My chihuahua is 12 weeks old but is not even close to be potty trained, help?

Question

My puppy paco is about 12-13 weeks old now. i have tried to use the pad method and have left it in one spot. At first he was good with it then it was like he just didnt even see it was there anymore. he started going anywhere in the house. And whenever i would come home from work i would always take him right outside and sometimes he would go sometimes he wouldnt. Went he went on the floor i would put his face near it and then walk him to the pad this didnt seem to work either. so when he went on the floor i would take him right outside. He didnt get that either. I dont know what else to do? Im at a loss and i cant keep having him go all over my apartment. someone please help?????

Answer 1

Keep him in a kennel when your not home, when your home take him out every hour. Praise him when he goes outside, get rid of the stupid potty pads they are a waste of money. You just need to spend more time training your dog. Also putting the dog on a feeding schedule is important. You can control his having to go to the bathroom with that.

Answer 2

craate train and realize he won't get full control until 6-8 months old.

he should not be allowed to have much room unless he can be watched.

crate train him and make sure her goes out or taken to the pad every 2 hours. he should not be left alone for more than 3 hours during potty training...

Answer 3

and?

its a puppy!!! they're not usually fully potty trained until about 5 months.

the fact that you used the pad int eh house made him think it was okay to go in the house..

just keep working with it. they dont learn over night

Answer 4

You are right, he is too young to be potty trained.  Your punishment is confusing to the puppy, so the thing you think you are teaching, it the thing the puppy refused to do because in his mind it is punishment.

I use a crate* to potty train with, but only for potty training and then I break it down and store it.  I put blankets and a small food and water dish in the crate.  Dogs don't potty where they eat and sleep.  When they are first little, I only expect them to hold their potty for 4 hours, and then 6 hours, then 8 hours and so on.  So when they are first little, I set a timer or alarm clock to wake myself up at night to take them *out.  I only allow my puppy in the bedroom* or the living room, only one room at a time.  They have to graduate to more space.  If I allow them to have full run of the house, it will overwhelm them.  I take them out the same door each time.  I tie a dinner bell to the door handle.  Do not use a jingle bell as they could get their toe caught in it.  So when they are little, I ring the bell for them, and then open the door to go *outside to potty.  When they get bigger, I take their paw and whack the bell and open the door to go potty.  Eventually getting to the place where the puppy will ring the bell and let me know when they need to go potty.  Dogs want to please you, so it is your job to let them know what behaviors please you and what doesn't.  So when my puppy goes potty, I give her a treat*, and clap, and make a fuss and praise her.  So she learns that going potty outside makes me happy.  If she has an accident, make a disgust sound like “tsst”  and take her out right away.  I never yell* or spank* my puppies.  Take them out when they first wake up, after they eat or drink, before nap, finish romping, when their activities change, or when they are sniffing around. Some puppies go pee right away, but may not go p**p until 10 minutes later, so wait for the p**p.  I have a little play time here, because sometimes I think they are done, and they are not.  Puppies train at their own pace.  While I may have a puppy that hasn't had an accident in several weeks, I don't let my guard down.  I don't expect my puppies to be "fully potty trained" until one-year-old.  If they have a setback, shake it off, and start over.  I only have my puppies in the crate when I am not watching them.  When I am sleeping, cooking, ironing, doing chores, basically when I am not watching her.  All other times, she is out of the crate practicing being a "big girl."  This is the time I train her how to behave in the house.  So we are practicing "no barking", 'no biting", "no jumping", and "don't eat the furniture."  I also have to practice "playing inside" so she doesn't knock over things.  You must keep the puppy in sight when they are little because they don’t know the difference between newspaper and carpet, and you don’t want them sneaking off and getting into trouble.   Some puppies can sleep through the night around 3-months-old, but their bladder is grown around 6-months-old.



REVISIONS:



*I use a crate to train with.  It is the method I prefer, compared to other methods I have tried.  I noticed that if they are in the crate, while I am doing chores, they are o.k., because the crate allows them to see me and be re-assured.  The crate can also be a comfort when stored in the basement for dogs who live in areas where thunderstorms and tornados are an issue. .  However, use the method that works best for you.....a laundry basket, a cardboard box, a woof-woof house, x-pen, child gates, whatever works for you.



