Yorkshire Terriers Take Longer to Potty Train Than Most Breeds

Yes, Yorkshire terriers are genuinely harder to potty train than many other dog breeds. They have a reputation for being stubborn and independent, which shows up clearly during housebreaking. A Yorkie may understand what you want and still choose not to do it on your schedule — they are small dogs with strong personalities and little regard for your timeline.

The difficulty is not about intelligence. Yorkies are smart enough to learn where to go; the problem is motivation and consistency. They have small bladders that fill quickly, but they also have the confidence of much larger dogs. This combination means they often decide the carpet is just as good as the designated spot, and they see no reason to wait for your approval.

Most owners report that Yorkies take 4 to 6 months of consistent training to become reliably housetrained, compared to 8 to 12 weeks for breeds like Labs or Golden Retrievers. Some Yorkies take a full year or longer, especially if training is inconsistent or if the dog has already developed bad habits.

Key Takeaways

  • Yorkshire terriers have small bladders and strong-willed personalities, making them slower to housetrain than larger, more obedient breeds.
  • Yorkies often understand the rules but choose not to follow them, so training requires constant reinforcement and zero tolerance for accidents indoors.
  • Crate training works better with Yorkies than with many breeds because they naturally avoid soiling their sleeping space, making it a reliable tool.
  • Accidents will happen frequently during the first months, and punishing a Yorkie after the fact teaches nothing — only when ready correction during the act makes sense to them.
  • Yorkies under 6 months old cannot physically hold their bladder for more than 2 to 3 hours, so frequent outdoor breaks are non-negotiable.

Why Yorkies Resist Housetraining More Than Other Breeds

The Yorkie's stubbornness is not a flaw — it is part of their original purpose. They were bred to hunt rats in Yorkshire mills, a job that required independence and the willingness to make decisions without waiting for human approval. That same trait that made them good at their job makes them difficult to train now.

Yorkies also have a strong prey drive and high energy relative to their size. They want to explore, mark territory, and follow their own instincts. A Yorkie may go outside, sniff around, decide nothing interesting is happening, come back inside, and then pee on your kitchen tile five minutes later. They are not being defiant in the way a human would be — they straightforward do not see the connection between the outdoor spot and the indoor spot as the same choice.

Their small size works against training too. A large dog that has an accident creates an obvious mess and when ready consequences. A Yorkie's accident is small enough that some owners miss it or clean it up without the dog noticing. This teaches the Yorkie that indoor accidents are acceptable because nothing bad happens.

Crate Training Is the Most Reliable Method for Yorkies

Crate training works better with Yorkies than reward-based methods alone because it uses the dog's natural instinct: dogs avoid soiling where they sleep. A properly sized crate — large enough for the dog to stand, turn around, and lie down, but not so large that there is a separate bathroom corner — becomes the Yorkie's den. They will hold their bladder to keep it clean.

The crate schedule is strict. A Yorkie puppy under 4 months old can hold its bladder for roughly one hour per month of age, plus one. A 3-month-old Yorkie can hold it for about 4 hours. An adult Yorkie (over 1 year) can typically hold it for 6 to 8 hours, though that does not mean you should make them wait that long. Take your Yorkie out when ready after waking, after eating, after playing, and before bed — at minimum four to six times daily for a puppy.

When you take the crate-trained Yorkie outside, go to the same spot every time. Use a command like "go potty" consistently. The moment the dog finishes, praise heavily and give a small treat. Then play or let the dog explore for 10 to 15 minutes before returning indoors. This teaches the Yorkie that outside time is for business first, then pleasure — not the other way around.

Managing Accidents Without Punishment

Punishing a Yorkie for an accident that happened hours ago teaches nothing. The dog cannot connect the punishment to the act. Yorkies are also sensitive to harsh correction — they may become fearful of you rather than learning to go outside. Fear-based training often backfires with this breed, leading to sneaking off to hidden corners to pee rather than asking to go out.

If you catch your Yorkie in the act of having an accident indoors, interrupt when ready with a firm "no" or a sharp sound, then take the dog outside right away. If the dog finishes outside, praise and treat. If the dog has already finished the accident indoors, straightforward take it outside, wait a few minutes, and praise if anything happens. Do not rub the dog's nose in it, do not yell after the fact, and do not make a big emotional scene.

Clean all indoor accidents with an enzymatic cleaner, not ammonia-based products. Dogs smell urine residue that humans cannot detect, and if the spot smells like a bathroom, the Yorkie will use it again. Enzymatic cleaners break down the urine compounds completely. Vinegar and baking soda work in a pinch, but a pet-specific enzymatic cleaner is more reliable.

