Hi I've had to turn to a Chihuahua forum as I am close to tearing my hair out & i don't know what else to try.

I have 2 Chi's, Roo who is a 2 yr old male & Lola who is a girl turning one in March. They are both very well behaved, lovely dogs who you can't fault until night time.

I put them out at around 23.00 & we are up at 6.30 latest in the morning. This morning i came down to 4 wee's & 2 poo's.
I have tried everything, feeding them earlier, taking up their water earlier, leaving them outside for longer before bed time, telling them off & now they know they have done wrong as they both hide.

I used to leave newspaper down but was told not to as this was a way of saying "it's ok to go to the toilet indoors". They are both toilet trained during the day, no accidents at all. They seem to have become worse during the night though....Roo never used to have accidents & now he wee's up the table. It drives me mad!

I dread coming down in the morning.

Please, please, please can anyone help me!?

Is Roo neutered ? and is Lola spayed ? What food are you feeding ?

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Roo has been neutered but Lola is still yet to be spayed.

They have Bakers for small dogs. I don't over feed them, infact some times i feel i don't feed them enough but i recently had them weighed & was informed they were both the perfect weight.

Lola is better than Roo....she doesn't mess as much as him. I know its always him as he does it up the table. He never used to have accidents EVER. I tried having them both upstairs with me but he would wake me up every night to be let out (sometimes twice). There's only so much broken sleep someone can take.

they are old enough to be in crates for the overnight hours; then let outside to toilet
when you get up in the morning. just be sure the crates are only large enough for them
to stand up or turn around. good luck! and please keep us posted

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"My little dog - a heartbeat at my feet." - Edith Wharton

Hi,

I agree on the crate recommendation. They should be sleeping at night, so they don't need much room to move around. Are they tired at bedtime? Have they gotten lots of attention and playtime in the evening? Do you go outside with them and know if they did their business before bedtime - and praise them all over when they do it outside?

I'm glad you came here for advise - the people on this forum are very experienced with dogs. Let us know what you change to make it better.

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Here are pictures of Barney: Flickr: Crochet Bouquet's Photostream

I would say he's marking,as lola isn't spayed yet.If one starts the other can smell it and thinks it's the right place to go.As for the food that isn't a good food you're feeding,lots of nasties in it,Accana,Ziwi Peak,Arden grange they are good foods.I know it must be so frustrating for you.

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Are you in the UK?
If so then ziwi is very expensive and difficult to get hold of in shops.
I don't think accana is ever here although arden grange is at P@H.

I'd agree that the male is marking and the female is following suit so I'd have her neutered asap unless you plan to breed from her. Letting them out for longer won't make a difference if this is the case.
If you don't want to neuter her then it's either crate or put up with it.

I agree. My aunt used to breed poodles, and they would do the same. But really if you don't want to crate them, putting paper down for overnight won't hurt. That's what we do with Cricket when we have to leave her home. It's easier to clean and she can still run around. They have tiny bladders, so they have to go more often. I wake up at night with Cricket once, sometimes twice. I don't mind, but she sleeps with me. Just make sure you pick the paper up during the day. And take them out during the day. Chis are smart little critters they understand. Cricket does.

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