Hello. I'm having trouble house breaking my dog and I'm hoping maybe some
of you can give me suggestions on what I'm doing wrong and what might help.
Here's the background.

I own a one year old male chihuahua, 13 months to be exact. He weighs a
strapping 4 lbs and is nuetered, I had him done right at six months old. At
seven months old I began crate training him. I am also a stay-at-home mom
so I am at the house all day long.

Now I realize I should have crate trained him right from the start but alas
I can't go back in time and fix that. Better late than never I suppose,
hope...

I have a fenced in backyard and I have always been really good about taking
him outside. These days I take him outside I would say about six times a
day. When he was smaller it felt ridiculous, I was taking him out every
half an hour or hour.

I tried really hard to keep him right with me, but it seemed like every time
I'd turn my head for a second I'd find a turd on the floor. I never
scold(ed) him for it. In fact, my husband is a little irritated with me for
it because he feels I need to let the dog know. But everything I've read
says to not punish the dog for it so I never have except for maybe on only
two occasions.

I have a baby gate blocking between my kitchen and livingroom. Before I
crate trained him I used to just put him in the kitchen. The rest of the
house is carpeted but the kitchen is not. Well to this day he will not go
potty on the kitchen floor. It has been very rare that he ever pooped or
peed in the kitchen.

Another mistake I made in the beginning was I let him eat from an auto
feeder. Again, a few months ago (around the time I got him a crate) I got
him a regular food dish. I give him three small feedings a day. One in the
morning, one in the afternoon, and once late in the evening. Often times
he'll skip the afternoon feeding. However I'm not always exact in my
feeding times; this I'm going to correct from now on and keep his feedings
to a very strict schedule.

Upon waking up in the morning he needs to go outside and I always take him
out right away. Afterwards he likes to sit outside in the sun for an hour
or so. I've also learned that within an hour of eating he usually needs to
go potty. I immediately put him in his crate after eating and about an hour
later I let him outside.

He has never soiled his crate, even on occasions when he had to spend the
whole day in it.

Now where he's gone potty in the house I admit to having not always got them
cleaned in the best way (getting that hidden smell out). Soon I plan on
having the carpets cleaned and I intend on making sure that whoever the
cleaner is has the right cleaning agent to get those odors out.

Now here's the thing. For the longest time he wouldn't pee in the house.
Then about a month ago my mother-in-law came over with her dog (a male
boykin spaniel). My dog didn't seem to have any problems with her dog being
there (and her dog never marked in my house), and in fact wagged his tail
the whole time and tried to play. And then all of a sudden I saw him peeing
on the carpet. And since then, I've busted him doing it a couple more times
and I wouldn't be surprised if he's done it more in times when I wasn't
watching him like a hawk.

Quite often we go for days without him pooping anywhere in the house. But
when he has his evening romp, and if I've let him out a little longer than
usual and turned my head for a moment, I'll find a little tootsie roll
somewhere in the house (oh yes, and he doesn't seem to have any preferred
spot to go potty). And that's the whole thing. I don't think it's that I
have him "trained" at all, I just *usually* have him in his crate at the
right times and have him timed well enough for taking him outside that I'm
"catching" his poops (and most pees) in time.

So trying to summarize this a little. I know I need to a) make his feeding
times very strict and b) get the carpets well cleaned. Should I be keeping
his water dish from him too except for at feeding times and times when I
absolutely know he's thirsty? I've also realized I don't praise him all
that much when he does go potty outside, so I'm going to correct that and
lavish him with praise when he does go. And I guess I'm just going to have
to keep an even closer eye on him when he's out than I already am.

What else am I missing then? It seems to be that somewhere he got the idea
that it's okay to do his business on the carpet, but not on tile or linoleum
(or he doesn't like the feel of it or something). I'm sort of getting to a
loss as to what else I need to be doing. Thanks for taking the time to read
all this, and if you have any advice I sure would appreciate it.

--Heather

"B&H" wrote:
So trying to summarize this a little. I know I need to a) make his feeding
times very strict and b) get the carpets well cleaned.

With a black light, you can find all his pee spots. Get a spray bottle of
Simple Solution or Nature's Miracle, a black light, and solve this part of the
problem in minutes.

Should I be keeping
his water dish from him too except for at feeding times and times when I
absolutely know he's thirsty?

No. Dogs need fresh water all the time.

I've also realized I don't praise him all
that much when he does go potty outside, so I'm going to correct that and
lavish him with praise when he does go.

There you go. That's the part that actually potty-trains the dog. Up until
now, he hasn't been getting any clear messages about where he's supposed to be
going.