Yorkies Under 6 Months Cannot Wait as Long as You Think

Many owners underestimate how frequently a young Yorkie needs to go out. A 2-month-old Yorkie may need to urinate every 1.5 to 2 hours while awake. A 4-month-old still needs to go out every 3 to 4 hours. Expecting a young Yorkie to hold it for 6 or 8 hours is setting up failure — the dog physically cannot do it, no matter how stubborn it is.

This is where crate training saves time. If you cannot be home to let the dog out frequently, a dog walker or pet sitter becomes necessary, not optional. Some owners use puppy pads as a temporary measure, but this often backfires with Yorkies because the dog learns that indoor elimination is acceptable — you have just moved the problem from the carpet to the pad, and the Yorkie may not see the difference.

The best approach is to take time off work during the first 2 to 4 weeks if possible, or arrange for someone to come midday. The investment in frequent outings during the critical early weeks pays off in faster overall training. A Yorkie that goes out six times daily for the first month will housetrain faster than one that goes out three times daily for three months.

Consistency Is Non-Negotiable With Yorkies

Yorkies learn rules through repetition and consistency. If you take the dog out on a schedule one week and then let it roam freely the next week, you erase weeks of progress. Every person in the household must follow the same routine, use the same commands, and enforce the same rules. If one family member lets the Yorkie sleep on the bed and another does not, the dog becomes confused about what is allowed.

The same applies to rewards. If you praise the dog for going outside one day and ignore it the next day, the behavior weakens. Yorkies respond to patterns. Once you establish a pattern — out at 7 a.m., 10 a.m., 1 p.m., 4 p.m., 7 p.m., and 10 p.m., for example — stick to it for at least three months. After that, you can gradually extend the time between outings as the dog's bladder control improves.

When to Expect Reliable Housetraining

Most Yorkies show significant improvement by 4 to 5 months of age if training has been consistent. By 6 months, many Yorkies have few accidents, though occasional lapses are normal. Full reliability — meaning the dog will signal when it needs to go out and will not have accidents even when you are busy or traveling — often does not arrive until 12 to 18 months.

Some Yorkies never become 100 percent reliable indoors, especially if they have had a long period of inconsistent training or if they have developed a preference for indoor elimination. These dogs may need a designated indoor potty area (a pad or litter box) as a permanent backup, or they may need to be confined to a crate or small room when unsupervised indefinitely.

Spaying or neutering your Yorkie, if you have not already, can improve housetraining success. Intact dogs have stronger marking instincts and may be harder to train. Most vets recommend spaying or neutering between 4 and 6 months of age.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use puppy pads to speed up potty training with a Yorkie?

Puppy pads often slow down Yorkie training because the dog learns that indoor elimination is acceptable. If you use pads, place them in a designated area and treat them like an outdoor spot — take the dog to the pad on schedule, praise when the dog uses it, then gradually move the pad toward the door and eventually outside. Most trainers recommend skipping pads entirely and going straight to outdoor training with frequent breaks.

How do I know if my Yorkie needs to go out?

Young Yorkies show signs like sniffing, circling, whining, or scratching at the door. Some Yorkies will stare at you or walk to the door. Watch your dog closely during the first weeks and learn its individual signals. Once you recognize the pattern, you can take the dog out before an accident happens. Yorkies that have been trained well will eventually signal reliably, but this takes weeks of observation.

Is my Yorkie being stubborn or unable to control itself?

If your Yorkie is under 4 months old, it is almost certainly a bladder control issue, not stubbornness. If your Yorkie is over 6 months old and still having frequent accidents despite consistent training, it may be stubborn — or it may have a medical issue like a urinary tract infection. A vet visit rules out health problems. If the vet finds nothing wrong, the issue is behavioral and requires stricter crate training and more frequent outdoor breaks.

What if my Yorkie refuses to go potty outside?

Some Yorkies get distracted outside and forget why they are there. Stay outside longer — 15 to 20 minutes — in a quiet, boring spot. Do not play or let the dog explore until after it has gone potty. If the dog still refuses, bring it back inside, put it in the crate for 15 minutes, then try again. Repeat this cycle until the dog goes. Eventually, the dog learns that going potty is the only way to get back inside and play.

Can an adult Yorkie that was never housetrained learn now?

Yes, but it takes longer than training a puppy. An adult Yorkie that has spent years eliminating indoors has established strong habits. Start with crate training and the same frequent outdoor schedule you would use with a puppy. Expect 6 to 12 months of consistent work. Some adult Yorkies never become fully reliable, but most improve significantly with patience and structure.