pet owners.

landonsmother · 07-03-2008, 06:25 AM #1 (**permalink**)

hey everyone! i recently got a puppy. he's a chihuahua terrier mix. he's a little over 2 months old. i got him when he was a week short of turning 2 months old so i'm basically like his momma, training him & taking care of him & such.

he is so adorable & very playful & i couldn't imagine my life without him. i'm totally attached to him but there's one problem. a huge one. i can't really train him on how to go the bathroom. i know it takes time but there are times when i get really frustrated. i live with my boyfriend & his parents & since it's not my home, whenever he pees on the floor or carpet they get mad.

i've been doing a great job by catching him trying to pee & poop on the floor or carpet & before he makes a mistake, i carry him over to his pad so he can urinate there. then i reward him with a treat for "going" in the right area. i've googled on how to train pups to use the bathroom & i've done everything that they've said but i'm not having the best of luck right now. i look for signs to see when he needs to "go" but i totally miss them.

so to all you ladies & gents who has had or have dogs that live in your home, how did you guys train them & how long does it approximately take for the dog to catch on that he needs to "go" in the right area?? my BF parents are on the verge of kicking my puppy out of the house to live outside & i don't want that to happen

he sleeps with us in our bedroom & he's really good about "going" on the pad we have in our room. it's just that when we take him out in to the living room, he has accidents all the time. he is a smart puppy. i trained him how to "sit" in 2 days & he knows the use of the pad in our room but i don't get that he just "go's" wherever he wants when we're in the living room. someone, please help.

*edit*
here's a picture of him btw. just thought that i'd add one

world............meet NISMO!

aimee · 07-03-2008, 07:43 AM #2 (**permalink**)

dont give up
really youre doing it right catch him bring him to the bathroom
and then give him a treat
my co worker got a dog and it took her about 8 1/2 months to train the dog to pee and poop at the right place haha

aimee · 07-03-2008, 07:44 AM #3 (**permalink**)

maybe hes confused because its another pad you know i would just use one pad

DirtyHarriet · 07-03-2008, 10:31 AM #4 (**permalink**)

definitely use one pad. puppies usually are very faithful to their pee spot. also, keep in mind that small dogs usually take longer to house train than large dogs.

also, you may want to keep him in your room at all times. when he's unsupervised kennel him. allow him to adopt a kennel into his 'den'...it's a natural dog behavior...if you don't have a kennel...get one that is small...it needs to feel cozy like a den...and to get him to like his kennel throw treats in there and toys, so if he goes in there when you're home he's surprised pleasantly with a treat...also, bribe him to enter his kennel...don't just throw him in there. dogs don't pee where they sleep, so he won't go in his kennel.

by keeping him in your room all the time (at least you're walking him etc), you'll make his world a little smaller, and hopefully clear up any confusion.

patience patience...and lots of repetition...and you'll get there...

as for your family...make sure you're very vigilant about cleaning up after the puppy...also, offer to have the carpets if there are any, cleaned professionally when it's all done...

a small dog is not an outside pet...so don't let them move him outside...if worse comes to worse, you may have to put your puppy up for adoption...which will be much better for him than making him live outside...

i have A LOT of dog experience...both with my own dogs, and the 50+ dogs i have house sat while in grad school...so pm me if you have any more questions!

stacylynne · 07-03-2008, 12:51 PM #5 (**permalink**)

Only use 1 pad. If he has an accident pick him up & put him on the wee wee pad. When he goes on the pad, praise him &/or give him a treat (don't give him a treat everytime).

The little ones are sometimes hard to housebreak. I have 2 malteses, trust me I know.
Just remember to keep with it & don't give up.

landonsmother · 07-03-2008, 01:09 PM #6 (**permalink**)

thanks for all the replies. i really appreciate it. i will definitely look into that kettel thing. having my puppy live outside or putting him up for adoption is out of the question. pets are just like your kids. you wouldn't kick your 3 year old out if he was to pee his pants on an accident right?

charlie2504 · 07-03-2008, 01:14 PM #7 (**permalink**)

Please don't mind if I'm making some mistakes, as english is not my first language ...

