[hearts2halo]

Hi i am new to the site and am very much enjoying reading all the great advice on here,we have 2 dogs a shihtzu/chihuahua mix and an american bulldog mix. The prob I am having is with my sisters dog. He is a yorkie (was supposed to be a mini but he is the biggest mini I have ever seen-12lbs!) Anyways she is staying with us for a while, and he has urinated everywhere and continues to do despite her constantly claiming he is house broken. She has now started to say that it was my dog Mylo (the shihtzu) who is very much housebroken and never in the areas, that have been marked, alone. I know its a yorkie quality that they have bladder problems, and Tex def. does, he urinates when he gets happy, when he runs, when you call his name, when he wakes up from a nap, pretty much all the time. My question is does anyone have any suggestions on how to housebreak this dog that has ruined two rooms and a loft in my house (we are now having to replace the carpet in the loft after him because my sister has now refused to clean the urine up since she believes it wasnt her dog-my dogs are kenneled during the day) but anyhoo, so the stains sit there until we get home and have to clean them ourselves. The ones in her room and the room my neice is in just have not been cleaned because she doesnt believe he has actually urinated in there and feels its just the puppy pads that smell like that. I am very much commited to saving the rest of my house and helping this dog, but I really need help on how to housebreak a dog that is almost 2 yrs old. Sorry its a novel but I was afraid the situation wouldnt fully make sense with out the story!!

 

[FancyPaws]

Sounds like since your sister is refusing to accept responsibility for her dog's actions you are going to have to take over if you want to keep this dog in your home. I would start by having her dog crated during the day when no one is at home just like your two are. If she argues about it kindly remind her that it is indeed your house and that is going to be a condition of the dog staying (I know it seems harsh but you also need to think of what is right for your family and your house.)

Second I would take the dog out very frequently, after it eats, drinks, wakes up and gets done playing or seems to be sniffing around a lot. Also don't give him complete access to the hole house until this problem is resolved. Maybe only give him access to the kitchen and living room at first, that way he can still be around the family but you'll be able to keep a close eye on him.

Lastly I would get rid of the puppy pads completely. Sometimes they actually make it harder to housebreak a dog. Hope this helps and good luck.

 

[CheyAut]

^^ Totally agree. And for those times the dog IS loose in the house, you can buy diapers (make sure it's the ones for males) for dogs that he can wear.

 

[GeorgieGirl]

I completely agree, but also would recommend to tell you sister that she needs to have a vet do an exam. While it is most likely she has never bothered to housebreak this dog, there is possiblilty that a bladder or other medical problem does exhist. But having a medical condition is no excuse for not housebreaking the little guy. I hope you are able to get through to her and please keep us posted!

 

[hearts2halo]

Thanks for the posts we have purchased doggy diapers and are hoping they fit, he had another major accident on the floor today and insisted that it was not her dog, this is the third time in a week she has done this and I or my fiance have ended up cleaning it. I am going tomorrow and getting the same kind of kennel I started my dog out on, its a soft nylon zip up, and am going to put it down stairs by the back door so as soon as he comes out he can go straight outside. Getting our 2 into a routine like this has virtually stopped any chances of them having an accident. She has had his bladder checked when she first got him and they said there was nothing wrong. But he was just a puppy at that time and had almost every disease a puppy can have (literally that is what the vet said, she had only had him for 2 days, got him probably from a puppy mill) Thanks soo much for the advice I am def. going to use it!! I will def. keep yall posted!!

 

[CheyAut]

Good luck!
Just me, but I wouldn't crate train a dog with those crates, as they can tear/chew their way out. I won't use those unless I know the dog is very well crate trained and can behave himself in it. JMHO of course

 

[ruffsmom]

Sounds to me like competition for territory. He is making the place his by marking the rooms.

 

[Adrian]

You definetely want to use a proper crate, those nylon ones can be chewed threw by a determined pooch.

I agree that crate training is the way to go. You need to get a really tough on your sister. This is her dog and she needs to take ownership. If she can't the dog has to go, unless you are agreeing to take ownership, at which point your sister is taking advantage of the situation.

Adrian

 

[dch]

I agree with what everyone else posted here. So need here to repeat! I'm also glad you got him doggy diapers. Or what they call them for males, belly bands.

Yorkies are very difficult to house break. Most breeders never let them outside and puppy mill dogs are even worse. It also sounds like this dog is a submissive pee er. And it also sounds like he has a very weak bladder. Plus your sister being in denial and not housebreaking him is reinforcing his bad behavior.

Maybe once she sees that there is pee on his diaper and no pee in the house, this will be good evidence that it's her dog. Plus I would not allow that dog free access to anywhere in the house but her bedroom, unless he has the diaper on. Even then I would close off any rooms that no one is in.

More about the soft crates, when dogs pee in them, the pee leaks out! Getting him an airline crate, you could also get a grate that fits in the bottom of it, and put newspaper under the grate.

Good luck!