So you’ve got a new Yorkie puppy. Congratulations! A Yorkshire Terrier is an excellent companion and adorable best friend, you’ve made a great choice. Growing till only about 8-9 inches, these little pups stay little pups for their whole life! While this certainly adds to their appeal, it can also present a little problem. A small body means a small bladder, and with a small bladder, come small “accidents”. This is why you should learn how to toilet train a Yorkshire Terrier as soon as possible to avoid any accidents and save your furniture from being marked as Yorkie territory!
Why is potty training important?
If you don’t already have an idea, allow us to tell you. Potty training is a stage that everyone who lives in a house must pass, regardless of whether they’re human or canine. You don’t want your house covered in feces and urine now do you? Potty training is also important to instill a sense of discipline in your dog. They need to know that relieving themselves on your cashmere rug is not okay. If your puppy is potty trained, it greatly minimizes the risk of any accidents and ensures that the relationship between you and your pup doesn’t get strained because of them.
Are Yorkies hard to potty train?
This isn’t as much of a discipline issue, as it is an anatomical one. Like we said earlier, Yorkies have small bladders. This causes them to require frequent trips to the loo, more so than other larger dog breeds. However, if you know what you’re doing, potty training even a younger Yorkshire Terrier shouldn’t be too difficult. With time and patience, you can get your Yorkie to go where you want it to go.
A thing to keep in mind is that while Yorkies can be potty trained to a satisfactory level, don’t expect 100% efficiency every time. Meaning, that if your Yorkie has a small accident even after being potty trained or while potty training, don’t get mad at it or express your anger by yelling at it. This might lead to unnecessary stress and anxiety for the puppy. This stress and or anxiety may also lead to another accident, ironically adding more fuel to the fire (literally).
Remember, a Yorkie is an animal, not a human. They’re not meant to live in a house and follow our rules. As long as you don’t expect the world of your pets when it comes to this, you should be fine. Patience and persistence are the key to potty training your Yorkshire Terrier!
How to Toilet Train a Yorkshire Terrier
The question of how to toilet train a Yorkshire Terrier might seem challenging, so let’s keep it simple. The following is a simple guide to potty training your Yorkshire Terrier!
- For indoor training, keep a designated area, potty pad, or litter box where you take your Yorkie after every meal, playtime, or after a nap to ensure they get used to relieving themselves there.
- For outside training, at the same frequency, take your dog to a designated spot and let them go where they’re comfortable. A Yorkie will prefer to go to a place where it already has been before.
- When it comes to giving commands, a strong no or a clap should be enough to get it into your Yorkie’s head to not pee/poop where you don’t want it to. When your Yorkie does go where you want it to, give it words of encouragement and repeat the same words or phrases so that it associates them with relieving itself.
How long will it take to potty train my Yorkie?
As mentioned earlier in the article, patience is key when it comes to potty training your Yorkie. If done properly, it should take about 2 months from the start of potty training for your Yorkshire Terrier to be potty trained.
How often do Yorkies pee and poop?
Yorkies are small dogs that require frequent bowel and bladder movements. This increases if your Yorkie is a puppy.
Starting off with peeing, as a puppy, a Yorkie will need to urinate every hour or two. Older Yorkies can go 3 to 4 hours without going to pee. When it comes to fully potty-trained adults, you can expect them to hold it in for a solid 7 to 8 hours. They could go longer, but this is not advised as it could be harmful to the puppy.
In the case of bowel movements, you should take your Yorkie out to poop after every meal. As a rough estimate, the window for a bowel movement is about 5-30 minutes after a meal. This amounts to 3-4 sessions every day, which is a healthy rate.
Can Yorkies be trained to use a litter box?
Yes! In fact, special litters and litter boxes are made for dogs. When it comes to small dogs, the option of training them to use the litter box is a lifesaver! It can help you out if you’re not at home and your dog has to relieve itself. It’s also great for your dog because it can go whenever it needs to, instead of having to hold it in. Small dogs have a small amount of waste and they can easily be trained to release it in a litter box.
A couple of caveats to this is that if your dog loves to dig, it can end up causing a big mess. The other is that while small dogs produce a small amount of waste, they still do produce more waste than cats. A litter box for a dog will require daily cleaning and maintenance to prevent the odor from spreading in your house.
Quick Tip: If you have a male Yorkie, make sure to get a litter box with high walls to avoid any spillage that could occur!
Conclusion
All in all, potty training your Yorkie shouldn’t be too difficult, as long as you’re patient with it. We hope this article has taught you how to toilet train a Yorkshire Terrier!