And I guess I'm just going to have
to keep an even closer eye on him when he's out than I already am.

Yes, and I'd restrict him to certain rooms until he's dependable in those
rooms. Then you can slowly expand his area. As you open up new parts of the
house to him, make sure you give him the message that these new territories are
part of his den. Do things in there like play with him, feed him, hang out
with him.

When you're not directly supervising him, either crate him or tether him to
you.

What else am I missing then?

Sounds like he's not neutered. The marking he did when the other dog came into
his home is the evidence. If you neuter him, he'll be much less likely to
mark. Left intact, he may always tend to mark when he's anxious about his
environment (new animals, changes in routine, even sometimes new furniture).
This issue is time-sensitive. If he engages in marking behavior enough for it
to become a habit, neutering won't help.

Lastly, he's a chihuahua. He has a bladder the size of a pea. He will never
be able to hold it the way a larger dog can. There are exceptions - I had a
chi/pug who would pop before he'd go in the house - but in general, you can't
expect the same control from a tiny guy. If he's alone for more than 5-6 hours
at a time, you should provide him puppy pads or a dog litter box.

Sounds like you're on the right track. Have patience. He's had the habit of
going inside for a long time, so it may take quite a while before he "gets" it.

PetsMart Pet Trainer
My Kids, My Students, My Life:
http://hometown.aol.com/dfrntdrums/m...age/index.html
Last updated June 27 at 10:00 a.m.

Well, I'm quite positive he was nuetered... He was a cryptorchid and had
both of his testicles surgically dug out and removed.

But I agree, the action he went through was just like marking. I don't know
if the other dog somehow intimidated him or got him just too excited or what
exactly the deal was. Either way, thanks for the suggestion about using a
black light to find all the pee spots, I will definitely do that.



"Leah" -OFF wrote in message
...
"B&H" wrote:
So trying to summarize this a little. I know I need to a) make his
feeding
times very strict and b) get the carpets well cleaned.

With a black light, you can find all his pee spots. Get a spray bottle of
Simple Solution or Nature's Miracle, a black light, and solve this part of
the
problem in minutes.

Should I be keeping
his water dish from him too except for at feeding times and times when I
absolutely know he's thirsty?

No. Dogs need fresh water all the time.

I've also realized I don't praise him all
that much when he does go potty outside, so I'm going to correct that and
lavish him with praise when he does go.

There you go. That's the part that actually potty-trains the dog. Up
until
now, he hasn't been getting any clear messages about where he's supposed
to be
going.

And I guess I'm just going to have
to keep an even closer eye on him when he's out than I already am.

Yes, and I'd restrict him to certain rooms until he's dependable in those
rooms. Then you can slowly expand his area. As you open up new parts of
the
house to him, make sure you give him the message that these new
territories are
part of his den. Do things in there like play with him, feed him, hang
out
with him.

When you're not directly supervising him, either crate him or tether him
to
you.

What else am I missing then?

Sounds like he's not neutered. The marking he did when the other dog came
into
his home is the evidence. If you neuter him, he'll be much less likely to
mark. Left intact, he may always tend to mark when he's anxious about his
environment (new animals, changes in routine, even sometimes new
furniture).
This issue is time-sensitive. If he engages in marking behavior enough
for it
to become a habit, neutering won't help.

Lastly, he's a chihuahua. He has a bladder the size of a pea. He will
never
be able to hold it the way a larger dog can. There are exceptions - I had
a
chi/pug who would pop before he'd go in the house - but in general, you
can't
expect the same control from a tiny guy. If he's alone for more than 5-6
hours
at a time, you should provide him puppy pads or a dog litter box.

Sounds like you're on the right track. Have patience. He's had the habit
of
going inside for a long time, so it may take quite a while before he
"gets" it.

PetsMart Pet Trainer
My Kids, My Students, My Life:
http://hometown.aol.com/dfrntdrums/m...age/index.html
Last updated June 27 at 10:00 a.m.

