindset. You’re in the game…no breaks, no downtime. In my experience as a breeder, two puppies from the same litter went to 2 different homes. One went to a home with very pro-active owners. That puppy never once had an accident in the house. Another went to a home with more laid back owners. This puppy continued to have problems for months.
***You can’t expect a puppy to put in more work than you do.
Step #2: Background
Know the dog’s house training background.
What house training efforts is the Yorkie used to in the breeder’s or previous owner’s care?
Dogs instinctively want to keep their den and living areas clean. Puppies whose living area was not kept meticulously clean (except for the litter area) may struggle a bit more. They may have learned to a varying degree that it is ok to eliminate in their den area.
Some breeders begin early litter training. They start the early stages of teaching their puppies to eliminate in a litter area of the pen (pee pad, pee grate, artificial grass, etc.)
Try to build on the training the dog has received. If the dog has no previous training, that is good to know and you can start from there.
Step #3: Environment and Supervision
Your Yorkie should be placed in the appropriate environment for the amount of supervision you can give him.
Unsupervised Environment:
Create an area where your Yorkie can be when not supervised.
An exercise pen is ideal. An exercise pen is a wire pen that can keep your Yorkie safe and happy in an enclosed area.
Set-up
Your exercise pen should contain everything the puppy needs to be happy, comfortable and entertained. It should have a bedding area, a play area, and a litter area. The exercise pen can include the following:
- Crate
- Litter area (Pee pad, grate, etc.)
- Toys
- Food, if free feeding
- Water
Benefits
The exercise pen should be placed in an area close to where the family hangs out. Using an exercise pen is beneficial for reasons beyond just potty training. The following are a few benefits:
- Keeps puppy safe from being stepped on or tripped over while sleeping
- Keeps puppy from chewing on things he should not or ingesting things he should not
- Teaches him to enjoy his crate
- Good for dog to learn the self-control of being with the family but not having to party with them all time
Upkeep
Principles for upkeeping the exercise pen area:
- Your goal is to reinforce your Yorkie’s natural instinct to keep his den clean. If he eliminates in the exercise pen anywhere besides the litter area, clean it up promptly with an enzyme cleaner to remove the smell.
- When your Yorkie eliminates in the litter area, you don’t have to clean it up right away. Dogs like to eliminate in places that smell like elimination. So by allowing that smell to linger there, you are reinforcing that this is the correct place to do his business.
Night time
If you are consistent in taking your dog out during the day, it is ok to let them sleep in exercise pen at night and not take him out during the night. Your dog can just use the litter area if he needs to eliminate.
Puppy training is a full time job. You need your sleep if you are going to stay positive and pro-active during the day. So take your puppy out to eliminate right before you go to bed and then let him spend the night in his pen.
With this setup, you’ll find that your puppy will naturally stop using the litter at night and will wait to be taken out in the morning
So get your sleep and rest so you can handle potty training during the day!
Supervised Environment
Your Yorkie can spend time in the house with you while you are able to constantly watch him.
As long as you are interacting with him or able not to take your eyes off of him, then allow him to roam and get to know your home.
It is a good idea to limit the area that he is allowed to roam in your house.
Start with a small area and allow him to get used to it and claim it as his own. If he has claimed it as part of his den, he is less likely to want to eliminate in it. So start with small areas of your home and slowly increase his space.
Partially Supervised Environment
When you have the time to hang out with your dog, but don’t have the time to watch him like a hawk, you can switch to partially supervised mode. Here’s how:
Setup
Attach a lightweight leash to your puppy’s harness and tie the leash to your belt loop. The leash should be about 6 feet long.
Yorkies, and especially yorkie puppies, are not that big so make sure the leash is lightweight
You don’t want the leash too long because you don’t want the puppy to get tangled and you don’t want to give him the opportunity to go off and eliminate inside.
Benefits
- This will help you keep an eye on your puppy and you should be able to pick up behavior cues before your puppy has an accident.
