Trouble House Training My Chihuahua
I just don't know what to do about this. I feel bad that he has to stay cooped up in the basement all the time i don't have any other solution. So if some one could please help it would be a life saver.
Amanda from Cumming, GA
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RE: Trouble House Training My Chihuahua
Hi I have a male chihuahua and I have tried everything to house train him, from being in the cage to walking and I even had him fixed vet recommended. When I put him in his cage he makes himself sick, when I take him for walks I have to carry him lol or I end up dragging him. And getting him fixed gave him a bad attitude. I've tried praising him after going outside and he falls on his back and pees every where. I'm at my whits end and have no idea what to do. I really don't want to get rid of him cause he is my little guy but I also cant handle my place smelling like pee. Please if anyone has any other ideas I sure could use them thanks a bunch.
Post by Caregiver-1
RE: Trouble House Training My Chihuahua
I just ordered the ebooks from this sight due to the constant challenges we have with our girl chihuahua with her potty issues. I have not read them yet since i just got them but this may be helpful for us all... it was only $19.95. http://www.dogpottytrain.com/chihuahua/index1.php?page=housetraining
She has a doggie door and two older big dogs 'brothers' that she has as role models but that doesn't seem to keep her consistent. She gets lazy and pees or poops in the house 'everywhere' when she feels like it. She is going on 3 this summer.
She is such a great dog and we have tried what we fell like...is everything to break her of this. There is no pattern to her doing it other then the times it rains outside. When that happens we put up gates to block her into the tiled areas where the doggie door is so at least its on the tile.
It just seems like she is doing it intentionally, when she is lazy and when it's raining outside. So, hopefully these ebooks will help us with her we love her to death and she is the funniest loving thing ever but the potty thing can really stress us out because it destroys our carpet, pillows, bedding...you name it!
In this picture is our girl Tila with another one of our dogs and her best buddy, Pudge our Dane - Catahoula mix. She loves to cuddle with him and sleep ontop of him and he lets her get away with 'everything' she can walk all over him and he doesnt care. I just wish she was as well trained as he is! Its like she fights it.
good luck all! - PB
Post by pbennett10
RE: Trouble House Training My Chihuahua
I have a 2 one year old female chihuahua's, I got them both from the same rescue, although I am sure their backgrounds are different. The youngest and largest of the 2 house trained quickly and easily. The littlest one 3 pounds, will go outside to pee and no problem, then will come back in and poop in the house. I walk them both every day, use positive reinforcement and crate train. No matter if this little one goes poop in the yard as soon as I let her in, she goes in the first corner she can find and does it again. I don't want to have to give her up and make her go through this again with someone else but it is starting to make problems in the house. Any help would be great.
Post By MJ (Guest Post)
Trouble House Training My Chihuahua
My little white female chihuahua Bella will pick and choose when she wants to go on her potty pad. I've tried positive reinforcement by praising her when she goes on the pad and rewarding her.
My other male Chihuahua Cruizer is a year old and he mastered potty training when he was 4 months old. Unless he has accidents, I trust him to go on the pad 100% when i leave the room.
Bella is the one who will drag the potty pad around, in the process spilling the poop ALL over the room, and then she'll go where the pad was originally.
I work part-time and I go to school full-time and I don't have the time to watch over her 24 hours a day. If anyone has any advice? I'd love to her it.
Post By Ashley (Guest Post)
RE: Trouble House Training My Chihuahua
Is your dog fixed? Usually unaltered males mark A LOT! First, suggestion is to fix your little guy. Also, put him on a regular schedule. So he knows when it is appropriate to go, i.e. right when you get up in the morning let him out of his "house" (crate) and go right outside, as soon as you get home go right outside. Also, take him for longish, regular walks.
Walking dogs is strong encouragement for them to go. They will want to mark everything outside and not have anything left for the inside.
If he's on a schedule and you spend time walking and training him, he'll be just fine. Some people have had luck training their small dogs to ring a bell on the doorknob to let you know when he needs to go out.
Good luck and keep working with him.
