In my frustration, I frantically searched up the whole internet to find an answer to this one question – How to Stop a Yorkie From Peeing in the House?
I adopted a cute tiny Yorkie a few weeks back and I was soon so irritated by his bathroom habits. Almost all my carpets and rugs were ruined. I was on the verge of giving up on him when I found my answer to the looming question of How to Stop a Yorkie From Peeing in the House.
I consulted a professional who gave me the answers to my questions and here I am going to share them with you so that your stress is also relieved. Let’s look in detail at what he told me.
How To Stop A Yorkie From Peeing In The House? Top 12 Methods
1. Train Them for Outdoor Potty and Peeing Training
You need to train your Yorkie for outdoor potty and peeing sessions. This includes going for regular walks and taking them out for bathroom breaks consistently.
You can use one word as a command to tell them which place is okay for him to go to the bathroom. He will soon learn the command as well as get the hang of his bathroom schedule.
Check out our guide for potty training here.
2. Create a Schedule to Walk Your Yorkie Outside Daily
Take your Yorkie for walks daily because he needs a little bit of exercise to stay mentally and physically fit.
A healthy puppy will catch on to commands faster, and he won’t be lethargic either.
3. Make It a Routine to Take Your Yorkie Outside Before Sleeptime and After He Wakes up
Your Yorkie needs to go outside right after waking up and right before sleeping.
Make sure that you make this a routine and your pet friend knows that you will take him out at these two times so he will not pee or poop anywhere else.
Also, between these two times, take your puppy out for toilet breaks 3-4 times according to your own judgment.
4. Reward Your Yorkie Whenever He Goes to Pee Outside
Positive reinforcement techniques are an excellent way of appreciating and motivating your Yorkie.
Whenever your Yorkie goes outside to pee or shows proper peeing and potty behaviors, reward him with a treat. Give him a specific tasty treat only when he shows desired potty behaviors so that he will be consistent in it in order to earn that treat.
5. Firmly Say “NO” if Your Yorkie Pees Inside Your House
Whenever an accident occurs, you should firmly say “NO” so that your four-legged friend knows that this is unacceptable behavior and you won’t tolerate it.
Do it immediately when you see your dog peeing or pooping inside the house because if you do it later, he won’t understand what you are talking about.
Never be violent when such an accident occurs!
6. Crate Training Is an Effective Technique
Crate training can be very effective when you are trying to house train your terrier.
Yorkies don’t want to dirty the place where they eat, sleep or play. So if you keep your Yorkie in a crate, it won’t urinate there.
When you open the door, take him out immediately so that he does not have the time to stop and pee anywhere along the way.
If you want to know more about crate training, click here.
7. Clean Your House Thoroughly to Remove Any Odour of Pee That Can Attract the Yorkie
After an accident has occurred, cleaning your house thoroughly is very important. Make sure to remove the odor of pee completely.
Even the slightest smell can attract your Yorkie to the same place and he will pee there again because the smell will make him think that this place is an acceptable location for him to urinate.
Take a look at this highly effective odor eliminator that I always prefer to use.
8. Be Patient and Consistent With Your Yorkie
Potty training a Yorkie is not a very easy task and a dog owner needs to be patient and consistent with his or her pet.
Consistency is important because your terrier needs to have a fixed schedule of his peeing breaks. If you take him out at different times every day, he will never be sure and might pee and poop inside the house itself.
Don’t lose patience or give up on your Yorkie yet! They are intelligent dogs and will learn what you are trying to teach them in some time.
9. Don’t Yell
Your reaction to accidents also matters a lot. You need to keep your calm and stay cool when your puppy has such an accident.
Yelling or abusing will only have adverse impacts on your puppy. After all, they are small and can only control the urine pressure for a small amount of time. Even fully trained dogs can meet such accidents on rare occasions.
Also, there can be some serious reason behind why this is happening so instead of losing your calm, try and find what is wrong with your terrier.
10. Seek for Professional Help
If the situation persists even after applying all housebreaking techniques and trying everything possible that you could, seek professional help.
You can make your Yorkie have sessions with a professional trainer who will teach him what is acceptable and what is not and how to behave in such situations.
11. Use Repellent Products
Another way through which you can stop your pet friend from peeing in the house is by using repellent products.
These can be sprayed on sofas, walls, and in areas where your Yorkie has urinated before. This will repel him for peeing at these places.
Check out this repellent spray that you can get to keep your Yorkie away.
12. Provide Proper Attention and Affection
As a pet owner, you need to give proper attention and affection to your Yorkie.
Keep him around you, spend quality time with him, take him for walks. This will ensure that your puppy is mentally happy and satisfied.
