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We adopted a puppy Yorkiepoo 2 months ago. She was super smart and got potty trained within a week. She pees outside when we take her to walk or inside the house in a corner of kitchen on the training pad. She is now 5 months. Recently, we noticed that she begs for treats, cookies and vegetables before she eats her dry food. We tried to have her eat the dry food first and ignored her begs. She started to refuse to poo on the training pad. We're guessing she is doing that on purpose. We tested it yesterday by feeding her whole plate of begetables and she did peed & poo on pad, accurately. So we started to feed her vegetables before her dry food from this morning, just trying to make her happy and do her job correctly. Tonight, she was begging more after we gave her twice today and didn't eat her dry food the whole day. When we ignored her, she pees outside the training pad again and begging for vegetables same time. We know we're dealing with a smart puppy. Just don't want to have her become our boss and fooling us around. Also, we just worry about her routine diet by feeding vegetables. Any idea? We're so frustrated and worried. Please help!
SHe's only 5 months old. SUre she's going to want food other than kibble. Why not mix the vegetables with the kibble - ?? - not sure why it's gotta be one or the other (veg. v kibble). Feed her twice a day, it's not good to let the food sit out the whole day, easier to housetrain her too if she's fed twice a day, that way you get her on a schedule and dogs do well w/ consistency and routine. If she's a fussy eater, would cut out the cookies (am assuming you mean doggie treats and not ppl cookies). I c/b wrong but the housetraining problem could be because she's confused, sometimes she's allowed to go outside and other times she has to go inside.
I would never feed vegs before eating, it's filling. It's fiber. Roughage. She's going on the pad immediately because it's forcing the contents of her gi tract out fast.
She's only tiny and young. Her body is not developed and she needs dog food to survive, thrive and build the right muscle etc - not veggies. I'm not even so sure a dog that young should be eating raw vegs. She's not absorbing her meals correctly and slowly with hard veggies pushing out so "aggressively". There's even theories with humans that raw vegs don't absorb in the body better than steamed/cooked which breaks down the cell walls for better absorption. Most vegetarians do a combo of both raw uncooked and steamed a bit.
Doing that could end up with an Irritable Bowel Syndrome, too. And lots of other issues like protein deficiency.
I have a 15 yr old small dog client and started giving her chicken pill pockets for her meds and even those three chunks kind of fill her up before her meal - canned vet prescription food. So I started to decrease the chicken by pounding it very thin and flat to half it's volume and she eats better.
Sorry but I'm even confused as a human. Do you want her to eliminate outside? Then take her out routinely and consistently. But her diet has to be proper so she gets into the habits and her body learns to regulate that.
Dogs are the most honest beings on the planet - she's not being "strategic" or anything. As a pet sitter, I can guarantee you that we can understand EVERYTHING about a household from the dogs' communication.
So she's reflecting the two things - human food snacking before "meals" and how and when to eliminate. But it's cute she loves veggies. IMO you're WAY overfeeding them. At most she should get about the size of approx 1/4 of a BABY size carrot TOPS. Once or twice a day if THAT. She's a small boned thin type of dog not a bulky Lab or Rotty who you have to watch their weight and fill up with NEUTRAL vegs like green beans after humans create a fat dog situation to begin with.
I would probably start "over" and put the food down in the morning and leave it. OR remove it after an hour and put it down again at night, two meals. She'll probably eat when you do if you sit down and make a meal a social event. None of my Yorkies rush to eat. They are kind of grazers in my experience. Usually too excited when I show up for interaction, walks etc. But if you WALK HER for a good long walk routinely she'll be mentally and physically well balanced and tired out and hungry. Like earning her food with the fun "job" of walking. Wild dogs don't live on a constant buffet or even eat pickily. They are regulated by the pack leader in the order of when to eat and who eats first and last and it's an EVENT.
Two things you DON'T want are confusion about eliminating and eating.
Last edited by runswithscissors; 07-22-2013 at 07:15 AM..
Get rid of the pee pad and take her outside for her business. She's old enough to learn how to hold it longer. More work for you, but she won't be confused where to go.
Lady uses a litter box and goes out side. Give her the veggies Only as a treat for After she potties. And only when it's on the pad or outside. Not when she misses. Regular meals puppy food. She needs puppy food to grow and develop.
