Puppy potty training, HOW LONG?!!!!!!Box training?

Question

I have a Chihuahua, so I wanted to box train him. He goes in the box during the day when he's locked in his "area". It's getting him to go when he's out of his area that's the problem. When we let him come into the common areas he goes where ever he pleases. How long is this going to take??? He's 3 months old, and we've had him for about 6 weeks.

He knows when he gets in trouble. If goes into a room and I ask him what he did, he runs to his bed. That's if he pooped or something he's not supposed to do

Answer 1

usually smaller dogs are harder to train. we have a pug and she is about 7months old and we are still training her...try puppy pads. they are pads that the dog has to go on and you keep moving it closer to the door...its working pretty good for our dog...good luck

Answer 2

I have a 4 month old yorkie/chihuahua mix. I've been litterbox training her since I got her at 8 weeks of age. She does really well now, but does have occasional accidents, as expected.

During the day she has run of our main bathroom. I keep a baby gate up to keep her confined. She has toys, water, and her travel kennel in there. I feed her twice a day in the kitchen(morning/evening ~ when I'm home to supervise).

When we first started I kept her leashed to me when out of this area. That way she couldn't sneak off and go. I would take her to the box every 1/2 hour of so and tell her "[insert name], go potty". Dogs don't understand what we're saying, but through repetition and reward they learn what "potty" means. If she would go, she got lots of praise and a bite-sized treat. At night I kept her in a kennel that was large enough to house her litterbox and a place for her to sleep. This way if she had to go during the night it was right there. If a puppy has to hold it too long they can develop UTIs. Plus, as a bonus, I didn't have to get up to take her to the box during the night.

I use clumping cat litter so that way I can tell if she's gone by just checking if there's a dark spot in the box. When I see she has she gets a treat and praised. Be sure to keep the box as clean as possible and totally change litter once a week. If she has pooped and I haven't got it cleaned out yet, she will pee on the floor right in front of it rather than going into that mess. If she has an accident, I take her to the bathroom and confine her while I clean it up. Never let them see you cleaning up after them. I can't remember the reason, but was advised of this.

Just stay consistent with it. It takes time, but eventually they get the hang of it. Until I don't have any accidents to clean up, she will not be allowed in certain rooms in my home but she's almost there.

Good luck!

Answer 3

You cant expect him to know what to do when he's outside of his area. He's very very young still and toy dogs are notoriously hard to potty train. You need to bring him to the box every hour to see if he has to go. When he does, praise and reward him.

You also need to watch him more closely. If that means leashing him and attaching him to your body, them so be it. This way you'll learn his signs and know to get him to the box when he needs to go.

Think about how it is potty training a kid. Even when they know they are supposed to use the toilet, you still have to ask them every so often if they have to go and watch for their signs.

How long is it going to take? It could NEVER happen. The breeder you got the dog from should have explained this to you and you should have found it when you did your breed research. If it's going to be a problem, you should start planning now for what you are going to do. Whether that's live with it, get a belly band, give him back to the breeder (if you bought from a reputable one), or give him to rescue. I know it seems extreme, but plenty of toy dogs, chis in particular, just never fully pick it up and then get dumped when they are too old to adopt out. : (

Good luck and I hope he gets it figured out. : )

Answer 4

First of all, I'd not recommend the puppy pads, unless you really do want him to go indoors. They encourage indoor "potty habits". Actually, since your puppy was kept outside, it is usually a little easier to housebreak, because it is already used to going outside. It will take a lot of patience and you should expect "accidents". It helps to take puppy outside often in the beginning of training and give him a lot of praise when he "goes" outside. When he goes inside, show him what he did, and take him immediately outside. He'll soon get the idea. Crate training does work because dogs don't like to go "in their bed", but puppies will have accidents. To help with the crying, try a little "crate training". Put him in the crate for short periods of time, then increase the time a little at a time. Make it a pleasant experience (treats, favorite toy, comfy blanket, ect...) Good luck and enjoy your new puppy Oh, one more thing, Jack Russells seem to be very active dogs, so expect to have to catch that "I gotta go" look very quickly, because that thought in your puppy's mind won't stay long.

Answer 5

Three months old isn't that old really. Your dog's bladder is very small. How often to do you take him to his potty area? You should do it at least once an hour. Puppies under 8months of age cannot usually hold it for more than 3 to 4 hours.

Answer 6

Chis are very hard to housebreak.
They are very head strong little dogs and many are never fully housebroken.
You are wise to train to a box as that is easier but it will most likely take you months to get him trained.
Also you have to make him aware that when he does go in the house not in the box that he is making a mistake and you are not happy with him.

Answer 7

Sorry to say, he "doesn't know what he did". What he does know is that mommy is making that face and using that voice that measn she's mad at me for some reason, so I should go cower and hide now before she gets even madder.

Most of the behaviors and looks that we interperate as a dog looking "guilty" are actually appeasement behaviors that all dogs use when threatened. These behaviors basically are trying to tell the other dog, "Don't hurt me, I'm harmless and tiny and pose no threat to you!"

If for no reason I yell at one of my dogs, even if he's been doing nothing but sleeping quiety, he'll engage in these same behaviors and look "guilty". It's only because he's interperating my yelling as a threat and is trying to appease me.

Answer 8

Aren't dogs usually paper-trained instead of box-trained? Dogs don't have the same burial instincts that cats do. It would probably be a lot easier to paper-train him.

Answer 9

The first thing is not to let him into the other areas too quickly.

Expand his area gradually, that way he knows his way around and gets to his potty always.