Did you know that house soiling ranks as one of the top reasons dogs end up in a animal shelters?

The main emphasis of housetraining is to teach a puppy Where TO GO, not where not to go

If you are able to be home with your yorkie puppy during the first 2 weeks of arrival and can spend the majority of the daylight hours with him/her, you will begin to see results twice as fast as someone who isn’t available as much and therefore cannot give as much supervision. Please remember that yorkshire terrier puppies do have accidents and that each yorkie puppy learns on an individual basis. Just be patient!

Toy breed puppies like Yorkshire Terriers have smaller stomachs, and after the first few days, they seem to eat in a browsing fashion due to the many distractions and smells of their new environment. They become particularly sidetracked if there is another pet in the home. If your yorkie puppy knows he/she has continuous access to food for the first week, then he/she will not overeat. Start them on a feeding schedule the second week generally two or three times a day depending on the yorkie puppy remove meal after 30 minutes This will help in having regular eliminating schedule.

INDOOR TRAINING: I recommend using a small confined area (such as a half bathroom or small utility room) that can be closed off with a baby gate. (I have had great success with the "Super yard", a portable, floorless playpen, which can be arranged several ways. It can be purchased at Wal-Mart. Pet stores offer something similar made from a gold metal-like material. It is usually called a "pet exercise pen".

Generally, 30-40 minutes after eating or drinking, your yorkie puppy will need to go to the bathroom. Pick up your yorkie puppy, place him/her inside the confined area (with 1-2 puppy pads covering an area large enough so the puppy won’t miss), tell your puppy to "go potty", and give him/her up to 10 minutes. When your yorkie puppy does his/her business, praise him/her and give a treat. (This is the only time I give treats to a young puppy. "Gerber Graduates LIL'sticks chicken sticks".  At night if the puppy is in your room whether on the bed or in a crate next to your bed when you hear them wine or whimper in the middle of the night take him and place him in your bath tub (located which has two wee wee pads in it! This will help and as the yorkie puppy gets older this night potty time can be eliminated. Remember that though you are doing most of the work in the beginning, your yorkie puppy will begin to catch on and go by himself/herself. After a couple of weeks or when you feel your puppy is comfortable, remove the gate or open the exercise pen to allow your puppy to enter/exit the potty area alone.

 OUTDOOR TRAINING: First show your yorkie puppy where you want him/her to eliminate. Use a harness and leash to take her to the same place each time generally near the front or back door. Stand there for about 5 minutes (It might take longer the first few days because your yorkie puppy is doing more exploring things such as new smells, surroundings etc. If she /he does not go try again every hour. When she/he does PRAISE them and give reward (Gerber Graduates LIL'sticks chicken sticks ). If you have the yorkie puppy eliminate in the same area he will smell his own scent and note that it his his/her territory, will be more comfortable and easier to be successful.

The most important thing to keep in mind while training your yorkie baby is that consistency is key. All too often we will get asked questions about housebreaking a puppy yorkie that we have adopted, and the biggest problem always seems to be with consistency. What we mean with this is that it is easy to get out of discipline and to stop disciplining your puppy for relieving themselves outside of the designated areas. You must discipline your puppy every time they have made the mistake of peeing or pooping outside the designated area. If you are constantly moniroing their activity, this should not happen often. We do not recommend any kind of negative reinforcement such as "swatting", "spanking" or yelling as this only scares your baby. Positive renforcement with the chicken sticks should give your baby enough of a reward to want to do the right thing again!

In your times of frustration as you are cleaning up messes, remember that this is only a season in your yorkie puppy’s life and that this, too, shall pass. After all, if a child never made mistakes, they wouldn’t need parents! Good luck!