Chihuahua house training?

It's not alot more difficult to house train an adult than it is a pup. You just have to use the same logic and reason, and start all over.

Is he neutered? If not, that could be a major issue with all of this, as he is now sexually mature and marking. So if he isn't, and you don't plan to breed him, I would get him neutered ASAP.

Crate him when you can't watch him closely. Tether him to you if you have to while you move around the house. You will quickly learn his "I'm going to pee/poo" behaviour, and you can take him outside. Praise him and reward him when he does go outside - make a big deal over it so that he knows he's done something good.

I've never rubbed a dogs nose in an accident. I will make sure they see it, and scold them verbally - mine do not like the change in tone in my voice at all, so they know when they are in trouble. Punishment here is incarceration...In a very large, very comfy crate...

We're working with a 3 month old male pup right now, and he's coming along nicely...But we'll definitely have him neutered as soon as he's old enough.

Both my other two were rescues - one was 3 years, and he was a dream to work with. I had to treat him like a pup and take him outside often. The other was 5 months and given up to rescue because she had never been 'trainable'. My husband and I had her completely housetrained in 2 weeks time. It takes a lot of patience and devotion of your time.

I also think using puppy pads and outdoors can be a bit confusing, but that's just my opinion. And, I believe allowing them outdoors rather than taking them out on a leash (when trying to housebreak them) slows you down somewhat, as you don't always see what they do to reward them.

Best of luck to you!

I have taken him to the vets but because he has a refined testical, which is in is stomach the vets said that it is not wise to remove it because he would have to be put to sleep for a longer period of time.
I do not take him in the garden on a lead because i like him to run freely. i live in the middle of know where so the only time he goes on a lead is when i take him to a friends house or to relatives and then he runs around their garden too.
I did think that the pads were also confusing as its telling them its ok to pee in the house. However, they are sort of working, when i am at home he can run freely and i often take him and my rottie out for walks and he loves it!!
he used to make a crying sound when he wanted the loo and i was really pleased with this as i can tell and then take him outside.
What i do now is when im home, if he starts sniffing around i take him outside pronto but he doesnt always need the loo but he does stay out there.
And when i go out he stays in the kitchen which is all laminated and his bed goes in their ith our rottie!

he will get there but im unsure about these pads!!

Jazmin said:

I'm not too sure what else to do as with bigger dogs the training way is "rub their nose in it" but i dont want to do that with my chi. I also have a rottie and he is house trained and never ever messes in the house!

Does anyone have any advice on how to train them? or if im going wrong somewhere etc because its really starting to niggle me!

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Actually, there's really no need to train ANY size dog by "rubbing their nose in it." They may look guilty when you yell at them, but dogs don't have the ability to associate rewards or punishments with behavior unless it occurs in a very short span of time. (For example, yelling at them only works if you catch them IN the act of peeing/pooping in the house. Not if you find the pee or poop even five or ten minutes later when your dog is off doing something else.)


Here's some stuff that might be useful:

1) Crate training:

a) Large Crate or Playpen:
A great way to housetrain a small pup is to use a crate or playpen. If you use a large crate or playpen, you can put his food on one side, bed in the middle, and a pee pad on the side farthest from his food. He will naturally try to pee on the pee pad and away from his bedding and food. This is a really useful set up if you're gone for a few hours during the day and can't get home to take him out. This way, he has his food and a place to potty while you're gone.

b) Small Crate:
Or you can buy a crate appropriately sized for your dog. He should have enough room to stand, lay down, and turn around fully, but not much more room than that. You will probably be able to fit only his bed inside. Dogs naturally try to avoid soiling their bedding, so he will do his best to hold it.

Both of these crate training methods work best if you're going to be sitting in one place for a while (such as at a computer desk) where he can see you, or if you can't devote your direct attention to him right then. It keeps him from wandering off and peeing behind furniture or in another room or behind your back, where you can't see him. The fewer times you allow him to practice the behavior of soiling in the house, the less he will do it.

