[pixi]

So my boyfriend and I adopted a chihuahua mix. And she will not quit peeing and pooing inside! We got her puppy pee pads, and now she sometimes pees on the pad but mostly righ next to them. Ofcoarse we take her out first thing in the morning, but she doesn't always go, thn frst thing when we get back inside she pees next to the mat. Has anyone experianced this w their chihuahua? Is there a better way to train them?

 

[GeorgieGirl]

First off, welcome to the dog forum Pixi and congrats on the new pupster! Yes, she can be house broken.
Being that she is adopted, she might not have been housebroken before you got her so you will be starting from ground zero. Meaning you have to start housebreaking her as if she was a puppy.
Well, the best thing would be to crate train her. If you can't get a crate, then start with a small fenced off area. Enough of a place to eat and sleep. Dogs will not go potty where they eat or sleep.
You want to take her out after she wakes up, eats, naps, plays, drinks, when you get home from being out, and I would take her out every hour or so. When it time to sleep, then she goes in her area.
When she goes potty outside, I'd praise her so she knows this is what you want her to do.

 

[FancyPaws]

I couldn't have put it better myself GeorgieGirl.

Anytime you bring a new dog in that's not house broken you should start house breaking them just like they were puppies. That means taking them out frequently and staying consistent with your methods.

My personal opinion would also be to lose the puppy pads. In some cases these do more harm than good. They allow the dog to potty inside (even if they are using the pad they're still pottying in the house) therefore making it harder for them to make the transition to going outside.

Good luck to you and please keep us informed.

 

[patricia42256]

My sister had the same kind and he was never fully house brokeeven though he was kept in a pet crate. I have a mini Schnauzer who is hard to train.He will go for days without messing the house then he will do it 2 or 3 days in a row again.He is not yet 1 yr old.

 

[Belle]

It just takes time.

My dog has done the same thing but yeah she isn't a Chihuahua

Being adopted you never know what she would be like. Alot of the time adopted dogs, act very differently to dogs that you buy new born for a few reasons.

1. They might've been brought up a wrong way.
2. There old owner might'nt of cared about the dog and didn't take her outside to go do their business when she needed.

And 3. The dog was basically raised from the time she was born till you got her to go inside.

But yeah when I went to puppy school, not me my dog I was told to praise her every time she went outside and not in. Unless she went on her mats I was to praise her and eventually she learned to wait at the door till I was there to take her out.

Hope that helps

 

[Cris1017]

It took me 2 years to house train my Pitbull, and the only thing that finally taught him how to hold it was crate training. I don't use it anymore now that he's trained but it saved my house and his life since i was about ready to give up. The crate not only gives the dog their own space. but also shows them that the house is NOT their space. That their space is INSIDE of yours. That hits their dog brain and shows them that the house is your territory and their territory is inside fo yours. so in addition to them not going where they sleep, they'll understand their space and yours. and that you are the pack leader by you designating where they can sleep. It only has to be temporary, like i said. he never goes in the crate anymore but he doesn't go in the house anymore and it only took about a month to house break him with the crate

 

[pawzaddict]

Chihuahuas sometimes take more time to train. One of our chihuahuas still goes potty in her crate...it doesnt matter if she has something to pee on or not she will do it. She used to go potty on our floor ALL the time, it has dwindled down to occassionally. everytime she goes on the floor she is put outside for a couple minutes and told go potty. It takes patients (which is not easy for me but easier for my boyfriend lol). Hope it works out... just tell her "uh uh" (we dont use no since its something we say regularly in conversation so they dont get confused) and put her outside showing her where she should go.

 

[DeborahDecay]

I was worried about the same thing when I brought Bug home a week ago. He's 7wks old and the place I got him from had he and his siblings in a bedroom just going where and whenever they wanted. No schedule or restrictions. To my pleasant surprise he is VERY easy. As long as I keep up my end of the routine (taking him out regularly.. which is every hour, after he plays, drinks, naps and when I get home) he has no problem going outside like a good boy! If I don't hear him at night tho, or lose track of time he has no problem going inside or in his crate either but only if I ignore his attempts to tell me. He is learning that when he goes outside it makes me super happy lol it's really cute! I take him out, tell him "potty" and he'll go then AUTOMATICALLY start wagging his tail and running back to me because he knows he has done well! lol
Best of luck, just be persistant and have patience ~ not my strongest virtue either!

 

[close2prfct]

chihuahua's= ugghhhh lol
We have one almost 5yrs old and she will be the last I ever own, housebreaking has been a nightmare. Family members have owned them and its the same thing. They are by far the hardest to housebreak that I have ever dealt with.

