Last Updated on January 16, 2022 by Griselda M.
If you’ve just got your Yorkshire terrier you may be wondering about the common Yorkies potty training problems and what to do about them. That’s quite understandable. People often hit a wall with Yorkies because they’ve failed to consider that these dogs need quite a bit of training. Yorkies are often too adorable for their own good – they attract a lot of owners but the latter find themselves unprepared for training such a strong-willed terrier.
So, if you’re faced with some Yorkies potty training problems, here’s our quick guide on what you can do about them.
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7 Common Yorkies Potty Training Problems and How To Solve Them
Potty training a Yorkie puppy can be surprisingly difficult for some owners. As cute as Yorkies are, they are terriers, after all. So, naturally, they are exceptionally stubborn. If this is your first dog and you haven’t looked too much into obedience training and housebreaking, you can expect some Yorkie potty training problems.
The most common issues and their causes include:
1. Stress and Anxiety
A couple of major factors contributing to Yorkies potty training problems are stress and anxiety. This is especially true for young or fearful Yorkies who have just been adopted and/or rehomed. Much like cats, these dogs need a bit of time to feel at home or at ease. Naturally, this makes potty training quite difficult at first.
Other causes of stress can include the sudden loss of a family member, the introduction/presence of new pets, or just improper training techniques from you, the Yorkie’s owner. We’ll cover those below but suffice it to say that you want your Yorkie to be calm and comfortable if you are to teach it anything.
2. Medical Issues
Dog owners often confuse some health issues with disobedience or “bad behavior”. However, there are quite a few health conditions that can cause your Yorkie to go against its potty training. Urinary tract infections, for example, as well as kidney problems and diabetes, can all lead to your dog doing its business on the living room carpet.
Learn more about: How To Prevent Yorkies Hair Loss?
Each of these issues can be quite common in older and even mid-aged Yorkies. So, don’t be hasty to judge your adult Yorkie for urinating at the wrong place. Younger Yorkies can also suffer from such issues although that’s rarer.
3. Improper Daily Routine
Housebreaking – and training in general – a puppy is all about consistency. Younger pups, in particular, often have trouble understanding why we want them to do certain things. So, when you shift the daily schedule even a little bit, this confusion can easily negate all the potty training progress you’ve done up to that point.
Similarly, a poorly set up daily schedule can be ineffective from the get-go. For example, if your Yorkie is expected to hold on for a couple of hours after waking up, eating, and drinking in the morning before its first walk – then you can expect some urinary accidents on the carpet regardless of all your potty training.
4. Changed Potty Spots
When you’re training a Yorkie to use an indoor potty spot you should keep that in the same place at all times. This is especially true for younger Yorkies and during the potty training itself. If you move the potty spot midway through the training process you shouldn’t be surprised if the Yorkie keeps going to the old spot regardless of what you’ve put there now.
5. Lack Of Obedience Training
When figuring out how to potty train a stubborn Yorkie, it’s often helpful to ask why is the Yorkie stubborn in the first place? All terrier breeds are very strong-willed and self-minded which necessitates a good deal of obedience training.
You can easily do that yourself but you should expect quite a lot of research if it’s your first time. This is a big reason why terriers often aren’t recommended for rookie owners. If you don’t feel up to the task you can also contact a professional trainer. A good trainer should be able to help you out quite easily and quickly – often in a matter of days.
6. Negative Reinforcement
When people have trouble with long-term Yorkies potty training problems, that’s usually because they insist on using negative reinforcement training. Strong-willed dogs like most terrier breeds are often a bit frustrating to deal with which forces a lot of owners into the trap of negative reinforcement. However, not only is this practice frowned upon, but it’s also counter-productive with Yorkies. Instead of training them, this often just leads to more stubbornness and disobedience.
7. Potty Training Regression
Skipping any of the Yorkie potty training tips above can easily lead to potty training regression. Another common problem can occur if you stop the potty training a bit too early. Many dog owners do this accidentally. They either see the initial progress and think that their job is done or they are forced to travel midway through the process and let the Yorkie regress to its pre-training habits. To avoid all this you should be very consistent with both your obedience training and your potty training.
Are Yorkies Potty Training Problems That Much Greater Than They Are For Other Breeds?
When talking about dog behavior, it should be noted that different dogs can have different personalities. The fact that Yorkshire terriers are difficult to potty train overall doesn’t mean that many Yorkies can’t be very easy to train and live with.
Still, the stats don’t lie either and Yorkies are pretty tough to potty train overall – tougher than most other breeds. Still, there are quite a few other breeds that are famously even more stubborn and harder to potty train than a Yorkie. A few such breeds are Dalmatians, Pomeranians, Afgan hounds, Jack Russel terriers, Bichon Frise dogs, Pugs, Dachshunds, and a few others.
So, don’t get disheartened if your Yorkie is going through potty training regression. Nor should you avoid getting this wonderful family pet just because training won’t be as easy as it is with some other breeds.