Small Dog Training

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Hello

I am at lost cause !! I have a 5 month old chihuahua named lexi and she is absolutley wonderful but she isn’t learning to go to the toilet outside, she loves going on soft things .. for example if i have just got out of the shower and dropped my towel on the floor for literaly 2 seconds .. she’ll jump on and wee…!!

I have used puppy training mats but now i have taken them away and im trying to get her into a routine.. im letting out in my garden when i wake up and then walking her when i get in from work.. then again letting her in the garden before i go to bed.. !! I dont know where im going wrong..!!

What age shoudl puppies be toilet trained – i know they all learn at different ages – but just an average age!!

Thanks!!

Hi, The Chihuahua presents some special problems because they hate the cold and many times will refuse to go outside, especailly one of my girls. Chihuahua’s are not fond of wind, rain, and the cold, . No matter what you do never use physical punishment on Lexi when you are housebreaking her, as that will just develop aggressive and negative behavior. Some people tell you to smack her bottom and rub her noise in the wee etc, this is wrong and should never be done. Lay some papers in a designated paper area away from the dog’s food, but a small area that the dog can easily get to.

Get your dog on a regular feeding schedule because this will reduce accidents. If you know when your dog eats then you will know when it needs to relieve itself and that can help immensely in the training. When Lexi has finished eating, or whenever you notice her doing, drinking water, take her to the papers. When lexi uses the papers praise her and make her understand that the papers are where it can go in the house and the only place that it is allowed to go to the loo. Lots of clever girl , etc, Keep an eye on your dog and its bathroom habits and when it looks like she has the hang of paper training then you can start slowly moving the paper area towards the door to the outside. Make sure you clean the papers regularly but leave some soiled paper there so they know that it is their spot. Start setting part of the paper spot under and outside the door and make the inside paper spot smaller. Soon lexi will realize that the inside spot is too small and will want to go outside.

When you want her to go to the paper, say lexi go wee wee and when she does lots of praise she will soon learn that wee on paper is a good thing and she gets lots of attention. Trying to get her to go out side will be harder now the weather has changed, take her out and stay with her, when she goes say go wee wee and again lots of praise, this way she will remember the words wee wee and good girl, so she will want to please you, therefore she will wee. If i remember right lexi is a smooth coat so she will find out doors colder than a long coat so try not to leave her out side to long, as she is still a puppy.
It is hard with some chihuahuas, but just remember lots of praise and when she does do it in the wrong place dont tell her off.
You mentioned she did it up stairs, now this is where people say different things, you should keep her in the kitchen or a room untill she understands that the paper is where she goes, therefore if she is up stairs she should no to walk to the kitchen for a wee, at this stage a 5 month of chi, will be so lost in a big house, she is small and feels she is living with giants. I would personally not let her upstairs until she is clean. Once she starts weeing upstairs you wont be able to get the smell out of the carpets and each time she smells her scent she will do it again, which will cause a problem, especailly if you get her a friend , then they will do it more to cover her scent up and leave there own.
You are doing well, dont give up. Hope this helps. you no where i am if you need any more help, all the best Maria.

I need some good pointers to potty train a 17 week old mini pinscher. we have puppy pads but she would rather rip them to shreds than pee/poo on them. occationally she will do her business on them. but im constantly finding pee spots and turds around the house.

we have a crate that she stays in while we leave the house… how do you "crate train" a dog???

or litter box train?

any suggestions or ideas would be greatly appreciated!!

I like to crate train my dogs, which helps a lot with potty training. Her e are two videos that answers many of your questions:

http://www.puppiesanddogsinfo.com/episode-18-how-to-crate-train-your-puppy/

http://www.puppiesanddogsinfo.com/potty-training-your-puppy/

I recently adopted an adult dog from the animal shelter and she is NOT potty trained. My other two dogs are, and I’ve trained several puppies, but this is the first time I’ve gotten an adult dog that obviously has never been indoors. I’m asking for help, not suggestions to take her to a trainer. I’m trying to do this myself. Thanks
btw.. she’s a Great Dane.. so potty pads aren’t really an option.. she’d over flow them

House Training for Dummies was a huge help to me when training our dog. It covers all the how-to’s. Really, any of the answers you get will only cover the basics – this book will cover it all.
The best thing would be to start with the basics of crate training, just like you would a puppy. Old dogs can learn new tricks. But you will need to be patient. It is harder to *unlearn* a bad habit than to create a new, good one.
You will need a crate big enough for her to stand up in and turn around in. Then you will need to help her become comfortable with the crate. The basic jist is that you keep the dog in the crate when you can’t watch it and pay adequate attention to the signs that it needs to go potty. So, if you are going to be in the shower – put the dog in the crate. You take the dog out at regular intervals for potty breaks (with rewards to help establish good habits) as well as food and water breaks and time for play and walking. The goal is to help the dog be able to hold it for longer, and be reliable when out of the crate.
Tips for training: Stay calm, and never, ever punish a dog for something it did when you were not watching it. (Delayed punishment will only create distrust between you and your pooch)
Good luck!