 

[Criosphynx]

With a bladder the size of a shotglass...you'd have to pee all the time too

They are hard to housebreak because of the SIZE of the dog. Not the breed. Little bladders need lots of breaks

 

[pawzaddict]

i agree about bladder size but i swear the breed isnt the brightest in the box. one of ours will be outside and once we bring her in she finds a spot and pees or poos or both...right after being outside. needless to say she has to stay outside until she goes or at least for 10-15 mins. shes still a painful working progress...i agree with close2prfct i will never own another chihuahua lol

 

[Criosphynx]

i agree about bladder size but i swear the breed isnt the brightest in the box. one of ours will be outside and once we bring her in she finds a spot and pees or poos or both...right after being outside. needless to say she has to stay outside until she goes or at least for 10-15 mins. shes still a painful working progress...i agree with close2prfct i will never own another chihuahua lol

at the risk of sounding mean (not my intent) but there is a saying "its NEVER the dog, and ALWAYS the owner" what have you done to housebreak the dog? Are you the first owners? Is she a pet store or uppy mill dog?

I would NOT judge a breeds intelligence based on owning ONE of that breed, thats simply not fair. Also, judging intelegence based on what we can get the animal to do for us is also unfair. Peeing anywhere (besides the den, which is small area) is NORMAL behavior. So essentially your dog is normal, but untrained, or her den instincts have been damaged.

I think my chihuahua is a genius, one of my most talented dogs I've ever met, so which one of us is right? haha

 

[pawzaddict]

I honestly dont agree with its always the owner, because we have tried everything for potty training, and have consulted a few different trainers and none of our other dogs have this issue. she does soil both her crate and everywhere else, even the beds she sleeps on. we are not her original owners but she was found very young wandering the streets and we took her in since we have a chihuahua already so she shouldnt be damaged. I dont really enjoy the breed for many reasons but have worked with her and her sister on potty training and training in general. We have tried many ways to potty train her and have even consulted a vet on her constant and frequent urination..it comes down to "she is just a chihuahua". Its just my opinion on the breed, I feel this way about many many small breeds since I have owned many and worked with dogs for years. I by no way meant that the entire breed was dumb I know I pretty much said it but that wasnt my intention, my intention was stressing that many chihuahuas are difficult to train, I have met 1 that was trained....1.

 

[pawzaddict]

just re-read my post....I enjoy my girls dont get me wrong, but I meant to say I am not a fan of the breed. The bf grew up with them so I gave in LOL but my girls are my babies.

 

[Criosphynx]

I honestly dont agree with its always the owner, because we have tried everything for potty training, and have consulted a few different trainers and none of our other dogs have this issue. she does soil both her crate and everywhere else, even the beds she sleeps on. we are not her original owners but she was found very young wandering the streets and we took her in since we have a chihuahua already so she shouldnt be damaged. I dont really enjoy the breed for many reasons but have worked with her and her sister on potty training and training in general. We have tried many ways to potty train her and have even consulted a vet on her constant and frequent urination..it comes down to "she is just a chihuahua". Its just my opinion on the breed, I feel this way about many many small breeds since I have owned many and worked with dogs for years. I by no way meant that the entire breed was dumb I know I pretty much said it but that wasnt my intention, my intention was stressing that many chihuahuas are difficult to train, I have met 1 that was trained....1.

This means her den instincts were damaged as a puppy, during an impressionable period.This can happen to any breed Had you had her as a puppy and trained her properly I'd bet money you wouldn't have a housebreaking problem.

you've tried everything? Theres alot of everything to try. I bet I can think of a few things you haven't tried yet If your interested.

 

[pawzaddict]

I guess that could be true because we dont think she was as young as we originally thought...maybe 4-5 months when we got her. If there are tons of ideas out there I would love some more advice. Would you mind sharing? Id love to help her be more comfortable in any way. Could you either PM me or just send it here I am sure others have chihuahuas who could use the same advice (ie the OP) Thank you so much for any suggestions.

 

[MelladianaMancuso]

I had a chihuahua for 5 years I named margarita, &+ she absolutely would not potty train, I tried everything from day one that i got her. I finally had to give her away to a friend who I trust &+ loves chihuahuas. I figured since she was the runt of the litter, &+ could have bad genes or something, i should try a different one. So I bought one I named tequila &+ after 8 months she wouldnt potty train, she even look at my mother dead in the eye while she peed on her bed. That was enough for me. I've assessed that chihuahuas cannot be potty trained which is a sad because I love them, they have so much attitude &+ personality. But chihuahuas seem to do their own thing &+ do whatever they please, that's a charm I adore about them, but not when they pee on expensive mattresses and berber carpet.