 |
| Housebreaking Chihuahua |
I am having problems housebreaking my Chihuahua. She is a 2 year old adult female Chihuahua that is healthy and fixed. I have a doggy door she can use 24/7 (she loves it and uses it)and my problem is she is still peeing inside.
She does use the potty outside sometimes and is highly praised when she is seen doing it, but she poops and mostly pees inside several times a day. She is not allowed to roam the house because of this, but is put in the kitchen so she can use the doggy door whenever she wants and so she can't potty everywhere which she does when she has total freedom in the house anytime.
Why is she still using the potty inside when she can go out whenever she wants? She will also do it on any rug she finds including the one we wipe our feet on at the door so now we can't have any rugs where she can get to them. What can I do to help her understand not to do this? I have tried crate training, walking her, sitting outside with her until she pottied only to have her do it five minutes after we come back inside even though we were outside for more than an hour playing and walking around. She does this almost every time. Please help me someone.
Thank you.
Sonya from Macon, GA
I think because she is 2 years old, you are going to have a tough time re-teaching her the correct way to go potty. I would spend a weekend or sometime when you can spend several days concentrating on breaking this habit. I would get a "clicker" (I'm sure that is not the correct name, but they are hand held clickers used in dog training) and some training treats.
Do you give food at certain times or do you always have food available? It is easier if you only give food at certain times, because then you can take her out after food is eaten. When she poops, immediately click and give a treat along with praise. The click marks the behavior and shows it's importance to the dog.
If she potties in the house take her outside and tell her to go potty here. Be on guard when you are in, if she signals that she is looking for a place to go, take her out and as soon as she goes outside where you want her to go, click, treat, and verbal praise. Do this consistently for several days, and she will get the hang of it quickly.
By Jennifer
I talked to a professional recently and they suggest for a older dog that you have to break their bad habits first. Try attaching a leash to you and the dog and go everywhere in the house, that way when he tries to do his business you can catch him/her in the act and scold them. It will probably take a few tries. Also when they try to potty, give the leash a good tug letting him/her you are not pleased. Good luck. Hope it helped. (11/08/2008)
By T. Clark
Well I think that the best way to do this is to first of all get rid of all scents your dog has left behind, whether it be poop or pee. The best way to do so is to go and buy special products for it. Then once you have done that you can train him to go poop and pee outside or on a puppy pad.
If he/she starts peeing immediately pick him/her up and set her on the pad or out on the grass. Clean any remains that he/she managed to leave on the ground. Then he/she will know that he/she gets a more peaceful bathroom break if she poops or pees where you would like it to. If this doesn't work then I'm sorry, but it's the way that I trained my dog. =) (12/16/2008)
Oh dear lots of small dog potty problems. I have heard that small dogs are a little harder to potty train because they have very small bladders. First I think you should go outside with her while she pees/poos and reward her when she does. If your using doggy pads indoors as well get rid of them, you are confusing her. Pick one and stick with it. (08/23/2009)
By Terri
Add your voice! Click below to comment. ThriftyFun is powered by your wisdom!