- This method also keeps your puppy close to you and prevents him from going off somewhere to hide before eliminating.
- This method also creates a bond with you and your dog as it keeps him close to you and teaches him to pay attention to you and follow you around.
Step #4: Timing
So how often should you take your puppy outside to potty? Here are the rules you need to follow.
Take your Yorkie puppy out to potty:
- Immediately after waking
- 15-20 min after eating
- During and after playing …especially within the first 5-10 min playing hard (the movement gets his insides working)
- Every 2 hours
Step #5: Exit strategy
When it’s time to take your puppy outside, you may have to exit quickly. You also want to make the process as simple as possible so you don’t get overwhelmed.
If you don’t have a fenced in area to take your Yorkie outside, leave your puppy’s harness on so you don’t have to waste time putting it on. (Yorkie’s should never wear a leash attached to a collar because they have very fragile tracheas and this can lead to problems down the road.)
Here’s a list of items you should leave by the door so they are ready to go:
- Leash
- Small treats in baggie
- Dog poop bags
It’s a good idea to train your dog to communicate his need to go outside. You can train your puppy to ring a doggie doorbell or bells hanging off the doorknob. Simply have the dog ring the bell everytime he exits the door.
Step #6: Take him Outside
Outdoor area
Once you have taken your Yorkie outside, the next step is teaching him that this is where you want him to eliminate.
Choose a place where you would like him to eliminate regularly. It should be an out of the way place from where family plays or relaxes.
After you have chosen a spot, be consistent. Take him to the same place every time you take him out to eliminate. By constantly going to the same place, the puppy will be triggered by the smell that this is where he is supposed to go.
What to do Outside
When you take him outside, be patient. The puppy won’t know what exactly you want him to do. Wait around in your designated area for your puppy to go.
If he is not ready to potty yet, encourage him to exercise and run around for a short time. Then take him back to your potty area and try again.
What to do if Puppy Eliminates Outside
When your puppy eliminates, make sure you praise him. Verbally praise him and offer him a treat.
If he enjoys playing outside, don’t take him inside immediately or he will learn that eliminating is associated with going inside. As a result, he may be slow to eliminate because he wants to stay outside! Instead, play with him for a bit for a reward and then bring him back in.
Another reason for not rushing inside immediately is that puppy’s often don’t eliminate everything all at once. They may have to go a couple times in a row.
What to do if Dog doesn’t Eliminate Outside
After waiting outside for your Yorkie to eliminate and he just is not going, bring him inside, but set the timer for 10-30 min depending on his age. Watch him like a hawk and don’t let him out of your sight if he is due to go potty.
Take him outside when the timer beeps and try again.
Teach an Elimination Command
It is a good idea to train your puppy to eliminate on command. This helps immensely in cold, wet days days or when you are in a hurry.
Choose a word you would like to use. (The word should be one you do not regularly use in the house!) I use the word “Doo-dee.”
While your dog is eliminating, repeat the word.
When he stops, you stop saying the word. Continue this until you’ve said it about 50 times while he was eliminating.
Then try taking him outside to potty and say the command once before he begins to eliminate to see if he has learned the command. Just say it once. You don’t want him to associate the act of waiting to eliminate as the command.
Continue to say the command while he is eliminating until he has learned the command.
Step #7: Accidents
Despite all your best efforts, your Yorkie will most likely have an accident in the house. What are you supposed to do then?
Never get angry.
If you catch your Yorkie in the act, tell him no gently and take him immediately outside where hopefully he will finish his business. You don’t want him to think that you are reprimanding him for eliminating in your presence or he will intent to eliminate in front of you when you take him outside. That would obviously be counterproductive to house training!
Clean the area with an enzyme cleaner to eliminate smell. Remember that smell is reinforcing to a dog that this is the right spot to eliminate.
If you find a mistake after the fact, there is no point reprimanding your dog. He won’t associate the reprimand with his elimination. Simply clean it with an enzyme cleaner and try again next time.
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