NN house breaking question

[lotus]

My neighbor is having a time house training her chihuahua
she uses a crate....very small and goes out every 3 hours and still the dog poops and pees in the crate.
He is what I have suggested..
she is no longer free feeding....twice a day..take awayy if its not eaten in 20 mins.
crate made small as possible
Recently had vet check
praise when dog goes
I see her out side alot so I really feel for her....I see she is getting frustrated because its not accidents once in a while it all the time.
I don't know what else to suggest because I've never had a problem house training and I've only ever had one tiny dog and she came to me trained.
She has another tiny one who is house trained except for occasional accident.the dog is 15 months
Any other suggestions

 

[Jager's Mom]

Smaller dogs seem much more difficult to potty train.

Great suggestion on the feeding....Also, if the pup is very small, she may have to do 3 feedings per day, as some can become hypoglycemic when not fed several times per day.

She may want to start over and keep the dog on leash in the house...so that she can keep a close eye on the dog and if it looks like it's "looking" to potty, she can get it out right away. If she can't keep an eye on the pup, then it should be in a crate during those times.

May need to take the pup out every hour, when this seems to be working, she could extend the time.

Use the other dog (the trained one) to help with the potty training... usually the younger ones will do as the older ones do. So take that one outside with you.

Yes, lots of praise and happiness once the pup goes. Also, once the pup goes...take them immediately back inside. That way they know that they are outside to potty, not necessarily play.

Keep leash on pup outside (even if they have a fence). And don't walk around....stand in one spot (the more you walk around, the less focused the pup will be on potty and the more they will just be investigating it's surroundings).... and try to go to the same area every time. This way the smells will trigger the action (potty) which she is looking for.

Hope this gives a few ideas to try....

 

[padkins]

This does seem to be a small dog problem. I have a Yorkie that just turned 10 years old. If she is not keep in a crate at night she will pee and poop in the house. Doesn't mess in the crate.

Snoopy was difficult to house break. We had to put him on a timer and take him out every 30 minutes. After he would get a drink, we went out. After he ate, we went out. After he played, we went out. After he slept, he went out. If he went three times in a row without an accident in the house, I would extend the time by five minutes. It was a very long process, but eventually all of the hard work did pay off.

 

[YorkvilleNewfie]

I think something long the lines of what Pammy said should work (and Jager's mom's suggestion of umbilical training). She should treat it just like he were a pup that just came home. When Mila was a pup, she went out every 2 hours, after every meal, after every drink, and after every nap. And like Pammy, I extended the time period after successes in very small increments. Very time consuming, but it's worth it. But as a smaller dog, she may need to take the pup out even more often than every 2 hours. Maybe even every hour or less. Small dogs are so hard to potty train!

 

[NewfieMama]

Good advice here! I'd add that she should watch the dog for signs. If he's always pottying in the crate, is there a pattern to it? How long after eating/drinking/nap/play? Any telltale signs before he lets loose? I swear that half of it is training US and the other half is training THEM.

 

[padkins]

Oh, and make sure she has a good cleaner for the crate and anything else to remove the potty smells from the house!

 

[wrknnwf]

How old is this dog? If it's a puppy, 3 hours is WAY too long between breaks. Even if it's older, I would start from scratch and take the dog out every half hour on a leash with lots of rewards for doing her business. Remember, no play until the dirty deed is done.

Also, I can't imagine a crate small enough to housebreak a chihuahua. They may make one, but I've never seen it. The dog should have just enough room to stand up and turn around. The crate may need to be divided so it's even smaller.

 

[YorkvilleNewfie]

How old is this dog? If it's a puppy, 3 hours is WAY too long between breaks. Even if it's older, I would start from scratch and take the dog out every half hour on a leash with lots of rewards for doing her business. Remember, no play until the dirty deed is done.

Also, I can't imagine a crate small enough to housebreak a chihuahua. They may make one, but I've never seen it. The dog should have just enough room to stand up and turn around. The crate may need to be divided so it's even smaller.

This. And a small cat crate would work perfectly! I have one that would be just right for a Chi.

 

[Jager's Mom]

put him on a timer and take him out every 30 minutes. After he would get a drink, we went out. After he ate, we went out. After he played, we went out. After he slept, he went out. If he went three times in a row without an accident in the house, I would extend the time by five minutes. It was a very long process, but eventually all of the hard work did pay off.

I sooooo agree with all of this! Great points!

 

[Thehallk]

My sister's bulldog does this too. She had giardia or something with really bad consistent diarrhea as a pup and they think that established a bad habit. They tried retraining, tether training, and limiting food intake after certain hours, but the only solution that worked for them was to take all bedding out of her crate. They feel badly that she has to sleep in the crate without any blankets/bedding, but it's the only thing that has worked. If they have bedding in there, they might try taking it out at least at first and then trying to reintegrate it when they've established a good habit.