Does anyone have any suggestions on potty training a Chihuahua?

Question

Hi, I have a wonderful, adorable 6month old little boy, Chihuahua. It is very cold here so I haven't been able to train him to go potty outside so we are using those ridiculous puppy pads. He doesn't tend to always use them, he randomly pees and poos other places. I praise him when he does go on the pad and try to catch him and pick him when he doesn't. Any helpful hints?

Answer 1

Personaly I would put a sweater on him and train him to go out side. I have never trained a dog to potty indoors. Also, if he's not neutered he will start marking if he hasn't already. The first thing to remember about house training a puppy is there ability to hold themselves is limited. a rule of thumb is they can hold "it" usually 1 hour for each month of age. 2 months old = 2 hours, 3 months old = 3 hours, etc. when your puppy wakes up (morning, nap, whatever) the pup has to go, right then! take the pup out. when the pup eats or drinks, it has to go, take the pup out. after exercise (play), take the pup out. when the pup does it's thing outside praise it. a lot. tell the pup how good, how smart it is. you have to pay attention to the pups "looking for it's spot" behavior. when you see that behavior indoors, whisk the pup out. if you catch the pup in the act, simply tell it "NO!" and whisk it outside. if you find a puddle or pile after the fact, clean it up with an enzyme cleaner (pet food store) get a newspaper and hit.... yourself in the head and say "i should have been paying more attention" daytime training they get pretty fast. night time training is easier if you crate train the pup. also remember the one hour/one month rule. you will have to get up through the night to take the pup out. good luck

Answer 2

I would consider litter training there are doggie litters for small dogs I just can not think of the brand off the top of my head but if you ask your vet or pet store they will probably know it's litter and a box but it's for dogs and it Is supposed to be easy to litter train. I have two chihuahuas and they still have accidents in the house. Chihuahuas are hard to house train because they have very small bladders. I tried the puppy pads too and they would shred them rather than use them. Definitely look into the doggie litter though I have heard of people using it successfully

Answer 3

It's very hard to train a puppy of an type when your not home all the time..... my mother has 5 chihuahua's and everyone of them are potty trained. All my mother did was by those puppy pads and put them in any place that the puppies have peed or poops at. She rubs there nose in it ( now don't get me wrong she doesn't rub there intier face in it, just putting there nose close to so they can smell what there getting in trouble about) then she woops there little butts and puts them on the pads. it worked for our dogs and we've potty trained everyone of our dogs through the years.

Answer 4

My chi is 13 weeks old. I enrolled her in puppy school at 10 weeks old. We live in Oklahoma and just had one of the worst ice storms. I started her on puppy pads at home. (I am fortunate enough to work where she can go with me everyday.) Where ever your dog relieves itself indoors, clean the spot completely. There is a spray you can buy to discourage your dog from going there again. After you clean the floor and spray it, place a puppy pad there. Be patient. Every morning when I wake up, I get her out of bed and put her on her pad. The idea is to very slowly move the pad or pads near the door, eventually eliminating the use of them all together. Some small pet owners use the pads forever. We use some that smell like grass, so the transition will be easier. You might try an accredited puppy training school. It has helped us a lot, and at 13 weeks my puppy is not only going on the pads, but she is learning to sit and stay. Please, please, please - don't ever spank your puppy or rub your puppy's face in a spot where he has relieved himself. There are far better ways to train your dog without this kind of abuse.

Answer 5

I have 2 small dogs.. and they must be treated like any dog... If you want to housebreak your dog..then it must be a plan.... too cold outside, then you must find a spot outside and take your dog there..put on his coat or whatever is needed. YOu do this by watching him. After food he will need to go out TAKE HIM... put him in a crate at night and take him out first thing in the morning and last thing at night...Take him out every 2 hours during the evening. IF he is alone during the day..then he should be in a crate. The longer you continue this behaviour the less luck you will have. Dogs are the same as children.... if you want to housebreak him..you have to put in the effort. Mine aer completely trained and are out in the snow, rain, whatever nature throws at them. When they come in wet..they are toweled off and dried.. they are rewarded even now they are completely trained..but the reward is often just praise.

Too many people give their small dogs excuses and unfortunatley it makes the dogs hard to be around.

Answer 6

All you can do is praise him when good and scold him when bad. I had the same problem, but I live in Arizona, so taking him out is much less of a problem. I put a baby gate on the stairs to stop him going up there and confined him to one room, then I got him trained to whimper when he wants to go out.
Good Luck.

Answer 7

Both my chihuahuas always used to go on a newspaper without a problem since they were 4 weeks old. Now they go outside to do it even in snow.

Answer 8

Chihuahua's are very intelligent animals and can be easily trained. Details on how to train your little Chihuahua can be found at http://all-about-my-pets.blogspot.com/2007/01/chihuahua.html
I think you will get a lot of info from this

Answer 9

Put him a large box with the pad in the bottom of it and buy that spray that makes them go in a certain spot.He will go, and then he will go find the pad when you are gone too long.That is how I trained one of my chihuahuas.Don't let him continue to go in random places or he always will....Hope this helps.........

Answer 10

Have you tried using a litter box like the ones for cats.Chihuahua's are small enough that they can use one and not have to go outside.