Many people have the misinformation that is very difficult to housebreak a Yorkshire Terrier. This is not always the case. As a breeder of Yorkies for the last 25 years, I can tell you that the Yorkie is not any harder to house train than any other dog. My belief is that the breeder has a lot to do with the success of house training any dog. Many breeders believe that a pup should not be put outside before all the shots are completed. This is not a very good idea as to when the puppy is sent to its new home and has never been exposed to the outdoors. There are many new situations that might make your puppy fearful of all the noises that it will hear at its new home. When a puppy is put outside for the first time, it is exposed to the wind in its face, birds singing, cars, and the noises in general of the outside world.
There should be no danger of your puppy being exposed to any contagious disease if it is in your fenced yard and the breeder is there to supervise the pup.
Many people like to train their pup to use a piddle pad. In order for this to work well, you must make sure you keep the pad in an enclosed area that is not too big, so the puppy can only go on the pad. Many people like to litter train a pup or train it to ring a bell when it needs to go outside. Any of these practices are great, but first, you need to start with the basics of house training. When people are at work all day, it is more difficult to train the pup. Small dogs have small bladders and they need to be let out more often than larger dogs.
Small dogs can not hold it very long as they don’t have good control until around 5 months old. This routine has worked well for me for the last 25 years. Most of the people I sell pups to have very little problems house training their pups.
I start taking the pups outside several times a day as soon as they are able to start to walk. I take the dam with them. We sit on the deck and let them explore the environment. We get into a routine, which goes like this: First thing in the morning, I take the pups out of their pen and we go outside. As soon as they get outside, they usually piddle. They get a lot of praise and a lot of the time, they will have a bowel movement as well. We go into the house and the pups are given time to run around the house and play. Next, I feed them. After they eat, I take them back outside and hope they will have a bowel movement. It is best to find yourself a chair and a cup of coffee and give them enough time to do their business. Then I take them in the house and put them in their pen for a nap. As soon as I hear them awake, I take them out again. You must be patient and consistent to be successful.
I do not let them run the house until they have gone potty and I have seen them go. It is best to take them out every 2 hours. In the wintertime, if you can’t get them outside, place an exercise pen in the garage on an out of the way place and follow this same procedure. It helps if everyone in the house takes a part in the house training. Praise works so much better than punishing a puppy for soiling in the house. When you punish the pup all it knows is you are upset because of the change in your voice and body language. It has no idea why you are angry. If you follow this procedure, the pup will be trained in no time at all.
If you work all day, it will take longer. You should place the pup in a pen with papers at one end with a little food and a lot of water and play toys. Do not keep the puppy in an enclosed kennel cab. This is too small and there is no way to leave it water and if the pup should have to go, it has no choice but to go in his bed and then step in it.? This teaches the pup very unsanitary habits and you will be upset every day with the pup needing a bath. Myself, I like to teach the pup to go outside. The other mistake owners make isn’t allowing enough time for the pup to go. We expect the pup to go on our time schedule and on-demand. A lot of people think the pup will melt if it has to go out in the rain or cold. If it bothers you to put it out in bad weather, then get the pup a raincoat or jacket if you must, but please put it out. They will learn to go in a hurry if they get wet or cold.? Don’t give in when you see that little face looking at you through the window.? Yorkies are very smart and if you don’t teach them what you expect from them,? they soon will be running you. Remember you are the Alpha dog.