by Alicia Ainsley Summers
Certain breeds such as Yorkshire Terriers may need a little extra TLC when it comes time to housebreak them. House training puppies can be tough work, but well worth the time and effort invested. With the smaller breeds sometimes it takes a wee bit longer to develop perfect potty habits.
You should begin by first determining if the potty spot will be located inside the home or outside. Yorkies don’t need much space, so they are perfect for those who live in apartments or condos. Some Yorkies are very resistant to going outside in stormy or snowy weather, in this case an indoor potty option is something to consider. Another matter to consider is that with their little size comes a little bladder! If you are gone at work for much of the day, your puppy might not be able to wait to use the toilet that long. In this case, choose a discreet area of your home for the puppy training pads. Otherwise, any small strip of grass should do the trick, as long as you use that same spot all the time.
Starting and ending the walk with an opportunity to go potty is the best approach until you begin to understand your little one?s potty schedule. Always use the very same spot for the toilet if possible, as it helps develop a familiar routine, and the smell of urine is a strong indicator to your Yorkie that this is the toilet. Keep your neighborhood clean by always taking litter bags (baggies work just fine) to clean up any little messes left behind. It’s fine if your Yorkie happens to go while you are out on the walk, this is not considered an “accident” since it didn’t happen on the floor or other unwanted area.
Sometimes dogs avoid going outside in bad weather and then will have an accident in a discreet location indoors. A sweater is a great way to address that situation and make going out in poor weather more tolerable. Otherwise, an indoor backup location may be needed.
Rewards and praise do wonders in helping your little Yorkie learn quickly. Verbal praise should be given immediately and enthusiastically after they are done with their business. Tasty treats can be very effective when house training puppies, just remember to feed them a bit less dinner!
Anywhere from a week to a month house training a dog is common, and for Yorkies it could be a little longer, so have patience with your little one! If you want to develop a great relationship with your Yorkshire Terrier, learning how to train a puppy is the best thing you can possibly do.
About the Author:
Author Alicia Ainsley Summers, who has been training dogs for more than 10 years, is a recognized expert with small dog breeds. In addition to teaching her clients about the best practices for training their dogs, Alicia loves spending time with her two little maltese dogs. To get more great information on
puppy training pads, visit her online blog
House Training Puppies.
This entry was posted
on Tuesday, October 13th, 2009 at 9:13 am and is filed under Dog Training.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.