I recently got a chihuahua puppy (she is about 11-12 weeks old). I have tried all sorts of tactics to get her potty trained, and nothing seems to work. I bought several different types of pads, I have tried watching for the potty routine (sniffing, circling, etc) and then moving her to the pad to releive herself. I've tried the yelling "NO" and putting her on the pad, I even opted for the suggestion of leaving her in the bathroom with a pad (food, water, and a few toys too of course) and she will wait til I get home and as soon as I let her out, she books it to the carpet to poop/pee somewhere in the house. I have two pads in my living room, and one in my bedroom (where her bed is) yet she doesnt use them. Half the time, she potty's less than a foot from a pad, but wont do it on a pad.... Any tips that I can use to be more successful (for my sanity and my carpet lol). Thank you!
Answers & Comments
Verified answer
Stop using pads. These only encourage a dog to go *anywhere* inside.
Start taking her out frequently. Immediately in the morning, before/after meals, every 30 minutes, after she plays, after she naps and right before bed. You will also need to take her out every two hours through the night for the next month or so until she gets better bladder control. Praise her when she goes outside.
Get a crate and crate train her, make sure the crate is the correct size(big enough for her to stand up, turn around completely and lay down in-no bigger) and to never misuse a crate(don't crate her for too long and never use a crate as a tool for punishment. She should only be crated when you cannot supervise her and at night. It's best that she isn't crated for longer then two hour periods before she's taken out. She should also be taken out before she goes in the crate and immediately after she comes out of it.
Get a cleaner made specifically for cleaning up animal urine, use that on anywhere she has gone and anywhere else she has accidents.
Be consistent on taking her outside and remember to praise a lot when she goes outside.
If she goes inside and you don't catch her in the act, don't do anything(aside from clean it up) but take this as a note that you need to watch her better or take her out more.
If she goes inside and you do catch her in the act make a loud noise(this should startle her and stop her from going) then quickly take her outside, praise when she goes.
Schedule-Confine-Supervise
Schedule- the feeding and potty times. An adult is fed twice a day. A puppy is fed four times a day up to 10 or 12 weeks, then three times a day through adolescence. They need to potty first thing in the morning, last thing at night, within a few minutes of every meal, and every few hours in between. The “in between” hours are calculated by their age in months: 1 month = 1 hour, up to 6 months/hours. So, a three month old puppy should be taken to potty every three hours in between the other scheduled times. When the dog/puppy is taken to potty, wait with him as he ‘does his business’ and then praise like crazy. The neighbors should be able to hear you.
Confine- the puppy or dog whenever it is not being watched. Confinement can be in a crate (especially at night), an exercise pen, or behind a baby gate in a very small and puppy-proofed room.
Supervise- the puppy or dog whenever it is loose in the home. This means having eyes on it, not on the TV. Play with the puppy, do a five minute training session, groom it, or just let it lie at your feet with a safe chew, but have it within sight at all times. If it squats then give a loud “NO” or “ACK” as you scoop and run to the appropriate potty spot.
Do not let the dog return to the accident spot until it has been thoroughly cleaned and then wiped with vinegar or a commercial enzyme product to remove all urine odor.