Potty training indoor small breeds?

[eckoinlasvegas]

Hello all, my name is Steven. I am new to these forums but not new to forums in general. I attempted to search but I am not too familiar with the tersm I should be using to search.

A little FYI: I live in Henderson NV (outside of LV). I am a proud parent of my male Miniature Pinscher. He is very well behaved and house trained. Ive had him since he was a puppy (and a big terror). I have raised him for the most part his entire life and have done decent in raising him.


Our newest edition to our pet family is my girlfriends Chihuahua. I personally think he is mixed with some member from the Doxen (sp) family because of his shape and overall appearence.




Heres my problem:

The dog was a stary when he was found about 4 weeks ago. My g/f and I adopted him from our local shelter no more than 1 week ago. I have a feeling his previous owner either beat him or he is simply neuortic like many small dogs can be. He is playful yet scared at the same time and I play "chase" just trying to get him to go to bed so I can shut the door.

He is 1 year old and was neutored (sp) by state law for adopted pets.

Since we have had him he will go urinate (for lack of a happier word) in very very small amounts! My Min Pin goes 2 maybe 3 times a day at the most where our Chi goes 6-8 times a day. And only goes a very very little.

But the problem is, he goes ALL the time! He only urinates in the house though. I leave our patio door (i live in a upstairs apt) cracked open for the 2 dogs to go out and sniff/nose around if they want to.

The Chi has learned in less than 5 days he can go #2 on the patio which isnt good, but is much better than on the carpet. BUT, he refuses to go urinate anywhere else. I do a small load of cleaning rags every day just to keep the carpet spot free.


How do I train him?

Well, please dont get angry or upset, but I do what most people do. I get upset, pick him up, show him what he did. In a loud firm voice I tell him "No, bad dog" or something of that nature. Swat him lightly on his butt and out him aside so I can clean it.

I have always been able to house train my dogs without any technique (crate or pads). Since I now live in an apartment where space is limited I cant have 8+ urine stains every day all over.




I have been able to get my min pin to stop marking his terrirtory around the house, but Im affriad he may start soon is he keeps smelling the other dogs urine.



Right now my space and finances are tight. I will in the very near future get pet odor removal spray and his own bed/crate. Until then what else can I do to properly train my dog???

[chocolatecoffee]

Welcome to Chaz and congratulations on adopting!

I live in Henderson NV (outside of LV).
That's where I adopted my second pup from! Just so you know :p.

Anyways, I'd recommend a crate. With the dogs I've housetrained, I've found that crates have been incredibly helpful. Naturally, dogs avoid messing the area where they sleep, so they won't mess in the crate. That way, you can set the Chihuahua out every so often and set him up for success. If you don't have a crate yet, try tethering him to you with his leash during the day so you can keep an eye on him and take him outside when you want. Then when he pees outside, there's a little party and he's so happy, that's where he wants to go from now on (of course it takes longer than that, but that's the general idea).

Well, please dont get angry or upset, but I do what most people do. I get upset, pick him up, show him what he did. In a loud firm voice I tell him "No, bad dog" or something of that nature. Swat him lightly on his butt and out him aside so I can clean it.
I can understand getting frustrated with him, but this really won't help. My most recent adoption was swatted whenever she had an accident and it just made her incredibly fearful and now she'll try to pee in the corner to avoid getting hurt. She didn't learn not to go inside, she learned to hide it to avoid getting swatted. Also, unless you catch him in the act, it's impossible for him to make the connection and he just gets scared and confused.

The key to housetraining is consistency. As long as you show them the right way and set them up for success, they'll be well on their way. I've found that smaller dogs can be a bit harder to housetrain, but he will get it eventually.

Good luck, your pups sound adorable!

[eckoinlasvegas]

I am thinking his recent neutering is what is causing constant urine problems. Is there a chance this may be part of the problem of him going so often and so little?

