How can I potty train my puppy?

Question

I have a 14 week old Chihuahua puppy, his name is Elvis, and my husband and I have tried everything to get him potty trained, and nothing works. We leave a pee pad in his kennel while we are at work, and we leave one on the floor when we are home. Sometimes he'll use it, and we praise him for it, other times he will go on the rug beside of the pee pad. We take him out quite frequently, but he will not use it outside when it's cold or when it's raining. He runs back to the door and sits there. Please help!!

Answer 1

Just for some background, I am a former AKC kennel owner (until I got a divorce :P), professional obedience, tracking, and area/personal protection trainer. I have also been a show handler with multiple AKC obedience titles to my dogs' credit. I am a founding member, former Chairman of the National Association of Professional Canine Trainers and Handlers (NAPCaTH) and certified Canine Behaviorist. I have also trained Search and Rescue dogs which have worked around the world. I'm not just spouting something I heard from Uncle Jake, saw posted in a forum on the internet, or saw on "The Dog Whisperer". (shudder)

A puppy can be successfully housebroken starting at the age of 6 weeks, but it is a serious responsibility and requires constant attention. The time it takes to housebreak a puppy in my home is 2-5 days. If it's taking longer than that then YOU are doing something wrong.

I'm going to use the term "poo" to cover both urine and feces.

Here is the recipe for successful housebreaking:

#1 Get on a schedule. – Bring him outside often (about every 2-4 hours) for the first week or so. Stay outside until he does his business. If you can't dedicate yourself to going outside with your puppy for 15 minutes every 4 hours for a few days then please take the puppy to a shelter and get a cat. Also, he should make a potty run every time he wakes up from a nap and about 5-15 minutes after he eats. NEVER withhold water from any animal without specific directions to do so from a veterinarian. Dehydration can happen _very_ quickly in a puppy and it’s known in most states as “animal abuse”, “cruelty to animals”, or “criminal neglect” (usually a FELONY) if an animal suffers because its owner is too lazy to get off their butt and take them outside.

#2 Praise early, praise often. - Make a BIG pleasant deal about what a wonderful thing it is that he has done his business outside **as soon** as he has done so. If you wait until a puppy wanders up to you to praise him, then he thinks you are praising him for coming to you and has forgotten all about the big stinky load he dropped a few minutes before. Your praise to correction ratio should be about 20:1. That means that you should be telling him that he is good for doing all kinds of little things about 20 times more often than you are scolding him for doing something wrong. This will teach him very quickly the boundaries of what acceptable behavior is and what is not.

#3 DO NOT RUB THE DOG'S NOSE IN POO! A dog has no way of getting the poo off of his nose except by licking it off. If he does this then before you know it, you have a poo eating dog on your hands b/c he has developed a taste for it! Instead, remember that a dog's nose is at least 150 times more powerful than your own (depending upon the breed) and use that to your advantage. Make the dog down-stay (lay down and stay there) in position for 1 minute per month of age very near but not in the poo. If your dog is 3 months old, then he stays with his nose next to the poo for 3 minutes while you clean it up. He will very soon associate pooing in the house with having to lay still for (what seems like to a puppy) a VERY long time and will instead wait for his next regularly scheduled potty break.

#4 Be consistent. The pup needs to know that if he poos in the house that there are consequences and, more importantly, that if he does it outside that there will be praise.

#5 NEVER call a dog to you for punishment. When you find the dog has dropped a load, go get him, pull him carefully but firmly to the site of the poo, and then scold him. If you call a dog to you for punishment then you are, in the dog's mind, punishing him for coming to you when you call him b/c that's the last thing he did before you lit into him with your loud, scolding mommy (or daddy) voice. If the dog's nose is filled with the aroma of his own poo, then it's pretty clear to him what you are bent out of shape about. If I had a dollar for every time someone has called me up and can't figure out why their dog doesn't come when he's called but yet they call the dog before they punish him, I'd be a VERY rich man. :D

The most important thing to remember with canine behavior:
Dogs LOVE praise. They LIVE for praise. If your pup knows that he will be praised for good behavior then he will do absolutely ANYTHING that will earn him "good luvins".

Answer 2

a small puppy can not wait long hours while you are at work. If there is no one there during the day to teach him then he will do as he needs to do. I suggest that you put the pee pad near the back door while you are home. I suggest that you put a leash on the puppy and go outside with him while he does his business. Praise him when he is finished. Take time all weekend long to follow this procedure. When you see the puppy going toward the back door to the pee pad that is your indication to take him out. Go with him no matter what the weather conditions are. When you first take him out of his cage, pick him up and put the leash on him and take him out. I am guessing the puppy is just too young to be expected to do as you wish unless you help him out a lot.

Answer 3

Hi, I understand that you are looking for some advice or resources to help fully train your dog or fix behavior problems. If a professional dog trainer is not an option at this time, or if you want to trt training your dog on your own (a great way to bond), I'd suggest you https://bitly.im/aMQQr

A friend recommened it to me a few years ago, and I was amazed how quickly it worked, which is why I recommend it to others. The dog training academy also has as an excellent home training course.