2) The umbilical leash method:
When you can give more of your direct attention to your dog, you can use this method. Take a regular leash and slide the clip end (the part that attaches to his harness/collar) through one belt loop on your pants. Then take the clip end and slide it through the loop in the handle of the leash (The part you hold when you walk him). Pull it tight and it will cinch around your belt loop, attaching your dog to you. Then attach the clip to his harness as usual.

This method allows your dog more freedom. He can be out of the crate or playpen, but he can't wander too far away from you and pee somewhere. This works best if you can still watch him because he might still try to pee somewhere in front of you, so you have to be aware of the signs. If you see him sniffing the ground, circling (in either direction), or scratching at the ground, take him out IMMEDIATELY!

3) Take him outside more often:
However, it's your job to start taking him out more. Every 20-30 minutes in the beginning, or right after a vigorous play session, naptime, or a meal. Right when you come home, he goes outside. Right after he finishes a meal, he goes outside. Right when he wakes up from a nap, he goes outside. You can stretch the time GRADUALLY to an hour as he learns to reliably hold it, but I wouldn't make him wait any longer than that.

4) Make peeing/pooping outside really rewarding so he wants to do it more:
You should also reinforce him for peeing/pooping outside by giving him THREE treats outside when he pees/poops there. (This is an Ian Dunbar trick. He is a veterinarian and animal behaviorist: Errorless Housetraining | Dog Star Daily).

When he lifts his leg/squats to pee or poop, quickly give him a cue word or phrase. (I use "Go potty!"). Whatever you use, be consistent--you have to use the exact same words every single single time. Then when he finishes, quickly give him three treats in a row and tell him good job. Peeing/pooping outside will be such a happy thing for him that he'll want to do it more and more, and he'll look forward to you taking him outside.

The reason adding a cue word/phrase is helpful is because later on, when you stop using treats, you will be able to use the cue word to get him to potty outside on command. (When I say "Go potty!" Teddy immediately starts looking for a place to relieve himself.)

I hope this helps.

^Agreed wholeheartedly. I am very surprised that a vet would recommend leaving it in; I'd be looking for a new vet!! The surgery for a male with a retained testicle is no more complicated (nor does it take any longer to do) than a spay; they basically just have to go internally to find the other testicle just like they'd have to go in for ovaries. True, with a normal neuter they just go through the scrotum as it's less invasive; but it worries me that a vet would say it would take too long. The proper term for a retained testicle is Cryptorchidism.

Here's an excerpt from an article I found via Google:

"My vet said that my pet is cryptorchid. What is that, and will the surgery be different from a "normal" neuter?
Cryptorchid is a medical term meaning literally "hidden testes" (crypt = hidden, orchid refers to the testicle, or testes). This is considered a birth defect - where the testicle doesn't "migrate" out of the body cavity and into the scrotum like normal during fetal development. Some pets can be "late bloomers" and a testicle not present at birth can descend later, but by 4-6 months of age, if it isn't there, it won't likely be. It is a heritable trait, so any pets in a breeding program with this condition should be neutered to not pass on this trait.

Where is the testicle?
That depends! It can be deep inside the abdomen, similar to where the ovary would be found - by the kidney. It may be anywhere from the kidney area to the bladder. It could also be in the inguinal canal, the passageway from the abdomen to the scrotum.

Testicles in the abdomen are not likely to be palpated, but the vet has a good chance of palpating a testicle in the inguinal canal. I say "not likely" to be palpated, because most of the time, the hidden testicle is much smaller than normal, even when in the inguinal canal. This is not always the case -- as I remember a geriatric Irish Setter that had been neutered as a pup. Apparently, only the testicle in the scrotum had been removed at the time of neutering, several years before. This dog was presented for difficulty defecating and urinating, with a large abdominal mass. A very large (12" diameter) testicle was taking over the abdomen! Thankfully, surgery went well, and he could live out his senior years comfortably.

Moral of the story: cryptorchid dogs should NOT be bred, and must be neutered - since the risk of testicular cancer in an abdominally cryptorchid dog is high. "

Veterinary Q & A - Neutering (Castration) in Dogs and Cats