They Say Potty training (or ‘housebreaking’) a Morkie can be challenging, due to it’s Maltese roots. Maltese puppies are not very good with learning to pee outside – And in some cases they never learn. However, that isn’t to say your experience has to be that way. Here we’ve come up with some important rules that can make training your Morkie easier.
1. Pick A Strategy
To avoid confusing your Morkie puppy, try to pick 1 method. Either train them to go outside, or inside (using training pads or indoor grass patches for example). Doing both may confuse your dog and interrupt the entire training process.
2. Pick A Spot
Try helping your puppy with picking one regular spot outside, that they can get used to. In all honesty, your puppy will probably end up determining that for the both of you.
3. Be Patient
Morkies can sometime take a while before they are comfortable to go. Be patient with your puppy and give it the time to get used to the process. In any case, don’t ever get mad at your Morkie or punish him. Positive reinforcement is a much more effective tool with a small dog.
Did You Know? Puppies can usually ‘hold it in’ about one hour per every month of their age. So if your puppy is 4 months old, it will be able to control his bladder for about 4 hours.
4. It’s Potty Time! Yay!
When your puppy finally goes, praise it with lots of kisses, verbal attention, and most importantly – treats. Morkies are very smart, and love your attention and treats, so give them a while to get used to this process, and soon enough they will only go potty at their spot, hoping to get some attention and treats from you.
Did You Know? Small puppies can leak some urine when they are small, especially when they get excited or nervous. This is normal and will go away with time.
5. Pick A Command
To get the most out of your potty training, try picking a command word / phrase that your Morkie will associate with the process, such as ‘Go Potty!’ or ‘Poo Poo Time’.
6. Stay Consistent
If you truly want your puppy to know right from wrong, you have to be consistent with them. Walk the puppy on regular times, and keep giving treats whenever they go. Once your Morkie is potty trained, it will let you know when it needs to go outside.
Extra Tip: When away from home – keep your Morkie puppy in a crate. Keeping the puppy in a crate will help avoiding accidents, as they won’t want to go potty in their sleeping area. Also, it will be easier to clean if they do.
7. Schedule, Schedule, Schedule
Just like human babies, puppies also need a regular schedule. Schedule your puppy’s feeding times, and avoid big snacks and other foods. Small dogs have a small stomach, and a little bit of munching can get in the way of your potty training.
Done!
Follow these steps and stay consistent, and your small puppy should be potty trained in no time! Morkies are very intelligent dogs, and once your Morkie gets the hang of it, he will let you know when he needs to go, by weeping, being restless, and if all fails to get you to notice them – barking. I hope this 7 step tutorial could help you learn how to potty train a Morkie fast and easy! Please leave a comment and tell us your personal experience with training yours, or leave more tips and comments below!
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