I can't potty train my chihuahua!!!!?

Question

Oh please....somebody help me! I have a 1 year old female chihuahua. And we absolutely LOVE her. But, for the love of God, I can't get her potty trained. I have read books, went to websites, bought puppy pads, caged her for weeks, and am now pulling my hair out. Not only can I not get her to stop chewing on anything/everything made of cotton or plastic....I can't get her to go ALL the time outside ! ! !
I don't want to get rid of her, everyone loves her. But, If I can't potty train her...... I may just have too.

Answer 1

I've had a few chihuahuas during my life. All very smart and loyal and fun.
Now we have Dot, her daughter Peaches (and cream, coat colors), also Dash, our mini-dauschaund. Dot and Dash are 3 1/2 years, Peaches is almost 10 months.
We had to keep the pups in a small kennel where they felt was their safe place. They will avoid ururinating where they den. As soon as they came out, I would sit at the door and place them immediately on the blue training paper. They were praised and loved for being so good, also given a treat. Withinn 2 days Dot, who is brilliant, was running over to the blue pad and only achieving quarter sized spots of urine, just so I would love her up, with plenty of "good girl"s and a small treat. I kept the puppy pads in 2 parts of the house, where we could watch the her..
Dotty was 6 weeks old when she came to us. We immediately placed a small doggie door to our back yard. We put her through this back and forth only a couple of times, and she loved having access to outside. She has plenty of grass and places to sun herself. When she was a bit older, she began, with a little help from me, to housebreak herself.
A month later we got Dash, she was too small to be away from her mom, only 5 weeks old, so she took a little longer. I had to encourage her, nurture her along. Even to eat and drink.
The thing is, when you have pups this small, they need to be treated as if they are babies. They need someone home with them to literally raise them, spend the time with them. They need plenty of toys and all kinds of "chews". Once in awhile Peaches will knaw on an old sandal, I just have to "babyproof" and keep certain things away from her.
Chihuahuas are very intelligent dogs. Mine are totally trained, all I have to do is point a finger and they know what command I am giving. They know about 20 verbal and visual commands and phrases. All this training has been consistant, and very fun and loving. Lots of play. Yeah, 3 little girl doggies can get a bit noisy, but we knew that when we got them.
The best success you'll have is time devoted and consistency. Don't let them stay in their kennel too long, sleeping and naps are fine, then it's back to work.
It will pay off to invest the time and care. We have awesome pets, we don't know what we'd do without them.
First thing, get a cage, training pads, then a doggie door.
Good Luck

I disagree with Maria. All dogs require shelter, they feel safer if covered. They sleep under blankets, crawl under couches, they require their own "space", so to speak.

By "cage", I mean a kennel crate that enabled Dot and Dash to have a safe spot. I put nice clean blankets and a few toys and a chew for each. Only when they slept, or when I would have to leave for a couple of hours. Being so small, they wanted to chew on things, chewed paper all over, etc. They felt safe in their shelter, and my home stayed much nicer.
To this day, they enjoy their bed, and when Peaches and Cream settles down a bit more, I will put it away. The dogs are never removed from the family. They are quite sweet and very well adjusted and even-tempered,and very secure.
My method has worked well for us, and I know many people who are amazed and envious at how well they mind.
Please don't trash me, I learned a lot of this with a puppy training guide from Pet-Smart, and investing many, many hours being with them.
It worked for us, something is not working for others, especially if they are still using the carpet or newspapers for a toilet.

Answer 2

Potty Training Chihuahuas

Answer 3

Chihuahua Potty Training

Answer 4

Start Potty Training only 3 Days!

Answer 5

hi i have a few chihuahuas, they are very bright and intelligent, but, they are abit slow with toilet training. Are you at home all day, as this will help? You need to use newspaper buy the back door, if your back door is in the kitchen then just let her use the kitchen for now. I dont think the pads work with chihuahuas, newspaper seems better, when you see she wants a wee etc put her on the newspaper and then tell her she is a good girl, lots of praise and a treat (small biscuit/piece of chicken) tell her that she had a wee wee, this way she will associate the word wee wee as a wee on the paper and a treat, it wont take her long to work out that wee on paper is better. If she makes a mistake some where else dont shout at her, if you find the puddle just clean it up, if you see her doing it put her straight on the paper and praise etc.
If you are at work all day then you are going it find it very hard to get her clean, because you arent there to do all the praise and reward.
Cages wont work with chihuahuas, just use a small room, dont let her use the lounge etc until she knows that she needs the paper to use the toilet. I have one chihuahua puppy who is 6 months old, she is very good wees etc on the paper, but she wont outside, she will go out with the others then come inside to wee, she wont wee when we are on a walk, comes straight in and wees on the paper!
You will get there, it just takes time. Regarding the chew problem, this is usually due to borden, try giving her some biscuits, toys and maybe a kong stuff with chicken, the paste they make is a bit rich for chihuahuas so go careful with that, as it turns there little bellys.
If you want any more help or support you are more than welcome to contact me via my 360.

Good luck my friend.

Answer 6

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/aL67A

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 7

Small dogs tend to be harder to housebreak. I recommend you get rid of the pads/newspaper. It only encourages her to go in the house. Get a crate big enough for her to lay down, sit, and turn around comfortably in. When you can't watch her, crate her. This does not mean crate her 24/7. It only means that if you can't supervise her, put her in her crate. How often does she tend to go in the house? If it's every hour or so, take her outside every hour. Take her out when you first get up in the morning, half an hour after ever meal, and before bedtime. Praise her when she does go outside, and give her a small treat. I also agree with taking her to the vet just to rule out any medical problems that could be causing this. Housebreaking takes patience, and is no good reason why you should get rid of her. She's trying to learn, but you just have to teach her. Be patient and consistent, and she'll learn it soon.

Answer 8

Potty training? I wish. I think you mean housebreaking. I would never tell you to get rid of your dog because you are having a hard time training her. It takes a while. You have to be patient. I hope that you are crate training her. That is the best way to housebreak. You should keep her in there at this stage unless you can constantly supervise her. Put her out every couple of hours. Take her out first thing in the morning and last thing at night, around midnight. Put her out between 6 and 7 am. Put her out about 20 minutes after she eats or drinks and after playing. Just stick to it and in the long run it will pay off. Stay out with your dog until he goes.

Answer 9

Dog learns everything very fast, so it's very important to give proper training by a good trainer. You can also train a puppy for basic things like teaching a dog to shake hands, stop barking, not to bite and potty training etc. If you need some special training tips, to correct dog training, consult an experienced dog trainer. This website will give many good dog training tips and techniques https://tr.im/trainingdog

Answer 10

sorry you are having this problem, chihuahuas are very intelligent animals and she will get there in the end, Did you have her from a puppy! I found newspaper better than litter pads, because mine always wanted to shred the pad. You can buy sprays to stop puppys eyc from biting chairs etc it does work i have tried it.
Im afraid i strongly disagree with joyousjoy, you never cage a chihuahua unless showing, they are a breed that dont take to cages. Yes very good in the car but thats it. Keep her in one room and use the paper, reward and praise is your real answer, lots of it when she does it right, when she doesnt put her straight on the paper and we there. When you come a cross a puddle clean it up but dont shout, she will get there in the end.

Answer 11

You should take your dog to the vet to make sure she doesn't have a medical problem that is preventing potty training. Perhaps the vet can give you some behavioral advice also. I'm sorry you're having this problem, and I wish you success in the future.