How To Potty Train A Yorkie Puppy (And Avoid The Common Mistakes)

The good news is that potty training your Yorkie does not need to be difficult.

In fact, housetraining is so easy that almost anyone can do it.

The key is to make sure that you stay consistent in your technique.

And let’s be real.

There’s nothing worse than waking up in the morning to find that your dog has done its business throughout the house.

Except, of course, finding out by stepping in it on your way to go eat breakfast.

Don’t let this nightmare happen to you.

Keep reading to learn everything you need to know about housetraining your Yorkshire Terrier puppy. We’ll help you turn this potential nightmare of a process into a fun project with great results.

 

How To Potty Train A Yorkie Puppy

Housetraining dogs largely relies on the same basic technique. That being said, different dog breeds have their own personalities, making some more difficult to train than others.

Fortunately, Yorkshire Terriers are some of the friendliest dogs around. These family-loving dogs typically tend to listen well.

One of the most common challenges that owners face, however, is that they can get excited rather easily. And this can make them hard to control.

For this reason, it’s important to get started housetraining early. You want to teach your Yorkshire Terrier from an early age what is, and what isn’t, acceptable.

Especially when it comes to housetraining.

You may have heard that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. And while this isn’t exactly true, we do have to agree that it’s much easier to teach a puppy how to use the bathroom outside than it is to potty train an adult Yorkshire terrier.

That’s why you mustn’t wait to start housetraining your Yorkie puppy. By starting early, you can ensure that you get the best results possible.

It can also help strengthen your relationship with your dog. Because let’s face it. No matter how much you love your pup, you’re going to start being irritated if you step in its droppings every morning.

You’ve got to draw the line somewhere, right?

Let us help you draw it by showing you what you need to know about housetraining your Yorkshire Terrier puppy.

Keep the following considerations and techniques in mind, if you want your housetraining endeavors to be a success.

By doing so, you’ll make sure that your dog is following directions and is using the bathroom in the appropriate spot every time.

You know how it is.

We’ve all got that one friend whose dog seems to behave perfectly. You may have even heard tales of those dogs who wake their owners up in the middle of the night instead of going on the hardwood floor.

And though those goals have always seemed out of reach, we’re here to tell you that the following guide can help you be that dog owner that is the envy of all your friends.

With this in mind, let’s dive into what you need to be doing in order to stop your Yorkshire Terrier from peeing in your home as quickly and as painlessly as possible.

 

Be Patient

First and foremost, you need to be patient. That’s why we’ve put this first.

It can be easy to get discouraged while housetraining your dog. You may find, for instance, that after a week of everything going well that your dog has suddenly has an accident on the floor.

These can feel like a major setback, but trust us: it’s normal. By responding to them in stride, you’ll be able to keep your cool and make sure that your dog has continued progress.

In other words, make sure that you’re not expecting this to work overnight. Potty training your Yorkie takes time. It works by reinforcing positive behavior in your dog. And there’s simply no shortcut to this.

You may hear tales from owners who claim to have housetrained their dogs in just one night. Even if these are true, you shouldn’t expect the same results.

Instead, realize that you’re going to have to take an active part in teaching your dog where it can use the bathroom.

It’s up to you to establish the positive feedback loop needed to keep your dog going outdoors instead of in.

Once you realize your role in the process, make sure that you’re giving yourself enough time to do it. After all, you can’t expect your dog to learn how to use the bathroom outdoors in the span of a few days.

Instead, give it enough time to learn the routine before you start doubting if your methods are working.

If you’ve been working at housetraining your dog for two weeks or more without any progress, you may just be doing it wrong.

At that point, you’ll want to take a look at your methods to ensure that you’re not doing something that’s ultimately proving counterproductive.

You need to have the proper mindset before you can expect to housetrain your dog.

Remember that you’re going to need to be in it for the long haul if you plan to housetrain your Yorkie, so make sure that you’ve got what it takes before giving it a try.

 

Be Consistent

But being patient won’t be enough. If you’re not being consistent, you’re not going to get the results that you’re hoping for.

And yes, it’s true that this is going to take a bit of time and dedication. You’re going to have to be careful to look for signs that your dog might have to go out.

