Morkie Dogs, Puppies & Potty Training
Morkie Dogs, Puppies & Potty Training
by Jennifer
(Dallas, TX)
Potty Training Morkie Dogs & Puppies
I have a 12 week old morkie that we have had for 1 week and are in the process of potty training. We have been taking her out at least every hour and we can tell when she is agitated that she wants to go outside to go to the bathroom. When outside she always pees. She also has been very good about pooping outside. We make a big deal about what a good dog she is each time. At night, we put her in her crate and she has been able to hold it for about 5 hours. (When she starts to cry, I wake up and take her outside to pee and then put her back in her crate for the rest of the night).
Our problem is that during the day, after she comes in from outside after peeing, she will occasionally pee immediately inside. It is not in the same spot or even the same room. We have been watching her every move so we see her do it and sternly tell her ‘no’ and take her outside again. One day, she did it about 3 times in a row. I thought she might have a bladder infection, except for the fact that she is able to hold it just fine at other times.
I have been doing my best to thoroughly clean each area after wards. She was just doing it on carpet, but I have gated up the areas with carpet and she has started going on tile. I have put pads around the house and rubbed pee on them, but she has not used those at all.
I know that she is still young and we have not been at this long. I definitely am not expecting miracles this soon but I haven’t read about anyone having a similar problem where the dog is peeing outside and then will come in and pee inside right after wards. I wanted to see if there was anything I should be doing differently since we are in the early stages.
Hi and thanks for the question. Yes you are right it is very early days with your puppy – she is still only a baby and you should expect lots of house training problems including accidents around the House. You are obviously a loving owner and you are right to always check that there are no medical problems taht might be causing the problem.
At the age of twelve weeks of age right up to the age fifteen weeks you should expect a backwards step in the training process – this means that your previously trained Morkie might start to poop or pee in the House when she had previously stopped doing this. It is always a good idea to enroll in puppy training classes at this age as you will need to start socializing your puppy with other dogs, breeds and people – it is also a good place to ask other owners questions as they may have had the same problem. You can also ask a professional dog trainer training questions and how to solve common problems like the one you have mentioned – it’s also a great way to have one on one support where a trainer can actually see and train your puppy on a individual basis.
Ok so lets get started with some general advice, tips and training suggestions…
1. You need to remain patient with a puppy that has repeated accidents in the House – the more angry you get the more likely your puppy is going to pee or poop in more obscure places where you won’t be able to find it.
2. Avoid cleaning up any mess in front of your puppy.
3. You need to remember that a puppy is a still a baby (especially as young as twelve weeks). Just leaving the door open will mean nothing to a puppy of this age – you need to show your puppy where he should pee or poop. This involves attaching a leash to your puppy and putting a cue on going outside. Use ‘Potty Time’ and then go outside. As soon as your puppy is about to pee or poop – give her a cue like ‘Go Poop’. As soon as she has done her business give her lots of praise and a nice treat. One of the reasons why a puppy pees or poop’s inside straight after being outside is because she hasn’t finished her business and her bladder is still full. You need to wait until she has done her business as many young puppies like to go in stages – so wait until she has definitely finished. If she doesn’t go – take her back inside and put her in the Crate. Put her in the Crate for fifteen to twenty minutes and then take her back outside again.
4. Remember to give your puppy an allotted amount of time to pee or poop outside – don’t give your puppy twenty minutes on a Friday and then expect your puppy to pee or poop in five minutes on a Saturday.
5. Start feeding your puppy at the same time during the day – start a toileting schedule. This involves getting to know exactly when your puppy is more likely to pee or poop – so first thing in the morning, straight after waking, after eating or drinking and before bed.
6. Constantly reward positive behavior and ignore negative behavior.
7. A really great puppy and dog training technique that we advocate is the use of ‘Umbilical Chord Dog Training’. This involves attaching a leash to your puppy and then tucking the leash in your belt. This means you are constantly able to spot any behavior or likelihood of peeing or pooping in the House and then you can take her straight outside. This is a great training technique. If you are not able to closely supervise your puppy put her in the Crate.
Hope this helps, below are some more links…
