# 1 year old Yorkie peeing in crate



## JennyGrl48 (Aug 12, 2011)

Okay, I've read a few threads in here and I know that some of you think that pee pads and pens are the way to go with small dogs, but that is what caused this problem in the first place. I got little Gidget (female) from a family member that couldn't handle her anymore. She was constantly left in this pen and got used to playing in her own excrement and urine. Yes, there were pee pads, but she jumped around so much she would end ip covered in it. I felt so sorry for her always being in that pen, so I adopted her. I already have a 3 year old Scottie who was crate trained from a puppy. She was so easy, I never had any issues with her. She goes out on a schedule and NEVER has accidents. I know that the Yorkie has a smaller bladder, though, and I haven't had her long enough to develop a schedule, so I try to take her out every 2-3 hours. She is walked for 30 minutes each day and she and my Scottie run around and play all the time, but she still has accidents. I even reward her with training treats for going outside. She is better, but we still have not gone 24 hours without an accident. Last night I tried not leaving her a towel in her crate, because I thought that she might associate that with the pee pad, but this morning I found a urine soaked Yorkie. She went more than I've ever seen her go. A bath and a crate scrubbing later, and I just don't know what to do. I want this Yorkie to have a good life, but I want one as well. One where I don't have to clean up pee and poop from my NEW house. Please help. I just don't know what else to try. And don't recommend a pen. I need help, not for you to use this thread to get on your soapbox.


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## HerdersForMe (Jul 26, 2011)

How old is she?


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## lisahi (Jun 19, 2011)

She obviously needs to go during the night, and since she's not aversive to going where she eats/sleeps, then you need to get up every 2-3 hours (or 4-5 hours, depending on age) and take her out. Since we don't know what age she is, we don't know how long she _should_ be able to hold it. My 4.5 month old puppy can hold it for about 7 hours overnight when she's sleeping (maybe more if she doesn't wake up), and about 4-5 hours when awake (less time when she's really active--sometimes only an hour if she's in a playful mood). It could be your Yorkie is holding it for quite awhile, but simply has to go before you wake up to take her out.

During the day, you need to watch her like a hawk for signs that she has to go. You can either leash her to yourself, or you can section off an area in your home so that you have a better visual on what she is doing. When you do take her out, praise and treat (if she'll take the treat--my puppy won't, but that's a different issue). Never scold when she has an accident in the house. She'll generally have to go right after waking, right after playing and in intervals of a few hours (again, depending on age). Take her age in months, add 1, and that's the number of hours she should _generally_ be able to hold it if she's not overly active (assuming she's still a puppy). Since she is small, she may have to go more often than that, so watch her and try to figure out her normal schedule.


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## JennyGrl48 (Aug 12, 2011)

The title of this thread is 1 year old Yorkie peeing in crate. She is 1 year old.

Leashing her to me during the day is a great idea, by the way. Thanks for that. I had blocked off parts of the house where she had been going. Usually this dog is literally my shadow, but sometimes she does wander off to get into trouble, and go where she pleases. I could always be sure of where she is this way and actually catch her in the act, which I have not been able to do yet. Anyone else have any other suggestions?


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## HerdersForMe (Jul 26, 2011)

JennyGrl48 said:


> The title of this thread is 1 year old Yorkie peeing in crate. She is 1 year old.


Lmao sorry completely forgot after I got done reading the post.

First of all, do you exercise her before bed? Dogs are much less likely to go during the night if they are sleeping. I always give my pups a good work out an hour or two prior to bed. My current pup hasn't needed to go out at night since she was 15 weeks. I would say it's mostly due to her sleeping through the whole night now. 

Have you tried taking away her water an hour or two before bed? If she doesn't have to go, she can't wet the bed. 

When was the last time she went to the vet? Frequent urination can be from an underlying medical condition too. 

Honestly it sounds like you just need to redo housebreaking though since she has never been properly housebroken it seems.


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## JennyGrl48 (Aug 12, 2011)

Honestly, exercising her at night is not an option for me. I don't live in a great part of town and 3 dogs have already been stolen out of my neighbor's back yards. I have to be really careful. I don't own a treadmill either. I only walk during the day and I get into grass when a car passes just in case anyone would try to grab her or my Scottie Marley. I should limit her water at night, though. Should I take it away after I feed her at 6? Or is that too soon? I don't want her to become dehydrated. I'm not sure when she was last at the vet. I took her from extended family mainly because they are in Another state doing tests to see if her former owner has lung cancer. They have enough to worry about right at this moment to talk to me about her last vet visit. I think the last time she was there was for her last round of puppy shots, though. I am trying to crate train her. She is in the crate anytime I leave the house and at night. She has just enough room to turn around in it and I do take her outside before and after putting her in the crate. Fortunately (or unfortunately) I am currently unemployed and have the time during the day to really work with her. I will do whatever it takes to get her trained so that both she and I have a happy life together. Dogs can be such a joy. Isn't that why we all have them


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## lisahi (Jun 19, 2011)

JennyGrl48 said:


> The title of this thread is 1 year old Yorkie peeing in crate. She is 1 year old.
> 
> Leashing her to me during the day is a great idea, by the way. Thanks for that. I had blocked off parts of the house where she had been going. Usually this dog is literally my shadow, but sometimes she does wander off to get into trouble, and go where she pleases. I could always be sure of where she is this way and actually catch her in the act, which I have not been able to do yet. Anyone else have any other suggestions?