*Outside, pee pad, litter box, whichever method you are using.   When the puppy is first little, keep the pee pad, litter box near the food and water dish, so the puppy can eat and drink, and then go potty.  You can move it away as they get older.  The pee pad has a scent that smells and initiates potty.  Sometimes a pee pad makes a sound that scares some puppies, so you might want to use a litter box if that happens.  The pee pad allows a puppy to walk around, but a litter box keeps the puppy in one place.

*Bedrooms, I use the bedroom and living room for training, because it works for me.  Choose rooms that work for you, but watch for rooms that are damp, or drafty.  While my puppies sleep in the bedroom during training, once they are trained, I let them sleep where they want to.  They don't have to sleep in the bedroom forever.

*Treats.  While I use treats for training, you don't have to.  I like Charlee Bears for training (a little cracker for a little mouth,) I use them for training, but once they are trained, I cut back on them.



*Some puppies will go potty in the same spot each time.  Some puppies have to be told to go potty.  A command like "go out" for pee, or "go finish" for p**p, might work for you, keep saying “go finish” until the puppy poops.  This is a good thing to train if you travel with your dogs.  By using commands, the puppy won't get confused when you are visiting someone, on vacation with you, or when you get to a new home.  The command will tell them what you want them to do in an unfamiliar place.  You might also want to use a leash method, so the puppy doesn’t sneak off, or for strange places.

*Yelling.  It is not a good idea to "yell" or "spank" your puppy and then take them outside when they have an accident.  They may get confused and think that going outside is punishment.  While you want to correct them, if you are extreme, they may not want to go outside again.  Shake it off, and resume your schedule.  You have to keep it real.  Puppies train at their own pace,  but a puppy can only hold their potty for a few hours.  A guide would be 1 hour for each month of age, plus 1 hour, so a three-month-old puppy should only be expected to hold their potty for 4 hours at most.  

  

Source:  These tips, tricks, and ideas were contributed from many brilliant minds.  Thanks for your help!

Answer 5

  LOL! i know EXACTLY where you are comin from! I have a 15 week old yorkie and housetraining has been a nightmare!

  Ok, first of all the puppy needs consistancy, you cannot try all of these different methods, they confuse the poor thing. 2nd of all you are goin to need lots of patients.

  

  Prepping: Get rid of the pads in the house, if you have easy access to outside then you don't want/need them. You will need some special cleaning supplies (if you don't have them already) that specialize in pet waste. you will also need to make sure that there are no messes that the dog can still smell, this makes it very hard for him to risist peeing in the house cuz he can smell the pee.

   Method: Although some people would disagree, I have found that this method works the best for all sizes of dogs. Start out letting the puppy out every morning when you wake up, and 1/2 hour after he eats. put him in a crate while you are out/at work and let him outside when you get back. When he does pee in the house, give him a surious look, pick him up and bring him to the pee spot, stick his nose right in it, shout loudly in a deep voice, "NO!" and slap his bottom. (Dogs can sense your body language, so if you are mad he'll know it.)then bring him directly outside.

  He won't be purfect for a couple weeks, but he WILL get it if you stick to the method. some day he will get it and everything will fall into place. One day my yorkie was peeing everywhere, and the next she completely got it and hasn't had an accident in a pretty long time. Good luck, and hope i helped. :)

Answer 6

Get rid of the pads - these only encourage the dog it's okay to go inside the house.

Get him on a routine for walking and feeding.  When you take him outside, stay outside until he goes.  Do not come back in.

If he goes inside and you see him do it, then a firm "no", and go outside with him.

If you do not see him in the act, then just clean it up.  Dog's live for the moment, and will not know what they did even just a minute ago is a bad thing.  Showing them the problem only makes not go in that particular spot, but does not stop them from going in a spot a few inches away.

He is a puppy, and a lot of patience is needed.  When you can watch him, let him have run of the house.  However, when you are out or cannot keep an eye on him, he needs to be confined to where he can't get into any trouble.

Answer 7

I used this method on my puppy, the bell method. It's where you take a bell and put it on a string on the doorknob low enough for paco to ring. Ring it every time you go out or before you take him out side.

And I crate trained him for overnight.

Answer 8

Try rewarding him when he goes on the pad. You need to be there when he goes though or he won't know why he is getting the treat. When you aren't there to watch him, keep him in a cage till he is trained. Otherwise you are giving him an oppurtunity to get in trouble.