i need some advice

[Lilfoot83]

I was hoping that maybe someone can help me. I have a chihuahua who is 5 months old and I having a little trouble trying to train him to go to the bathroom in his litter box. I've tried everything from smacking him and rubbing his nose in it and nothing is working out. He continues to go on the floor. (which I may point out that we have carpet). Is there any type of stuff that i can use. I need some advice on trying to get him to go in his litter box. If anybody can help me that would be great. Thank you

 

[candy722]

You have to take your dog to the litter box every 2-3 hours. If he doesn't potty then just sit there with him until he goes or put him back on the crate or a room where he won't make a mess until his ready to go potty again. You can also take a little of his urine and put it on his litter so that he thinks he potty there. THat will also help. I know sometimes it gets frustrating and you just want to smack your dog but that won't work because they eventually get used to it or they just be afraid of anything whenever you raise your hand. You have to be persistant on the litter box by taking him onto the litter box every 2-3 hours. The older he gets he can hold it longer. By the time his 7-8 months he will be naughty can will try to mark territory. I think males are alot harder to train inside homes. I know take my boy outside to potty but he still uses the wee wee pad to pee whenever he has to go.

 

[Lilfoot83]

But I always told to rub their noses in the mess so they know not to do that. And what I mean by hitting him is light smack on the butt so he knows that he did bad. It's not like I get an enjoyment from hitting him. Not that type of person

 

[Lilfoot83]

Thanks for calling my parents and my boyfriends parents idiots. I really don't think that you should be calling people names. Because I read online and in books that it says to rub their noses in the mess. And I know alot of people who do that too.And vets even told my mom that too. All I did was ask a question. So I think you should watch who you call names. I didn't expect to get name calling.

 

[Lilfoot83]

i don't know where you are from but by the way you talk, you must be from the south or the city. And for your information i have a very good relationship with my dog. And thank you for not helping me. I asked about litter box training,so if you didn't have any advice then just leave it at that. I'm guessing you don't have a chihuahua. Don't tell me how to or what to do with my dog. B/c it seems from other posts that you have to stick "your" nose where it doesn't belong. And being nasty to other people. Also what type of dogs do you have? probably big dogs so don't tell me how to train a chihuahua.
So if you post something stupid to me again. i will report you

 

[candy722]

Lilfoot83 I understand exactly what you mean. I used to smack my yorkie lighty in the butt too but I stopped because he got used to it and it doesn't hurt him because i dont do it hard. Actually my yorkie thinks that im playing with him whenever I smack him on the butt. Another thing is that small dogs are fragile and a little smack in the wrong place can fracture their bones. It's obvious so I know your not smacking him hard when his bad. You have to train your dog with positive rewards. Training is hard especially when your not consistant and requires lots of patience. Another thing you can do it don't let your dog roam the entire house because it makes it harder to potty train them. Hope my advice will help you and I have faith in you.

 

[Lilfoot83]

Okay. lets leave it like this. You don't have any advice about litter box training. Fine let's not speak to each other again. Thanks

 

[Renee750il]

Okay, let's be logical about this whole rubbing the nose in it idea. If you think about it, it makes no sense whatsoever. A) Dogs lick their butts, so how bad can it be on their snoot? B) In your dog's reasoning, you're telling it you want it to eat the stuff - not what you want to accomplish at all! C) You're dealing with a very fragile little dog and forcing its head like that can injure its little neck very easily.

Once, it was an accepted form of discipline to beat children. We know better now. The same goes for teaching our dogs.

 

[Lilfoot83]

I don't rub his nose in his poop. Now i even kno that thats nasty. I'm not telling him to eat, I always told that if a dog goes on the floor, you're suppose to rub their snout and tell them no.

 

[Renee750il]

I realize you're not meaning to tell him to eat it, but dogs, and especially puppies, don't always understand things they way we think they will.

I wish I could remember whose idea it was so I could give them proper credit, but someone here had the BEST advice for dealing with those accidents, and it even works when you don't catch it immediately. When she found an accident, she scolded the accident - that way her dog realized the bad thing was the puddle or the pile in the floor. It worked like a charm!