But as a dog owner, my advice: Be patient! He's only two months old, he don't have a total control on his bladder and his intestins so it's possible that he know he have to go on his pad but can't reach it on time...Usually it takes few weeks, months, to have a dog house trained. The kennel is a good idea, puppies usually don't pee/poop where they sleep. A hint: puppies pees right after waking up, so bring him on it right after his nap.! Good luck!

Distinque · 07-03-2008, 01:14 PM #8 (**permalink**)

hey lisa! I have a total of 3 dogs and 2 of them are maltese so they're inside dogs. Just use one pad like everyone is suggesting and once he pees change it immediately. I noticed that my dogs don't like to pee on a already soiled pad. I also take my dogs out to pee because my boy doggie isn't fixed so he likes to be a man and mark his spot. When your dog does use the pad properly give him a treat and make a huge thing about it like "goood boy!".

Hope this helps

xsnowwhite · 07-03-2008, 03:10 PM #9 (**permalink**)

your puppy is ADORABLE! I agree with the others, be patient, it can take a long time.

xtiffineyx · 07-03-2008, 06:42 PM #10 (**permalink**)

He's adorable! And yes, it takes A LOT of time and A LOT of patience! I know it's frustrating since you have the pressure of his parents too, but you're just going to have to tell them that it takes time and eventually he'll get it. I highly recommend kenneling. It helps A LOT with training. If you've never kenneled a dog before you need to do a lot of research on it before you do it. You want it to be his "safe spot" so never ever ever put him in there as punishment, I can't stress this enough! It's one of the biggest problems I see with people when they're trying to train their puppies.

You'll be able to find a lot of info on the web, but here's a great link:
Crate Training | The Humane Society of the United States

Goodluck & keep us updated! =)

iluffyew769769 · 07-03-2008, 06:42 PM #11 (**permalink**)

try training him on those doggy potty pads. They sell them at petco and petsmart and target. They are inexpensive and work really well. That's how we trained my chihuahua

DirtyHarriet · 07-03-2008, 08:26 PM #12 (**permalink**)

your puppy is ADORABLE!! keep us posted on his progress!

and yes, i agree with you completely...dogs are definitely part of the family!!!

CantAffordMAC · 07-03-2008, 08:31 PM #13 (**permalink**)

Im sorry i have no advice. But I had to tell u that ur dog might be the cutest thign Ive ever seen...ever. How could anyone get mad at that face?????

Good luck!

TDoll · 07-03-2008, 08:36 PM #14 (**permalink**)

I have owned 2 Yorkshire Terrriers and have trained one myself.
I agree with some of the above posters about the one pad. When you do change to a fresh pad, rub some of the pee from the other one onto the new one. Do it sneaky too. I swear dogs are detectives. Mine would notice when I'd change the pad if he saw me doing it.
If he's peeing on it in the bedroom, it's probably because he feels safe and calm. When he's in other parts of the house, he's probably getting excited and confused. Are there a lot of people around? He may also be a "happy pee-er". Which means he's getting so excited about all the people around or seeing new people or just happy to get attention and then pees. He may be getting so excited that all his pee pad knowledge goes out the window...lol. Ours definitely has "happy pee" issues and we're still working on that.

Also, my belief is that you cannot use a pee pad forever. Use it to train him, then when the pad is gone, he'll know that he cannot pee in the house at all because there is no "spot" for him. Start taking him outside on a regular basis. Keep him on a leash so he knows he's not out there to run around. All throughout the day, right before bed, and early in the morning. Keep him out there until he pees. Or try to use a word over and over that he'll associate with doin' his, um, business. Our words are super dumb, but we say "pee pee" or "stinky"...lol. He understands that if he's out there too long and he hears the word, he needs to get down to his business. Just establish a routine and be patient. If you're consistent, he'll learn easily. He'll start to understand that when he has to "go", he'll do something like stand at the door or grunt at you. And always reward him with a treat when he comes inside. Only if he "goes" though.
Good luck with him and keep us updated!

He's ADORABLE by the way!