Apologies too - sometimes I skim the title of the thread for keywords and miss stuff. lol.


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## JennyGrl48 (Aug 12, 2011)

lisahi said:


> Apologies too - sometimes I skim the title of the thread for keywords and miss stuff. lol.


Lol, it happens. How long should she be able to hold it, then? I only sleep 7 hours, she should be able to hold it that long, as long as she isn't having a urinary issue. What other symptoms would she have besides frequent urination?


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## lisahi (Jun 19, 2011)

JennyGrl48 said:


> Honestly, exercising her at night is not an option for me. I don't live in a great part of town and 3 dogs have already been stolen out of my neighbor's back yards. I have to be really careful. I don't own a treadmill either. I only walk during the day and I get into grass when a car passes just in case anyone would try to grab her or my Scottie Marley. I should limit her water at night, though. Should I take it away after I feed her at 6? Or is that too soon? I don't want her to become dehydrated. I'm not sure when she was last at the vet. I took her from extended family mainly because they are in Another state doing tests to see if her former owner has lung cancer. They have enough to worry about right at this moment to talk to me about her last vet visit. I think the last time she was there was for her last round of puppy shots, though. I am trying to crate train her. She is in the crate anytime I leave the house and at night. She has just enough room to turn around in it and I do take her outside before and after putting her in the crate. Fortunately (or unfortunately) I am currently unemployed and have the time during the day to really work with her. I will do whatever it takes to get her trained so that both she and I have a happy life together. Dogs can be such a joy. Isn't that why we all have them


Since she's small, she can exercise inside. You can use regular household items as toys sometimes. My little one loves to play with an empty water bottle (label and cap removed). It makes the right amount of crackle when she bites it. If your dog likes to "stalk" or jump up after toys, you can always try something like this:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0042I5G2I

It's a pole with a strong rope attached and a fluffy toy at the end. You can tease your dog by bouncing the toy up and down with little exercise required on your part. Your dog may also like chasing the toy around. If she's a jumper, then this toy should tire her out pretty good.

I think you can remove her water around 6pm since she is 1 year old. I think it depends on when you go to bed (obviously, the later you go to bed, the later you can allow water).


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## HerdersForMe (Jul 26, 2011)

Could you play with her indoors before bed? Maybe even just some training would help tire her mentally. 

I would start taking her water away 1-2 hours before you put her in the crate for bed. At least until the night time accidents stop. Needless to say she should make a trip to potty right before bed too. Don't worry you won't dehydrate her. 

Dogs normally won't go where they sleep unless they really can't hold it any longer. Your pup _should_ easily be able to hold it for the whole night. She's definitely due for a vet check up if she hasn't been since her last round of puppy shots. It would be a good idea to take her and then you could also rule out any medical problem that may be causing this.


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## lisahi (Jun 19, 2011)

JennyGrl48 said:


> Lol, it happens. How long should she be able to hold it, then? I only sleep 7 hours, she should be able to hold it that long, as long as she isn't having a urinary issue. What other symptoms would she have besides frequent urination?


She's a small dog, and how long a dog can hold it sometimes just depends on the dog. If you're concerned that she is urinating too frequently, a vet is the best place to get advice. But honestly, she may be holding it for ~nearly 7 hours, but just can't wait that extra few minutes. My pup has a habit of going a half hour before I wake up. I only know this because she's pad trained and whines for me to clean it up (I only pad train because it's super hot here--too hot for a puppy most of the time).

Taking away her water a couple hours before bedtime, and making sure she goes right before bedtime may wind up solving your night time problem.


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## JennyGrl48 (Aug 12, 2011)

Thanks for all the tips. We just had another accident, though. Even though it had been less than an hour since the last time we went out and I stayed outside with them both for 20 minutes. She was even in the same room as me, but I was typing an email at the time. It is so frustrating that I can't take my eyes off of her for even a minute. I am trying not to lose patience or hope, though. I am trying to undo a year's worth of bad habits. I will try leashing her to me during the day and taking away her water about 3 hours before we go to bed. I will also try the playing thing tonight. It is just hard because I can tell that my Scottie is jealous and feeling neglected by me spending so much time with Gidget. I'm trying to make sure that they get the same amount of attention, though. And walking together makes us more like a pack that I am the leader of (I'm a big fan of Caesar Milan).


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