 

[Lilfoot83]

So you're saying that she yelled at the floor and not at the dog. I've never heard of that before. And you say it actually works. Maybe i'll try that.

 

[Renee750il]

She yelled at the pile of poo or the puddle on the floor. It worked! I did it with Kharma when she was a baby, and she picked right up on the idea. She even came in and growled at it once, then ran to the door to be let out.

 

[Lilfoot83]

I'll have to try that. Thanks!!! How long does it take for the dog to understand?

 

[Renee750il]

It depends on the dog, just like with kids. The small breeds do seem to take a little longer than the large breeds for some reason, though. Patience is the one thing you just can't do this without. And hey, at least with a little one you don't have to worry about the "accident" stopping up the toilet! rolleyes: You don't EVEN want to know . . . . )

 

[Debi]

Lilfoot...believe me, I don't pretend to know much...but I do know that the ONLY way to house train a dog is thru much patience. Serena is right...that poor pup has no clue why he is being punished. They also don't really have full bladder control til older. You do have to just patiently take him to the box (or outside) every 2 hours......I did this day and night. It only takes a couple weeks, it's amazing how quickly they catch on....BUT IT HAS TO BE CONSTANT. I'm not familiar with Chis.......so maybe they need even more patience. Rubbing his nose in the mess really isn't effective at all....just soooooooo upsetting to him. You sound like someone that would never want to upset your pup that way. As the pup gets older, then you can expand the time between taking him to the box. It's not the dog's fault if there is an accident....it is your total responsibility. It's very effective if you see him squat..to pick him up and carry him to the box quickly.........then praise him to the hilt!! Also, it worked really well for me to tell them....we would go out, and I would say "go potty"....then they did, instead of just thinking it was outdoor play time. They are much smarter than we sometimes imagine.

 

[Debi]

Lilfoot, I just had one more thought to add. And, this is just my opinion here...but IF your vet did tell you that, just be aware that in some areas he may be totally clueless. Your vet should be highly skilled in the medical care of your pet......but that doesn't mean he knows much about general training or nutrition. It would be like assuming your highly qualified medical physician knew everything about raising a child.....just not always the case. I've known some vets that never even raised a pet. Just don't be too quick to take their word as gospel. Take it upon yourself to learn about training and such, and let him be the medical expert. Most vets promote certain foods because it is promoted to them, not because they know anything about the true quality. Just keep in mind that they don't know everything, but respect what they are qualified to do in regard to your pet's medical well being.

 

[Renee750il]

Excellent and well-put, Debi.

 

[Lilfoot83]

Thank you for your Debi. I mean this was years ago when the vet told my mom to do that with our dog when we first got her. But that was also 14 yrs ago. I realize that it doesn't phase him anyway. So i've been trying different ways to housebreak him. But nothing seems to be working. I'm with him all the time and he still doesn't go in the right place. So i'm gonna try the method that Renee750il told me lastnight. Thanks for all the advice.

 

[i'm_sofa_king]

i've always read that the two most important things when potty training a puppy are comsisteny and patience. i'm about to get a ShhTzu puppy on the 18th of Dec. so i get to try to housebreak my first small dog.

consistency. take them outside, or in your case to the litter box every two hours. the time between potty breaks, keep an eye on them, if you see him squathing, or shiffing the gound, take him to the box. when they wake-up from a nap, put them in the litter box. when the get done eating. first thing in the morning, take it to the litter box. use postive re-enforcement. everytime he gets it right give him a traet and lots of praise and petting. as he gets older, give him more praise, less treats.

 

[candy722]

Ok Im wondering if you scold at his poo or the floor wouldn't your dog think that he has done something bad to the floor and also be afraid of it. Doesn't that mean that your dog wouldn't go there again because he knows that your angry at the floor. So the trick is to have your dog hate the floor and not ever go there and poo there. That sounds like it might work. But i don't know if it'll work on every single dog. Gotta try that. It sounded funny and ridiculous but it makes sence. I just hope that nobody sees me yelling at the floor or they'll think im crazy or talking to the poo. hahahaha