Post By Bella (Guest Post)
RE: Trouble House Training My Chihuahua
I too have little chihuahuas that are proving to be very difficult to train. I tried the crate training and they even used the crate as a toilet. It didn't take too long for me to get disgusted with cleaning it. They were doing very well for a while and then yesterday one of them actually peed on my recliner seat! I couldn't believe it! I know that they both know better than that! HELP! Right when I think I can start to trust them they start going on the floor again. It's become quite an issue. They are incredibly smart so I know that it isn't that they are just stupid or anything.
Post By Roo (Guest Post)
RE: Trouble House Training My Chihuahua
Crate training is good. I would cover the entire floor with newspaper when he is out and praise him when he goes potty. Always say "Go Potty" while he is hiking his leg on the paper. If you see him hiking or marking anything bugt the paper, tell him firmly but calmly NO and put him on the paper. It wilol help him really learn not to go on the floor. Freedom in the basement is not teaching him anything but I would not crate him toooo long either.
After meals, after waking, after playing, every 30 minutes or less ask him to go potty. You can also use a clicker for stubborn learners. When he is on the newspaper or pad and he pees. click the behavior while he is doing it. Immediately give him a piece of hot dog. Say Good Dog going potty. Do this as much as you can the first day. Clickers are the fastest way to train stubborn dogs.
Good luck and try to get him neutered if needed. Stay calm during mistakes and you will be on your way to a better behaved dog. Let us know how the clicking goes.
Post By Racer (Guest Post)
RE: Trouble House Training My Chihuahua
Definitely crate train your dog! Your schedule MUST be 110% consistent while you're trying to train them.Give the dog 110% consistent feeding schedules and decrease the water slightly before the periods during which you will be gone the longest.
Set realistic times for walking the dog until they go. You might like working a 10 hour shift and driving home but could you stay for 11+ hours without going to the bathroom everyday? You may need to use your lunch break to go home and walk the dog depending on how long the shift is.
It sounds like your dog isn't getting enough exercise either. Small dogs need the same exercise that large ones do. They do NOT get enough exercise "running around" your house or apt! You must REALLY WALK the dog even if you're tired from working all night. It will help "move things along" and do wonders for the dog's mental health as well as help get them housebroken.
Since you're starting fresh; you also need to thoroughly scour your home from top to bottom since your dog has been using it as a toilet for over 2 years. It may seem clean to you; but to the dog it smells like his usual toilet.
Because your dog has trained you to use your home as a free-for-all toilet; it will take rock solid consistency to properly retrain him but the dog is probably desperately craving the attention and exercise involved in that training.
Post By D (Guest Post)
RE: Trouble House Training My Chihuahua
Chihuahua's can be very difficult to housetrain. As suggested, a crate is really the only method to make this 100% successful, as well as neutering if he isn't already. An uneutered male is going to mark to stake out his territory and the longer it is allowed to go on, the less success you are going to have stopping it. Male doggie diapers or pee pee bands can help, but the other two should be done first.
Post by leshia27
RE: Trouble House Training My Chihuahua
I wanted to post support of the kennel/crate training. It isnt inhumane, it is safe for them (keeps them out of things that could hurt them or make them sick, think of it as your 4 year old home alone), keeps them from making a mess of the home, provides a safe place for them to go when they want (keep it open during the day with a pillow for them) and is good to use for time out (removing the pillow and putting them in there when they are bad, used in clicker training and I am sure others)
I just wanted to support those that posted that suggestion since it is a good one that is widely used by trainers!
JL
Post By eadaein (Guest Post)
RE: Trouble House Training My Chihuahua
Crate training is my favorite way to house train. He probably could be neutered too if he isn't already and you don't plan on breeding. He may be hiking his leg or mark his territory. You also have to clean well everywhere he went in the house. The Humane Society has some good info on crate training. http://www.hsus.org/pets/pet_care/o ... avior_tip_sheets/crate_training.html
Post by junebug_000
RE: Trouble House Training My Chihuahua
My suggestion is to kennel train him. I thought this was mean at first but it was the ONLY thing that worked for my dog, Emmie Jane. After a while she actually came to love her kennel and thought of it as her own little room! Now she doesn't need it anymore and I can leave her out all day and not worry that she's at home leaving me gross little surprises all over the place!
Post By Mandalyn (Guest Post)
RE: Trouble House Training My Chihuahua
http://www.dog-diapers.com/
You might be able to make your own doggie diapers and save a lot of money.
Post by MCW
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