i am having my patience tried by my six mos. old muttterrier(yorkie mix)

[flordehinojos]

...i have just had this adorable mutt-terrier-yorkie mix about one month. he had been trained to go on paper in the house by the person who sold him to me. it is trying my patience to train him to go to his RS (relief station) outside the house.... i do have some successes but an incredible number of misses.

[philosophie_en_rose]

1. Yorkies are notoriously hard-headed.

Mine are yorkie mixes too. One is a genius; the other not so bright. I find it take a lot of repetition and reward, until they finally have a "lightbulb moment" and realize what you want.

I suggest bribes. But even then, it won't matter unless your pup connects the treat to the action that you want. (for instance, my pet first thought that going outside meant a treat. He only peed there as an afterthought).

[flordehinojos]

3. thanks for the insight into the psychology of yorkie mixes.

koko has had some "lightbulb moments" about going outside from time to time (actually very few), he still has not made a total connection to going outside all of the time. he seems to know when he's done something wrong inside the house.. he puts on a guilty-look when he knows he's made a mistake. i am also trying to learn his cues about needing to go out. i too sometimes "get it" and sometimes, i don't.
hopefully, we will both finally "get it" right all of the time.

in the meantime i will remember your advise about repetition and reward... and will smile when remembering this from your post,"I suggest bribes. But even then, it won't matter unless your pup connects the treat to the action that you want. (for instance, my pet first thought that going outside meant a treat. He only peed there as an afterthought)."



:)

[friesianrider]

2. Probably should have adopted instead of bought a dog.

In my experience, purchased dogs (especially these fad toy breeds like terriers and yorkies) are usually bred by people who have no freakin' clue what it is their doing, and as a result the puppies are from poor stock and as such never really learn to be housetrained or other basics. You mentioned this is a mutt, so I cant believe anyone would intentionally mix breeds like that (and if they do, they are way irresponsible), so if it was by accident then there definitely was no attention to a proper mate.

Adopted dogs are so much better anyway. Just sayin'.

[flordehinojos]

4. yes...

we've had adopted dogs before and in fact we bought koko because our minipinscher was moping around after the death of his longtime minipinshcer companion. he wouldn't eat, he would sleep only on her little bed. he just looked so depressed. the shelters did not have a dog which suited us--and we looked in the want ads in the paper.

koko has put some energy back into our minipinshcer...but perhaps he is not happy with koko's too much energy all of the time. koko is a happy six months old puppy. kukui is a tired older dog...sometimes i think he still misses the restfulness that savanita afforded him.

[ScreamingMeemie]

8. My Sheltie Jessie says, not always. Her breeder breeds for the love

of the breed, not the cash. In fact, she makes almost nothing on breeding and selling pet owner. Her contracts are all spay/neuter contracts and I would recommend her in a heartbeat to anyone looking for a smart, well mannered family dog. I agree that adopting is a wonderful thing to do. We had a beagle mix named Marie who was wonderful...except for the fact we never did get her completely housetrained. I'm just saying, both types can be just as pesky pottywise.

[miss_kitty]

5. My terrier mix was a rescue

she was very subdued at first and then about four months into our relationship, she found her true nature.

Since the beginning I have found what works best is positive reinforcement for the good. We have a barking problem. One bark to me is ok. and she knows how to modulate her voice. But the ruff ruff ruff snarl ruff ruff snarl for joggers, kids and other dogs just walking by is unacceptable. The only time she gets 'in trouble' is when she directly disobeys my 'No Bark' command. she knows exactly what that means. So the commands that follow are 'In your bed, down, head down!' She hates that.
If she obeys right away, or even better does not bark at a passing dog, she MAY get a treat.
I was lucky-she was, miraculously, house broken (she'd been living with a homeless kid)
I know house training is different. It's not right to punish them for messing when you aren't around because they don't get it. And I would not want them anxiety ridden about making waste.
This is a site with house breaking links on it:
http://www.doggyloo.com/4/house-training.html

I learned from the internet and asking friends with well behaved dogs. I hope to be able to afford agility training, because she has a lot of energy (She's probably 1 and a half now, I've had her since the beginning of dec)
I walk her 4 miles a day on leash, then try to get her to play with friends off leash or chase the ducks at the lake.
but she IS hardheaded and I gotta go-my master is calling
GOod Luck!

[flordehinojos]

12. thanks for sharing your insight and terrier mix history and for the link

to doggyloo house training! Koko did have two successes this afternoon... i am wondering just what will happen next time...

he did go to the park this afternoon--sniffed around all he could. did nothing at the park then got walked to his RS the minute we came home. He complained first, then relieved himself. He got praise and a couple of treats!

[RebelOne]

6. I am also having a problem with my foster doggie.

Sometimes when I take him out in the morning, he will not do anything. Then when he is back in the house a couple of hours later, he will poop and pee. Today, he did it again. So I totally blew up, and he is being punished. Right now he is in a crate in the garage. Don't worry, though, it is quite a large crate. My Rottweiler fits in it and this little dog is only 37 pounds, so he has plenty of room.

[ScreamingMeemie]

7. Hey! That is so much better than the screaming and hitting that can

go on when other people blow up at their dogs. Jessie knows damned well to go outside. But sometimes messes in the house out of boredom/pissedoffedness or who knows...and I crate her for that as well.

[libnnc]

10. cage training has been very succesful in our house

over the years. They get the flick eventually.

[flordehinojos]

13. i have heard it said that crates are wonderful training tools for house-

breaking. I do not have one for KOKO... but his behavior is just that, he'll go out, do nothing, come in, and do everything.

what i am beginning to do when he does nothing outside is to keep him on the leash for about ten to fifteen minutes then take him out again.

this works, sometimes...and it is during those times, like this afternoon, when he gets praised and a couple of treats.

[SammyWinstonJack]

9. I got my Yorkie girl when she was five mouths, she wasn't trained

but within one week I had her going out to do her business and within the next couple of weeks using the doggie door. She sleeps with us, I take her out right before bed time and she good until the alarm goes off at 6:00. She was so easy to train. I have heard that Yorkies can be very hard to house train though. I just kept taking her out every few hours until she got it. She never would use the puppy pads and really I am glad she wouldn't. Good luck to you, Yorkies are such sweethearts, at least mine is.

[flordehinojos]

14. thanks ...

koko is adorable too...he is just being difficult to train...sometimes when i am taking koko out to his RS on the leash he will just pee right there in front of the door as i am opening it.

i don't yell at him, i don't scold him... i just tell him you tinkle outside.

sometimes when i am taking out on the leash (i always take him out on the leash, as there are places he could scoot under under the fence) he will plop himself on the floor and refuse to go out. I insist that we need to go out. he will continue to protest when he is outside...after about five minutes i bring him back in...but sometimes he relieves himself inside before i get a chance to take him back out.

it is maddening. they tell me patience and persistence (such as you seem to have had) are the best thing.

[retread]

11. Isn't one consequence of paper training that they learn it's ok

to go in the house?

[flordehinojos]

15. perhaps that is why it is so hard to break them out of the habit.