Thank you for all of your advice! I tried most of your suggestions. I stopped feeding her veggie and she ate the kibbles FINALLY (too hungry). She begged for veggies, but I ignored her and she gave up for one day. She went potty on pad yesterday ACCURATELY, NO MISTAKE! I praised her verbally, didn't reward her. She begged again and I ignored her again. Just praised her by saying good girl! She gave up eventually and made me so happy & proud. However, today, from this morning, she started going potty on wrong spot again!!!! No eating the whole day! She was looking at me after that and I was feeling she was telling me I DID it on purpose because you don't give me what I want. I think she knew she was doing something I dislike. But to get food, she just challenge me by taking the risk of getting punishment. I said bad girl after that and limit her the whole day going out of the kitchen area. No toys, no hugs. I'm not sure if I should give her treats and reward her after she did a good job? Some people don't suggest rewards. I'm following that too as I don't want her to be my boss and I want to be her pack leader.
P.S. I bought a litter box and put the pad in there. She refused to go potty there, instead she peed again on the floor!!!! How to train her going to the litter box?
Thank you for all of your advice! I tried most of your suggestions. I stopped feeding her veggie and she ate the kibbles FINALLY (too hungry). She begged for veggies, but I ignored her and she gave up for one day. She went potty on pad yesterday ACCURATELY, NO MISTAKE! I praised her verbally, didn't reward her. She begged again and I ignored her again. Just praised her by saying good girl! She gave up eventually and made me so happy & proud. However, today, from this morning, she started going potty on wrong spot again!!!! No eating the whole day! She was looking at me after that and I was feeling she was telling me I DID it on purpose because you don't give me what I want. I think she knew she was doing something I dislike. But to get food, she just challenge me by taking the risk of getting punishment. I said bad girl after that and limit her the whole day going out of the kitchen area. No toys, no hugs. I'm not sure if I should give her treats and reward her after she did a good job? Some people don't suggest rewards. I'm following that too as I don't want her to be my boss and I want to be her pack leader.
P.S. I bought a litter box and put the pad in there. She refused to go potty there, instead she peed again on the floor!!!! How to train her going to the litter box?
OK first she has no idea what a "littler box" is. She doesn't watch TV. Also I assume she's been vet checked and that she can CHEW her kibble? And it's not HUGE in size? Yorkies are not HUGE eaters and like "delicate" size food. Some people mix a bit of canned food in there to make it more interesting but you have to do that FOREVER it's not nice to start it then stop.
Don't assign human traits to her she's not thinking like a human. No such thing as punishment. Don't say "bad girl" she's not a bad girl and she doesn't speak English. You created the confusion so be kind and just be casual about it. Let her have her toys and happy life. You don't need to tell her she made a mistake she's still learning. Some dogs try and still miss the pad for LIFE.
How many times did you take her out that day and what times. This is a test. To be honest, it sounds like you didn't even take her OUT.
Here's the answer: You need to take her out 20 mintues after eating/drinking AND every 4 hours at least. Try that and see if a SCHEDULE will help, it's going to be hard for her to learn overnight so be patient. When you SEE her going to the bathroom NOWHERE NEAR the pad, just pick her up CALMLY and carry her to the pad or outside. If she tries to go near/on the pad and fails say nothing.
Correcting her AFTER SHE GOES doesn't help her. She lost that memory. You can reward with a SMALL treat but I don't and never have. I want the dog to understand LIFE not tricks. But if I HAD to, I'd use treats/rewards. Think about it though. Mother dogs don't speak words or give rewards. They direct with CALM energy. Not yelling etc.
Or you'll get THIS:
This is Mimi. She's Russian, doesn't speak English. So "bad girl" just makes her nervous and scared. She only weighed 2.5 lbs but could drag pots and pans off that mat and carry it across the room to get to the carpet - and she had PNEUMONIA LOL. Her owners were very kind and just laughed about it since she was sick they couldn't do alot of exercise and stuff so she was totally BORED.
Are you walking your puppy? That will really help her be balanced and happy.
I agree with with Running.... Dont apply Human traits to dogs. Read her Whole post til You memorize it... Print it out in big letters. Post it where you can see & read it several times a day.. Remember. puppy hood is soo short enjoy and don't sweat the small stuff.
BTW You need to put her In the box Several times a day... help her learn what you want. make sure she can Easily get in and out.
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Do you want her to eliminate outside? Then take her out routinely and consistently. But her diet has to be proper so she gets into the habits and her body learns to regulate that.