You’re always going to want to choose set times throughout the day to take your dog out. This will help get your dog used to a set schedule. And help keep you on track.

But you want to make sure not to head back inside until your dog has used the bathroom. This ensures that you and your dog get the most out of your training.

 

Use Positive Feedback

You want to make sure you reward your dog every time it does something right. This will help encourage it to act better in the future.

Contrary to popular belief, positive feedback works better than negative feedback, i.e. punishment. Though punishment may prove effective for some, you risk isolating your dog.

And because Yorkies are especially sensitive, you don’t want to risk doing that.

So make sure that you’ve got a tasty treat ready every time that your dog uses the bathroom outside.

And you’ll want to do this every time. It is the only way your dog will learn what behavior is expected of it.

If you sometimes miss a treat, you end up sending mixed signals to your dog. This can be difficult to overcome.

Remember, it’s up to you to set the example here, so make sure that you come prepared.

By rewarding your dog every time that it goes outside, you can have it associate using the bathroom outside with treats.

Pretty soon, your dog will start to want to go outside to use the restroom, because it will see it as a way to get its treats.

 

Use Language

But don’t stop there. You also want to make sure that you teach your dog words—such as “potty”—to really make the training effective.

For instance, if you do decide to set some times to go out, make a habit of asking your dog if it wants to go “potty” first.

In this way, you can teach your Yorkie valuable commands that will make it easier to communicate later.

Once your dog is housetrained, for example, you’ll be able to ask it if it has to go potty. If it does, it will go outside, helping you keep the inside of your house clean.

 

Other Yorkie Potty Training Tips And Tricks

So now you know everything about house training your Yorkie! Well … Not quite.

There are some other considerations that you should keep in mind.

Below, we’ll take a look at some of these issues. Many of them are often misunderstood by new Yorkie owners.

 

Give Your Dog Enough Time

Always make sure that you give your dog enough time to use the bathroom. Don’t just assume that it will walk outside and do its business immediately.

Instead, give it a 15-minute grace period, so that it has time to walk around and find a good spot.

By going back inside too early, you could be undermining your housetraining efforts. Likewise, if you stay too long, you could be doing the same.

Typically speaking, if a Yorkie has to go to the bathroom, they will do so within the first fifteen minutes.

And remember: be sure to reward them when they do.

 

Try To Go Out Fifteen Minutes After Eating

You also want to make sure that you take your dog out around fifteen minutes after eating. This will give it time to digest the food, making it more likely that it will need to go when you’re outside.

But just because they have to go, doesn’t mean they’ll do it immediately. Remember to use your fifteen-minute timer, so you can help keep your housetraining on schedule.

In this way, you can expect to use the first thirty minutes or so after each meal as a housetraining exercise.

Don’t worry, it won’t be like this forever.

Once your dog is housetrained, you should be able to have it tell you when it’s ready to go out. But having a consistent schedule could still help, too.

 

Go Out At Night

Make sure that you’re taking your dog out at night, too. Here, you’ll want to make sure that you don’t go back inside until it has used the bathroom, even if it takes longer than 15 minutes.

If you don’t wait until your pup does its business, you’re likely to find a mess in your room or hallway when you wake up in the morning.

By making sure that your dog empties its system before sleeping, you can help minimize nighttime accidents during the housetraining phase.

If your dog does have to go at night, it may start calling out to you. Though you may be asleep, if you do manage to wake up and hear your dog, don’t ignore it.

While it might be easier to roll over and go back to sleep, you don’t want to disrupt your housetraining schedule.

If you don’t like getting up, consider having a puppy pad placed somewhere that your dog can get to.

If you go this route, you’ll also have to teach your dog how to use its puppy pad.

 

Potty Training A Yorkie: The Bottom Line

Their reputation says Yorkies are hard to potty train, but this does not have to be the case. By following this guide, you can learn the skills needed to get your dog to use the bathroom outdoors.

Make sure that you keep this guide in mind during the housetraining process. It’s important that you don’t make mistakes during the process, in order to achieve the best results.

By using this article as a guide, you can minimize mistakes and streamline the housetraining process.

Finally, just remember to have patience throughout. With a bit of love, care, and patience, your Yorkie will be housetrained in no time!