I am dissapointed by some of the views of "breeders" as opposed to us mere pet types. I did loads of research read loads of books made doggie people friends and take my puppy to classes. However I still would like to use this board for advice. My yorkie puppy is usually clean but I watch him like a hawk for signs which is usually successful and any mistakes are down to me slipping. However we cannot let him in the living room at night as he becomes very boisterous and cocks his leg. I just wonder if this will impove with maturity?

Mollyone - how old is he?   If he is cocking his leg, I would imagine he is about a year or so?

What is your routine with him, to ensure that he has emptied his bladder?   Young males, once they learn to cock their legs, often do it, to scent the place - just because they can !
(Think of a teenager graffiti artist - that's what your boy might think he is) .

I personally would go back to putting him in is crate at night, after, of course, ensuring that he has been out for a late-night pee, then making sure that he was allowed out first thing in the morning.

Margot

As a mere pet owner let me assure you your perseverence will pay off :) All dogs are different, my goldie took ages to be completely house trained..........my flattie on the other hand was house trained in no time at all. Just to add that the breeders on  here will have a great deal more experience of dealing with pups, than us pet owners, so be gentle with them ;)

Is he cocking his leg in the same place in the living room? If so, you will need to get rid of every little bit of smell left from the last time he did it or he will keep on doing it. Depending on what sort of surface he is cocking his leg on, you will need to use different sorts of cleaner. What may look & smell clean to you or I will smell strongly to him.

As he's cocking and not squatting he's started the adolescent period when dogs (and humans!) are notoriously cussed! You say this happens when he's in the living room at night. Is this when you've gone to bed, or when you're in there too? Is he allowed in there at other times of the day - if so, does it happen then too? It could be that, if his access to the living-room is limited, he's so excited at being in there he feels the need to make it smell more familiar, so he puts his scent on it. Is it always the same spot he cocks on? What are you using to clean up with?

thanks for that he is 13 weeks old !!! and I presume preciousous (sp) if cocking his leg now. Sometime he squats to pee also. We keep him on vinyl areas ie utility and kitchen then feel sorry for him in the evening so coming into the living room must be exciting for him. I think I am beginning to answer my own questions now hence the dribbles and peeing. Other wise he usually goes on the newspaper near the utility door if he is shut in there. I take him outside several times a day and obviously first thing in the morning and last thing at night.
I am cleaning up with biological washing liquid and white vinegar thanks to this board :)

Crumbs! Cocking at that age is unusual - one of my boys was considered an early cocker at 5 months! However many people say that toy breeds mature quicker than larger ones.

It certainly seems that he's excited about coming into new 'territory' and needs to make it small more familiar - perhaps you could have him in with you more often, maybe in his crate (if he has one) - or else you'll just have to watch him like a hawk and whisk him away when he looks like he's going to puddle - human concentration is a major element in successful house-training.
:)

blimey trust me to get a puppy who thinks hes grown up but incontinent LOL the crate is a good idea as we have one so may try brining that in the living room at night. Its my fault he is like lightning and I am not in the evenings!!

Hi, I'm no expert, but my pup (10wks) does this too. He is normally baby-gated up one end of the room (open-plan house) and clean up there now, and will ask to go out. If we let him in the living room part, however, he will still pee, even though we let him out to go before he is allowed in this room.

I think it is because he sees it as outside - as he has only learned not to go in his gated area - anything past a door or a gate is still 'outside' to him and so ok to go in. He can't know the difference between walking through a door to the garden, or walking through a door to another room, especially if the flooring is different - he's still just a baby!

What we are doing is taking him outside for a wee, then he gets 5 minutes in the living room, then we go back to his area to carry on playing. As he gets a bit bigger, he can have 10 mins, then 15 until he realises that this is part of 'indoors' too.

The other thing we do is to take him from the living room straight outside to where he pees, just like we did from the room where he first started toilet training. It all seems to be working - for the last few days anyway. My main problem is my OH thinking that just because he asks to go out from his area, that he is toilet trained now! Training for partners seems more important than training pup!

Hope some of this helps?

Sarah

thanks for that it does make sense. Archie seemed easy to train intially to the idea of peeing outside but does not ask to go out I just keep taking him out and asking him to go and he does usually followed by lavish praise. my OH also expects now because that bit went well that archie will be completely ok in other areas. I had left the back door open for him but realised he then saw the kitchen/utility as an extension of the garden with all the ensuing problems. From a puppy perspective it makes sense why should a pup realise one door is different to another with just different textures. Oh well we will carry on :)

My Alfie (Irish Setter) was cocking his leg at 8 weeks

I think you will find toy dogs are notouriously difficult to house train, but hopefully perseverance will pay off :)

Wow either i have one lazy boy or there must be something my 16mth old boy is missing. he is still squating in fact ive only once seen him try to cock his leg...bless him must still be very immature

Fagan was cocking his at about 6 months old, I wish they werent cocking their legs though, they usually end up piddling all over their coat :(

:d  My Anton didn't cock his until 14 months!  Now I'm sure that he likes to have a competition to see if his leg can go up the highest :d