Hi ,
I recently adopted a little dog , just under 5lbs and we have had a
little problem with house training.
It's good that you are not punishing your dog for having accidents
but you said except for two occasions and the fact that he goes when
you stop watching him suggests that he remembered he was punished and
is trying not to go in front of you.
Diddy didn't know how to ask to go out and the his foster mum said
to stay out with him until he goes. I found it took quite a long time
until he would go and I thought praising and making a fuss , telling
him he's a good boy would help. But I found that after doing that he
would take even longer! Being a submissive dog and new and unsure , I
think he found the attention too much and there was too much pressure
to perform .
I left it for a few days and then when ever he went on a walk and
peed and pooed , I wouldn't look at him but said quietly do a wee.
goodboy, as he was going . I waited until he was in mid stream or
other wise he would stop and not go . If some nights it didn't look
like he would go in the garden, I would take him out a few yards up
the road and he woild go quite quickly.
You've made a good start and Leah has made some good suggestions .
Does your dog have proper walks . You could try feeding him just twice
a day and taking him out for walks at least twice a day and off leash
if possible . Most dogs will go to the toilet on a walk if the walks
are regular , it becomes a habit
--
Alison

("B&H" wrote in message
...
Hello. I'm having trouble house breaking my dog and I'm hoping
maybe some
of you can give me suggestions on what I'm doing wrong and what
might help.
Here's the background.

I own a one year old male chihuahua, 13 months to be exact. He
weighs a
strapping 4 lbs and is nuetered, I had him done right at six months
old. At
seven months old I began crate training him. I am also a
stay-at-home mom
so I am at the house all day long.

Now I realize I should have crate trained him right from the start
but alas
I can't go back in time and fix that. Better late than never I
suppose,
hope...

I have a fenced in backyard and I have always been really good about
taking
him outside. These days I take him outside I would say about six
times a
day. When he was smaller it felt ridiculous, I was taking him out
every
half an hour or hour.

I tried really hard to keep him right with me, but it seemed like
every time
I'd turn my head for a second I'd find a turd on the floor. I never
scold(ed) him for it. In fact, my husband is a little irritated
with me for
it because he feels I need to let the dog know. But everything I've
read
says to not punish the dog for it so I never have except for maybe
on only
two occasions.

I have a baby gate blocking between my kitchen and livingroom.
Before I
crate trained him I used to just put him in the kitchen. The rest
of the
house is carpeted but the kitchen is not. Well to this day he will
not go
potty on the kitchen floor. It has been very rare that he ever
pooped or
peed in the kitchen.

Another mistake I made in the beginning was I let him eat from an
auto
feeder. Again, a few months ago (around the time I got him a crate)
I got
him a regular food dish. I give him three small feedings a day.
One in the
morning, one in the afternoon, and once late in the evening. Often
times
he'll skip the afternoon feeding. However I'm not always exact in
my
feeding times; this I'm going to correct from now on and keep his
feedings
to a very strict schedule.

Upon waking up in the morning he needs to go outside and I always
take him
out right away. Afterwards he likes to sit outside in the sun for
an hour
or so. I've also learned that within an hour of eating he usually
needs to
go potty. I immediately put him in his crate after eating and about
an hour
later I let him outside.

He has never soiled his crate, even on occasions when he had to
spend the
whole day in it.

Now where he's gone potty in the house I admit to having not always
got them
cleaned in the best way (getting that hidden smell out). Soon I
plan on
having the carpets cleaned and I intend on making sure that whoever
the
cleaner is has the right cleaning agent to get those odors out.

Now here's the thing. For the longest time he wouldn't pee in the
house.
Then about a month ago my mother-in-law came over with her dog (a
male
boykin spaniel). My dog didn't seem to have any problems with her
dog being
there (and her dog never marked in my house), and in fact wagged his
tail
the whole time and tried to play. And then all of a sudden I saw
him peeing
on the carpet. And since then, I've busted him doing it a couple
more times
and I wouldn't be surprised if he's done it more in times when I
wasn't
watching him like a hawk.

Quite often we go for days without him pooping anywhere in the
house. But
when he has his evening romp, and if I've let him out a little
longer than
usual and turned my head for a moment, I'll find a little tootsie
roll
somewhere in the house (oh yes, and he doesn't seem to have any
preferred
spot to go potty). And that's the whole thing. I don't think it's
that I
have him "trained" at all, I just *usually* have him in his crate at
the
right times and have him timed well enough for taking him outside
that I'm
"catching" his poops (and most pees) in time.

So trying to summarize this a little. I know I need to a) make his
feeding
times very strict and b) get the carpets well cleaned. Should I be
keeping
his water dish from him too except for at feeding times and times
when I
absolutely know he's thirsty? I've also realized I don't praise him
all
that much when he does go potty outside, so I'm going to correct
that and
lavish him with praise when he does go. And I guess I'm just going
to have
to keep an even closer eye on him when he's out than I already am.

What else am I missing then? It seems to be that somewhere he got
the idea
that it's okay to do his business on the carpet, but not on tile or
linoleum
(or he doesn't like the feel of it or something). I'm sort of
getting to a
loss as to what else I need to be doing. Thanks for taking the time
to read
all this, and if you have any advice I sure would appreciate it.

--Heather