We just adopted an 8 week old rat terrier puppy I know it’s early but I want to start her training as soon as possible for obedience and house training does anyoen have any suggestions on where I can go to get tips and ideas for this ?

housetraining should start immediatly upon bringing him home. At first you should take the dog out every couple of hours and stay out with him until he goes. When he goes he needs to be rewarded right away, with praise and treats. Whe in the house look for signs he is about to go sniffing, circling, you’ll oick up on them quick. In the event he does go you must punish him in the act, a loud NO is recommended, sometimes a quick swat on the butt but not to hard is neccesary. Then immediatly take him out and wait til he does his business, rewarding him and praising him when he does. If you find an accodent after the fact do not punish the dog, even if uoi bring him to it and show him it it will not understand and it will only confuse him

I have a 7 week old puppy, (west highland terrier/pekingese cross). Ok, My question is on toilet training. His brilliant of a night goes on puppy pee pad, once, if that. If I take him outside he pees on the grass and poops. But…… he will still just pee inside on the floor. I take him outside often so its not like I’m not getting to him quick enough. Sometimes his been outside and either peed or not and the comes straight back in and pees on the floor. Should I use puppy pads of a day indoors until he learns to hold it until we get outside or will this confuse the heck out of him (thinkin its ok to pee indoors). I can leave him indoors on his own, gated off with pee pad when I do sch run and he goes on pad. So basically he goes on pee pad of a night, goes outside when I take him but pees on floor too! His really good and has had no poo accidents………. yet! (none indoors) Also his sussed if he whines at the back door I will let him out, a sign he wants a wee I hear you say, but no! His sussed if he whines I let him out and he can go play, not wee ha ha So theres another hard one If I ignore him he may pee on floor having told me he needed it or if I let him out everytime I will be doing it every 5 minutes! I know puppies are hard work and I have to put the effort in but thats takin the pee if you excuse the punn! I know when I take him in garden to let him sniff n pee before playing with him, basically he knows he can pee outside but forgets he shouldn’t indoors and like I said sometimes he can pee outside then come straight inside and do another! God I never knew something so small could pee so much! Any answers would be much apprietiated, Should I carry on as we are with accidents or introduce daytime pee pad. When he starts pee-ing indoors I clap and grab him and take him straight outside even if his finished, with lots of praise if he goes outside. Sorry if this is very long winded but want to cover everything I’ve done in case anyone suggests it! Thanxs in advance.
Should I stop using the puppy pads through the night and for short trips out. Will he learn to hold it more without them, in other words are the puppy pads encouraging him to go indoors? So many questions! lol.

Hey. You got a terrier….you must be thrilled! lol

Let me tell you, learning to pee and poop where you’re supposed to is a REALLY big deal, and I struggled as a young thing. I really did. He is still quite young to. Give it a few more weeks and just keep doing what you’re doing.

Also, ditch the puppy pads. My human never used them, you dont need to either. Its just giving us one more thing to think about and making the peeing indoors more acceptable. Which its not. So try and encourage ‘no pee in the house at all if you can really help it’!

I sound like a great owner…..good luck.

Vinnie x *never eat anything that smells like your butt*

I need some major help with house training my Toy Fox Terrier! He is impossible.

Crate training. Works great. Good Luck!

Does anyone know why it is so diffcult to potty train this certain type of dog?? I have been researching for some time now, but cannot find any results. And any tips on doing so?? Thanks in Advance!!

It’s not the breed. That’s just a common excuse for novice pet owners.

Tips.