[chocolatecoffee]

Do you know how long ago he was neutered? I'm not too sure, but it might be related to a UTI. Does he have any blood in his urine or does it seem painful to urinate? Do you know if it's difficult for him to hold it, or if he's just used to going more often?

It might also just be behavioural. After the stress of being neutered, ending up in a shelter, then going to a new home, he might just be looking for some attention. Some dogs know that urinating will get them attention, so they'll do just that.

If it doesn't get better, I'd probably get the little guy checked out by a vet just to be sure. A UTI is generally very easy to detect through a simple urine test.

[RedyreRottweilers]

Please please please do not hit or scold your puppy.

Here is how to housetrain a puppy:


House Training

House training your dog is simple if you follow a few basic rules.

1) The puppy must have NO time unsupervised in your home. NONE.
If you are not directly watching the puppy, it should be in the
crate, or outside in a safe area. You MUST watch the puppy at ALL
times when loose in the house. Use baby gates, crates, or tie the
leash to your belt.

2) The puppy should sleep inside the crate by your bedside.
This way you can hear if the puppy should happen to need to go out
during the night.

3) You must go WITH the puppy outside for ALL trips for
elimination. You must have treats with you. When the puppy is
urinating, say "GO PEE PEE" in a nice praise tone of voice the entire
time. When she is finished, pop the treat into her mouth at once, and
praise praise praise. This should be something she gets at no other
time, like tiny pieces of string cheese or boiled chicken. Same for
defecation. Say "GO POOP" while she is going, and food reward and
praise afterwards. You must observe and reward ALL outdoor potty time.

4) Keep a schedule. Feed at the same time, and walk outside at
the same times. Your pup needs at least 4 trips outdoors each day,
and 5 is probably better. Pup needs to go out at wake up time, lunch
time, 4-5 PM, after dinner or any other meals, and before bed.

5) Use a key word each time you go out. I say "Let's go out!!"
in a happy tone of voice each time I'm opening the door to go out with the dog.

6) If you catch the puppy IN THE ACT of eliminating in your
house, CLAP YOUR HANDS, say AH AH, OUTSIDE!! And immediately rush her
outside. If she finishes there, do your usual food reward and praise.

The keys to getting your dog reliably housetrained are:

SUPERVISION: NO loose time in the house if you are not watching

REWARDS: ALL outdoor elimination MUST be observed
and rewarded. If you only do this ONE thing, your puppy will get housetrained.

PATIENCE: Anger and punishment have no place in dog
training. Elimination is a natural and pleasurable experience for
your dog. You can teach her to not soil your house, but punishment
will NOT help. It will only teach the dog to hide when she needs to eliminate.

If you have applied these techniques carefully for 4 weeks and you are still finding spots or piles after the fact, it's time for stronger measures. Roll up a newspaper and fasten both ends with a rubber band. Keep it handy. The very next time you find a spot of a pile that the dog has left behind, whip out that newspaper, and hit YOURSELF over the head firmly several times as you repeat "I FORGOT TO WATCH MY PUPPY".

Works every time.

:D

[Saje]

Has the vet checked him for a urinary tract infection?

[eckoinlasvegas]

its only been 6 days since we've had him. He seems to be getting much better at knowing he shouldnt be going in thr house. its gone dwon from about 8 times a day to around 2-3. He does go urinate outside but he still doesnt understand the concept.

but on the other hand he is so extremely playful and loveable its almost too much!

[Ash47]

Red's post is everything in a nutshell. Crate training is the way to go with housetraining. I used it on Roxy, my Chihuahua. Spud was crate trained and Precious just kinda knew. (very lucky with Precious, I must say)

[PoodleMommy]

Welcome to Chaz!!!

I love Vegas my grandparents live in Henderson, so we have been out there a number of times!

I would also recommend the crate, as it is the easiest way to train a dog with minimal accidents.

As others have said, if he is still going in very little amounts all day, you may want to have him checked out by a vet.

Good Luck

Elissa