A few months ago, my male tea cup yorkie was almost completely potty trained. Now it seems as though no matter how many times I put him on his wee-wee pad, he'll walk off it, and pee right next to it on the floor or on my rug. What's worse is in the last week, he's taken to jumping on my lap and urinating all over me! I've tried everything from rewarding him for peeing in the proper place, potty training sprays, silently putting him back in his play pen, to losing my temper. This morning, I was pee-ed on, just washed my pants, then pee-ed on again! Is this something I have to accept and expect to persist or is there an actual solution? He'll be going in to get neutered in a month and this is my last hope! Please help!

This does sound like a leadership issue, and neutering is an important step to solving it. You have to take even the smallest dogs seriously. Mentally he isn't a tea cup Yorkie, but a wolf. The key to most behavior problems is approaching things using the dog's natural instincts. Dogs see all the people and dogs in the household as a pack with each having their own rank in the pack and a top dog. Life is much easier if the 2 legged pack members outrank the 4 legged ones. You can learn to play the role of top dog by reading some books or going to a good obedience class. A good obedience class or book is about you being top dog, not about rewarding standard commands with a treat. Start at Raising Your Dog with the Monks of New Skete For more on being top dog, see Establishing and Keeping Alpha Position, Letting your dog know you are the boss

These are good for younger dogs. ''Elevation for small puppies: Sit on the floor and gently put your hands around your pup's middle, below his front legs, and lift him up. He is facing you. Hold him for 15 seconds. Repeat until he no longer struggles. If he is past 10-12 weeks, lift his front feet off the ground, but don't pick him up.

Cradling for small puppies: Hold your puppy gently on his back, as you would cradle a small baby. If he struggles, hold him firmly until he quiets for 10-15 seconds. With larger pups, you can do this as your sit on the floor, with your pup between your legs.

Quiet lying down: Place your pup on the floor on his side, with all 4 legs pointing away from you. Use your hands on his neck/shoulder area and middle, to hold him in this position. When he is quiet, praise him. Lengthen the time that you keep him quietly in this position. When he accepts this position well, handle his paws and muzzle, while keeping him quiet.''

The quotes mean this isn't my original work. It is copied from my Puppy Raising Manual. I have long used these or minor variations of them, and they are very effective. You may want to give him a belly rub while he is on his back too. Helps bonding. There is a big difference between him rolling over and demanding a belly rub, and you choosing a time to roll him over and rub his belly. The latter cements your place as pack leader.

Ok, so my yorkie puppy seems to hold his pee, in order to pee on my lap instead of his wee wee pad! He only does this to me, not my boyfriend or anything. I posted earlier, but am wondering if there's a possibility that its submissive peeing? Every time he's scolded his ears fold back and he rolls over on his back showing his belly. Every time I come home, his way of greeting me is to roll over and stay on his back until I acknowledge him. I had thought perhaps he was in need of a confidence boost?? But if he's thinking he's the alpha-dog then that must be stopped! Could his feelings be because I'm female at all? How do I know if it's one or the other? Ive been trying the gentle holds on him and he responds well, he'll sit there quietly lying down for 15 seconds without struggling at all.? I'm at a loss!! :confused:

I merged your questions so I could review the details in the original and my answer. It will also help anybody else that responds.

I have never had a dog tell me why it ever did anything. ALL whys are guess work, some with better evidence than others. Yes, dogs do seem to be sexist and react differently to men and women. Much of their pack rank divides into male and female orders. I don't recall any of my reading touching on maybe confusing the dog when a lady dominates a male dog or a man, a female. It does seem to work OK. Maybe I need to look at my dog guide news letter and see if the classes tend to have instructors, students, and dogs of all the same sex. So your male will react differently to you because you are a woman.

Getting back to maybe it is submissive wetting. That calls for building the dog's confidence. Part of that includes the leadership I suggested in my first answer. Having a strong leader to make decisions, protect the pack, etc. makes its world right and gives the dog confidence. The material I quoted in addition to building leadership, also helps bonding which is another important part of what a dog's world should be. So in cases of submissive wetting I always start with obedience training.

Play tug of war with the dog and lose. However at the end of the game, take the rope or toy and put it up, less the dog becomes confused about who is top dog. If you have a dominance problem, the tug of war could be counter productive. Ropes from the pets' store quickly turn to hazardous shreds. Ones I made lasted much better. Go to a hardware or home center that sells rope by the foot. Buy 2' of 3/4" poly rope. Melt the ends, and tie knots in it. Get them as tight as possible, put it in a vise and pound it with a hammer. Watch carefully, and be ready to discard when it comes apart.

Finally, make sure it has a den to live in. If you are not using a crate, buy one. The dog may be happier in its den than loose in the house. It relaxes, it feels safe in its den. It rests, the body slows down reducing the need for water and relieving its self. Dogs that have been crated all along do very well. Many of them will rest in their crates even when the door is open. I think the plastic ones give the dog more of a safe, enclosed den feeling. Metal ones can be put in a corner or covered with something the dog can't pull in and chew. Select a crate just big enough for the full grown dog to stretch out in.

A dog that has not been crated since it was little, may take some work. Start just putting its toys and treats in the crate. Praise it for going in. Feed it in the crate. This is also an easy way to maintain order at feeding time for more than one dog.