1. Have a designated "potty-place" in your yard.
2. Whenever you take the dog out (if puppy, once an hour), go to this place and say a command, like "Do your business!"
3. If he goes, praise him exuberantly, give him a treat or two, then take him on at least a short walk.
4. If he doesn’t, pop him back in his crate (you do have one, right?) and try again in half an hour.
5. Never yell, hit, or punish a dog for going inside. It’s your fault, not his!
6. His crate should be just big enough for him to turn around and lay down in, no bigger. If it is bigger, he can just eliminate in one end and sleep in the other.

we just got her friday and shes a cockapoo. she has already taken a dump on the carpet and peed various times on wooden floor. we went out and bought those mats they can go on but where should we put them? we want her to be trained to need to go outside to go potty.

also bout what age should we start with the sit and lay or obedience training with her?

Sorry the potty training advice says "he" and not "she"…I keep it pre-written.

Set a timer to remind you to take your puppy out every 30 minutes. Take him to the spot you want him to potty and wait patiently until he does. Once he seems to be doing good with that, then set the timer for 45 minutes, and so on and so on. Work at getting it to 2 hours and up. Always take him to his potty spot. If he poops in the wrong place (house, or where ever) pick up the poop and put it where you want him to go and show him nicely so he will get the idea.

Also, take him out every time he wakes up, about 15-30 minutes after eating, and after hard play.

Never tell him NO when he potties in the wrong place because you will confuse him. He will think that the act of going potty is bad, not where he is going potty. And never stick his nose in it. You don’t want to scare him or make him angry with you.

Use positive reinforcement EVERY TIME. Tell him something like "good potty" when he gets it right.

Remember, he is a baby. Be patient and consistent. It takes a while to develop bladder control, but give him time and it will happen.

Good reading would be "Training Your Puppy" magazine type book by the editors of Dog Fancy magazine, and "House-Training" also by the editors of Dog Fancy.

You also might want to clean and deorderize the spots on the floor where she pees and poops so she won’t be attracted back to those spots. We use Fresh N Clean oxy-strength….it works great the first time, no need to use it over and over again to get rid of the smell and stain. I would swear by it!

As for obedience training….start NOW. You can never start too soon. We started at 8 weeks and he learned quickly.

Good luck

I have a 13 week old chihuahua x pomeranian, iv had him since he was 5 weeks old ( too young i know, his mum rejected the pups )

My question is, i have been training him on puppy pads coz we dont have a garden, he has learnt to only go to the toilet on the pad in my house and this is good cause im not in all day to take him out for a walk every time he needs. But when i visit other people he pee’s on their floor coz he doesnt know where to go.

My dad gave him a row but i said i cant do that coz he doesnt know any better in your house. How do i train him not to pee in any house without having to carry puppy pads everywhere even when he is not a puppy anymore?

Thanks xx

CRATE (HOUSE) TRAINING

First of all save your sanity and the carpets by not using paper or pads and house train her to go outside. Teaching her to go on paper or a pad is fine only if you keep it that way. Training her to go on paper then outside will only cause you to have to house train her twice. I love dogs and own a Golden Retriever but who wants to train a dog twice.

Next thing you need to do is keep a crate and don’t pen her in the kitchen or any other room. Only use the crate when you are unable to watch her but make sure the crate is of the proper size. Crates should just be big enough to allow the dog to stand up, stretch and turn around in. Dogs will not relieve themselves in the area they are sleeping unless they absolutely cannot hold it. Also there should not be anything left in the crate that the puppy can chew such as stuffed animals or blankets. If she does happen to have an accident in the crate these will retain moisture and the mess will be harder for you to clean.

When she is inside and out of the crate you can tether her to you, so that you can watch her closely. This also teaches her to be on a lead and at the same time she can be with you. If you don’t want to tether her then when she’s not crated you have to watch her like a hawk, not only in case she relieves herself, but for her own safety. She will chew things she shouldn’t that can be very dangerous. Many dogs have been electrocuted because of chewing through power cords.

To house train her. Take her outside every 20 minutes by carrying her, she hopefully won’t pee on you while in your arms. Tell her "Outside" in an exuberant and happy voice. Take her to where you want her to go, put the lead on her a tell her "Go Pee" watch her and when she goes praise her profusely. Something like " Good Girl, Go Pee" and make sure you pet her at the same time. Take her back inside, into the crate, tethered or just watching her. She will have accidents and (You have to catch her in the act) when she does, show her what she did and say in a stern low voice "No potty". It’s not what you are saying that gets her attention it’s how you say it. Take her outside as above and say " Go Pee". She likely won’t because she just went in the house. Stay outside for a few minutes and bring her back in. If training is consistent it should take no longer than 10-14 days. After she starts getting the idea you need to teach her how to get your attention when she needs to go out.