I'm up to my neck in frustration with potty training. I don't know what else to do...

Miya is almost 5 months. We are training to potty INDOORS primarily. I keep her in my sight at all times when I'm home. Sometimes she pees right in front of me, other times she tries to sneak away. When I catch her sneaking away, I put her on her pee pad. When I'm not home, she stays in a small bathroom with her UGODOG in one corner and her food/bed in another. This is the area I've designated for her to go both when I am home and when I'm not home. Sometimes she will go straight to her UGODOG and go pee, but most times she won't. She can just have peed, and as soon as I let her out of her confined space, she goes again. OR at other times she will sit there for hours and not pee, then as soon as she comes out, she pees on the carpet! I've read and read and read and have done everything I can possibly think of to do. When she does go in the right spot I give her lots of lovins and praise, and even treats. When she goes on the carpet or next to her UGODOG, I immediately say NO and put her on her UGODOG.

This is a nightmare..

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Maybe she is confused because she is still young and has 3 designated areas if 2 are indoors primarily and the assumption is made outdoors her 3rd. Plus then each accident spot if not thoroughly cleaned signifies in her head by scent that its a spot as well. After a couple piddles a day she probably just can't figure out what is expected of her and then with lack of control it's just overwhelming.

If she doesn't have a medical condition she is able to be taught. Maybe just go with one potty area, with one elimination collection type (pad or Ugo thingy majig) for when you are at home and when you are away. Once she catches on to that then add a second source if necessary. I just think with all her "options" she is probably confused. If she has free run of a small bathroom, even the tiniest powder room would be a lot of space for a dog her size. If she has a crate or an x-pen in the area ~ then just make sure she has sleep space, potty space (food & water if you free feed) when you are training. And when you are leaving her for time that she will need to entertain herself and have a larger space, I would expect accidents for a bit yet, until she catches on. She will catch on with consistency from you and maturity from time.

I know many say they can be expected to hold their eliminations 1 hour for each month of age, but when awake we're out every 20 minutes / half hour or so and she potties more times than not. She can hold through the night so she is gaining bladder control but during the day if she is up an active she potties considerably more than every 3 or 4 hours. Usually she tinkles twice when she does. I do try and make sure too she is never able to eliminate in a spot that I can not see and immediately clean, should one get passed us. If not properly cleaned it is just an encouraging elimination magnet and its so difficult, if not impossible to fight mother nature.

You will get her trained. Some dogs are just take longer, but at her age she is by no means a lost cause or untrainable ~ she is just getting to the age where you become surer of her potty habits and are able to teach her what you expect.

Hi your going through what many have been there done that but miya will get it shes still young and i only taught outside potty buster is now 1 1/2 years and everything is smooth sailing hang in there chihs are worth the moon and stars it will get better

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my buster

We tried to do indoor training and it was a epic fail.... as soon as we started taking our "tank" outside to pee we have had barley any accidents and the few we have had have been my fault . It isnt natural for them to go on a pad inside so maybe give up on indoor training and try outside training. (we live in Canada and trained threw December with minus 20 weather and 1-2 feet of snow.) ....

This makes me feel lucky. I have trained Bandit indoors, only going outdoors when I know he needs to potty and won't stay in the box I have for him. He is not 100% trained yet, but it is close.

The thing that made the most difference for us was when I got him an indoor box with a fake grass patch. I put a little litter in the bottom of the pan, and clean the "grass" with the puppy shampoo.

I agree with the others on having one type of pad. She likely does think that there are many, many choices of places to go.

I have successfully indoor trained my 3.

Hope's breeder sent us home with a package of the pads she uses. She suggested that we get a holder similar to what she had.

I am a rule follower and I read instructions. The holder had an insert with tips printed on. It said to take the dog to the pad over and over throughout the day and say the same words. So I did. I chose "potty" and "mat". If I caught her pottying elsewhere, I picked her up and took her to the pad and said "potty on your mat".

One day, she did. I went every kind of crazy, praising, clapping and squealing and she was so excited. I gave her treats and repeatedly said "potty", "mat", "treat", "good girl, Hope".

Then we got Ruby who was "paper trained". I joked that they must have had papers all over the floor because she just went everywhere. It took her 2 weeks and now that girl does not even come close to the edge, she is my VERY best pad trained one.

Then they started getting crazy trying to rip the pad from the holder so I got washable hospital chair and bed pads. They have not been able to tear them and they, surprisingly, have not run off with them.

Then we got Eden. My husband calls her Peebody. She, like Hope, was sold as pad trained. Well, not pad trained at our house. At all. I thought for certain that the other two would help her learn. No. I still took her to the pad multiple times a day and set her on it and said "potty".

Then I noticed that she started to go in or near the entryway/front door. The girl's pad is elsewhere. Rather than fight it, I went with it. I placed a pad on the rug in the entryway. She went a few times on the rug and then a few weeks later, she also went on the pad. I did the same praise and treat and now other than a rare accident, she goes on that pad. It took her 6 weeks to be somewhat consistent. To be certain that she learns EXACTLY what/where, we removed our entryway rug and all that remains is a hospital bed pad. Kind of a sad looking entryway, but the rug will be able to return at some point.

So, Hope and Ruby potty on their mat and she on her own. I do not know, nor do I care if they ever all share one mat.

I would guess that I say "potty" and "mat" 100 times a day. I also say good girl and their name when they do go and they still get a piece of a treat.

For me it has been vigilance, repetition and consistency.

I love it now that at night they can climb down the stairs by our bed, toddle out to their pad and then come right back to bed.

It think you will be successful just because if I can be, ANYONE can!! Just keep at it!

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photos-Jennifer Hague, fixyourimages.com

I would not go with more than one 'potty place'. You are confusing her.

And I would not expect an 'almost' 5 month old Chihuahua with more than one potty place to be even close to housetrained.

You can fix this, but you've got to be consistent...And for what it's worth, I find it really, really seems to 'click' with them between 5-6 months. Do what you are supposed to do and she will do her part!

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