Answer 4

The best way to train a puppy is to crate train. Some people do not like the idea of caging a puppy up, but look at it this way you put a baby in a playpen, a bouncy chair, highchair, crib etc. Why do we do this to babies? To keep them safe and out of trouble. First get a crate the right size for the puppy, one way to do this is how big will he/she be when fully grown, then block off a portion just enough so he/she can turn around and lay down, the reason is a dog will not soil his bed. Another way is you would have to keep buying crates as he/she grows. Ok you got the crate now when you are busy and can not keep a close eye on it put it in there, cover it with a blanket all but one side so it can see you walking around the house (I kept mine right in the front room always) so it can still be a part of the family. When it is bed time cover it completely, this is like a cave to them and they feel secure. In the moring take it out tell it to "hurry up" or whatever signal you want and pretty soon when it hears this it will go, then bring it in for its morning feeding and after eating/drinking its needs to go out again, bring it back in and play with it or put it in the crate with toys or a chewie. As far a feeding that depends on the age of the pup. Remember even if your pup has water it needs to go out. Never feed/water in the crate it will want/have to use the yard and that would be torture. So remember to have it in the crate when not playing, resting near you or eating. When the pup is not in the crate leave the door open and it will go in on its own and sleep, after all its his/her den. After some time depending on the dog it will stay out of the crate on its own more and more, and will go to the door you used to take it out to go out on its own. I know this sounds like a lot of work but it is worth it, think of all the time that is spent cleaning up the messes. If you do this you will have a dog that not only is housebroken but will think of you as pack leader, which is the goal. GOOD LUCK!

Answer 5

Potty training is tough! We finally have our puppy *almost* fully trained. What worked for us was we put her on a strict feeding schedule - that eliminated accidents when we weren't at home. Also I would take her outside right after she was done eating and I would literally sit there until she did something outside. Then I'd praise her, give her a treat and bring her back in. Did the same thing everyday for at least 2 weeks and she finally caught on. Now everytime I take her out to do her business - she'll go and then run back in the house to where we keep the treats and wait for a treat *lol*. I also place a potty pad inside near her baby gated area so if she has to go she can go on the pad. This was tricky because she would pee on the pad no problems but then she'd poop on the rugs. I would take her poop and put it outside and show her that it belongs outside not in the house. Once again I was repetitive and would give her a little tap on the nose if she misbehaved. It takes so much time to train small dogs (we have a mini doxie). They can be slow learners at times. But don't let your dog get his way because then he'll just learn that its ok to do his business inside if he runs to the door. Annabelle (my puppy) still tries to run to the door if its cold outside and she doesnt want to go. But I pick her up and carry her to the grass and just wait for her to go. Also we use to feed her 3 times a day but now I have cut that down to twice a day. Once before I go to work and I take her out until she poops before I go to work. Do the same thing as soon as I come home from work. I work nearby so I come home during lunch and take her out too.

Also Petsmart sells this potty training spray and I use to spray that on the potty pads to help her know that she is suppose to go on the pad.

It'll take time but your little guy will get it. Just be patient and allow yourself to devote ample time to training him correctly. Goodluck!!!

Answer 6

Elvis cute! To potty train my dog we got bells and put them on the handle and every time we took him out we would make him ring the bells and we would take him out every once in a while now he rings the bell by himself and that is how we know he needs to go to the bathroom. When ever he would do a bad potty we would put him in his naughty crate. It worked for him hopefully it will work on Elvis.

Answer 7

Ah dog question! I love dogs and have had dogs all my life! To potty train, every time they poop or pee somewhere other than the designated spot, take them, show them the dirty deed, and give them a tap on the but, then place them on the right spot to do it. Seems cruel, but they learn, and quick. I've trained lots of dogs. They need to recognize the smell, and then connect it to the correct location! Let me know if you have other questions!

Answer 8

There are a few real keys to dog training, whether you are trying to train your dog to come when called, sit, stop barking or any other behavior. Understanding their importance is critical to achieving rapid results that are long lasting and help develop the bond between you and your dog. Learn more http://OnlineDogTraining.enle.info/?SFjt

The first is simple; you must win your dogs mind. If you don’t achieve this first then you will be struggling the all the way. When I talk about winning your dogs mind what I really mean is that your dog looks to you for all the decisions. Before you do anything else watch one of the amazing video sites that show you the 5 Golden rules to establishing yourself as the pack leader. If you aren’t putting these in place then you are setting yourself up to fail. Just at the crucial point where you really want your dog to listen they will go and do their own thing. For sure your dog may play ball occasionally or even most of the time, you may even have a dog that is obedient 99% of the time, however if you want a dog who always listens to you and does as you ask then you need to win your dogs mind.

The second key to success is to motivate your dog. It is really important that you discover what it is that your dog enjoys both in terms of exercise and play but also in terms of a reward. If you can make the experience enjoyable then you will both achieve more and look forward to training.

Some dogs love to fetch, others love agility, and other dogs simply love obedience training, or swimming out into water and retrieve. At least to start with find out what your dogs love is and help them develop this, what I am saying is work with your dog. The other point to recognize is to make training enjoyable reward your dog.

Answer 9

At that age he is a bit young to be trained. Actually you are the one who is trained to take him out every 45 minutes. I hope you are confining him when you are out. Most dogs are not trustworthy with toileting until they are almost 6 months old. You need to have patience, and keep taking him out every 45 minutes. BTW if your kitchen floor is sticky with urine, wash it with a bleach solution.

Answer 10

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