Why Is Your Yorkie Peeing in the House? Top 7 Reasons
1. Medical Issues
Your Yorkie might have inappropriate urination habits because of underlying medical issues.
If your Yorkie has kidney problems, bladder stones, or diabetes, he will often have problems controlling the urine pressure. In the case of older dogs, they lose bladder control with age.
You should consult your vet immediately and get your four-legged companion the required treatment.
Do not panic, he will be alright.
2. Incorrect Training in the Past
To err is human. It is very much possible that you may have given him incorrect potty training in the past due to which your Yorkie is still unsure that is unacceptable to pee inside the house.
It might even be the case that your Yorkie’s previous owners gave it the incorrect training.
Do not fret much. Train your dog once again and make sure you use the correct techniques. If you are not sure about your methods, you should consult a vet or a professional before applying them.
3. Behavioral Issues
Another reason behind inappropriate urination can be the possibility that your Yorkie has behavioral issues.
Think whether peeing inside the house is the only problematic thing that your terrier does or are there other unacceptable activities from his end as well. If this is the case, you need to give proper training and exercises to your puppy to make sure that he behaves well.
In more serious situations, consult a professional or a vet for help.
4. Trying to Mark Territory
If a Yorkie develops marking behavior, it can get very annoying for the owner because in this case, the terrier might even ruin his owner’s bed by peeing all over it.
Always remember that urinating when a Yorkie is trying to mark its territory is not accidental, but intentional. And he won’t release his entire bladder, he will just spray a small amount of urine.
Yorkies are territorial in nature and sometimes feel the need to remind new people or guests that they are in their territory. This is why they turn to mark.
Marking territory is more noticeable in male dogs however female dogs also sometimes mark their territories.
If your Yorkie has developed a marking habit, it is surely going to be difficult to remove it but it’s not impossible. You need to be strict and firm with it.
5. Anxiety
Does your Yorkie stay home alone for too long? Or is it insecure because you have other pets or you are not paying him enough attention? If yes, it is quite possible that your Yorkie has separation anxiety.
Separation anxiety can be the reason behind your Yorkie’s inappropriate urination behavior. The loneliness and separation can lead them to urinate at the wrong locations.
If you want to know more about separation anxiety, click here.
There can also be another reason behind your Yorkie urinating at the wrong places that are the opposite of separation anxiety. Overexceitment. Make sure you don’t overexcite him and also make him learn how to calm down in such situations.
6. Aging
When dogs get older, they start losing control of their bladders. If your Yorkie is an old dog, this might be the reason why he pees around in the house.
You should know that your pet is not doing it on purpose to annoy you, he will never do it because of this. So be gentle in your reactions when your doggo meets an accident.
7. Urinary Tract Infections
Urinary Tract Infections are common in dogs.
If your Yorkie has such an infection, he will attempt to pee more frequently when you take him out or he can pee inside the house if he cannot control it. The frequency of peeing increases if the dog is suffering from UTI.
He might even suffer from pain while urinating and there is also a possibility that you will see blood in his urine.
Consult your vet immediately if you notice any of these things!
Read up more about urinary tract infections here.
Will Neutering Help to Stop a Yorkie From Peeing in the House?
The solution for stopping a Yorkie from peeing in the house can be neutering if the reason behind the inappropriate urination is his instinct to mark territory.
Neutering is an effective way for eliminating a dog’s territorial instincts. If you neuter your Yorkie before one and a half years of age, you will see immediate results.
However, older dogs shouldn’t be castrated because it can be dangerous for them, and because of their age, they will only start showing results after twelve months.
Get to know more about the benefits of neutering and spraying by checking out this link.
FAQs on How To Stop A Yorkie From Peeing In The House?
1. How Often Does a Yorkie Need to Pee?
A puppy Yorkie would need to urinate 10-12 times a day. Yes, it does seem a lot to us but they are small and have their needs so you must take care of them.
An adult Yorkie will need to empty his bladder up to 4 times a day. The frequency might go up when they are in their old age.
2. How Long Can a Yorkie Hold Its Pee?
2 to 3 months old puppy Yorkies can hold their pee for 2-3 hours. Their ability to control bladder pressure increases with age.
3. What Scent Repels Dogs From Peeing?
A few drops of cinnamon, sour apple, or eucalyptus essential oil should repel your dog from peeing.
The smell of vinegar and lime juices are also the scents that repel dogs from peeing.
Conclusion
I hope you got an answer for How to Stop a Yorkie from Peeing in the House. Look out for signs of any medical issue in your pet and consult the vet immediately.
Be strict but don’t yell at the tiny creature. And never, I repeat, never be violent! Keep it in your mind that they are not doing it intentionally and you have to be patient with them.
Now that you know what you need to do, go try it all out and see the results for yourself.
