I have a 4 month old chihuaua, i work 12 to 16 hours a day and my fiance don’t have a lot of patience, so i am trying to find a way to house train the puppy that’s easy and that can be done around my work schedule, he keeps doing his buisness on the carpet we have gotten it cleaned and have even bought our own carpet cleaner, but the carpet still smells because he won’t stop. the puppy pads we got don’t seem to be any good. and taking him outside don’t either, he will walk outside for 15 to 20 minutes or more sometimes and not do anything, then as soon as we go in he will go on the carpet. I don’t know what to do, but ii have to stop this behavior before it gets too out of hand. Is there a way?
You are teaching him to go on the floor by using the potty pads. All pups should be watched 100% of the time or in a crate. When he starts to take the stance grab him and go outside!!
11 Responses
2009 Oct 26
Then honestly you should not have gotten a pup. A adult already house broke dog is for you.
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pro groomer
2009 Oct 26
You are teaching him to go on the floor by using the potty pads. All pups should be watched 100% of the time or in a crate. When he starts to take the stance grab him and go outside!!
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2009 Oct 26
To be honest, you should have never gotten a puppy if you don’t have the time. It’s not fair to the puppy at all. The best way to train, in my opinion, is with a crate. Here’s a site with some good info for you:
http://www.aspca.org/site/PageServer?pagename=pets_cratetraining
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2009 Oct 26
There is no easy way to do it. Time and patience are all that will work. A Chi can;t be left in a crate for 12-16 hours a day so that’s out.
The reason the puppy pads and taking him out are not working is because you just arn;t there enough to make it work.
Chi’s can be hard to house break. Maybe you should have looked into this before you got one. I have 4 however and none took more than 3 weeks to housetrain because I took the time to do it. Honestly if you only have a couple of hours a day at best to do this it’s proably never going to happen. I’m not being mean. Just realistic. Any pup will take more than a couple of hours a day to housebreak.
This is what I normally suggest. If your fiance won;t work with you (it seems like maybe he does not work?) then you will just have to keep him confined to the kitchen or another area with an easy to clean floor. That’s not really fair to him though.
If possible it’s better to get them to go outside, but if the baby will be
alone a lot pads are excellent. I also use them as I am disabled and not
always able to get them outside.
As soon as your puppy wakes up from a nap take it to the place you wish it
to eliminate. Don;t wait until the break in the program you are watching on
TV or until you have finished that snack. By then it will probably be too
late. Stay in your chosen place with them until he/she has pottied.
Do this also when they have eaten or have been playing. These are times when
they almost always need "to go."
As soon as the baby has been in the correct place give lots of enthusiastic
praise. Maybe a treat.
If the baby has an accident shouting and getting upset will do no good. All
it will do is name the baby nervous. As soon as you catch it going a sharp
"no" will distract him/her and probably stop them. Quickly pick the baby up
and take him to where he should eliminate. If they go in the correct place
even after an accident give lots of praise to show how happy they have made
you. This in turn makes them happy and will help them remember this gets
them love and affection.
If they have an accident on the floor whether you catch them in the act or
not clean up with a good cleaner like Crown Royale Liminator. This will
remove the odor which is very important. Not only for the wellbeing of your
flooring, but also it will not keep attracting the little one back to that
spot.
Good luck with the training. It is hard work to start with, but trust me if
you are persistant and stick with what I have said here it will be so much
easier. None of mine have ever taken more than a week or so to have almost
clean. Less than 3 weeks for all 4 to be perfectly clean. 3 of my 4 are
males too who also tend to be a little harder to break from what most of my
friends have told me.The biggest part is in your hands how it will go.
Unless someone can spend the time to housebreak him then you may have to find him a new home. Chihuahua’s need company. They don;t do well when left alone for many hours a day every day. The problem may well get wrose than better the more stressed he gets so you may have to rethink being a Chi owner.
Sorry I don;t mean to sound nasty as that’s not my intention. I’m just looking out for the dog.
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Mom of 4 Chi’s
2009 Oct 26
You work 12 - 16 hours a day - and you decided to get a puppy?
Is there a way to house train it? Yes! Find it a new home with people who have time for it!
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2009 Oct 26
I feel for you and this puppy, mostly I am sad to say, the puppy. This puppy can be trained, but it takes time you do not have and patience your fiancee doesn’t have. I ask you to try to crate train the puppy and take him out asap when you do return home and try to get a friend, family member, or neighbor to help by taking him out at least twice while you are at work.
Take the puppy out to go as soon as you get up and put him on a leash. The leash can be dangled between the puppies legs and held up to tickle his rectum so he gets the urge to poop. this should help with that part. to teach him ti tinkle outdoors you have to be consistent and take him out about every 2 or 3 hours. If you can not get this arranged then he will never learn and will not get housebroken. Poor thing
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2009 Oct 26
I don’t want to sound like everyone else, but maybe you shouldn’t of gotten a puppy. I have a 4 month old Chih too, and i stay home all day doing daycare, so i am able to get her to housebroken. She has been doing wonderful for about 2 months now, going outside like she is suppose to. BUT i take her outside every hour now, and i have "learned" her signs of having to pee or poop. Lately she has been barking at the back door, "let me out to pee please".
I think you need to either have the fiance step up and help more or work less for now. Puppies are like babies, they need constant care.
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2009 Oct 26
What kind of lazy person won’t take the dog out a few times when you aren’t there! Someone needs to take him out every few hours. You may even have to interupt you sleep. I do suggest crate training that worked well with my dog plus he loved his crate and even slept in it with the door open for a long time.
more than 12 hours in the crate then you sleep that sounds like too much to me especially if there is no one there to help. I am sorry but there doesn’t seem to be enough consistancy and if your fiance wont help with this then you also might want to think about what other things he won’t help with
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2009 Oct 26
I can’t believe when a person brings home a puppy and want a fast way to house train a puppy!!!!!!!
A puppy takes a lot of work!!!!! Dogs are only as smart as their owner!!!!
Since you don’t seem to have the time or know how to even train a puppy!!! You are going to have your hands full!!!
First off, all the cleaning of your carpet will not do any good!! You need to get rid of the ammonia smell. You can do this with white vinegar. When your puppy pees take a towel and pat the area dry as possible. Then pour some vinegar on the pee spot. Let it stand for a few seconds. Pour enough to cover the area well. Then take another towel and pat the area dry as possible. This should do the job!!!
Now with the potty training thing!!
Since you don’t seem to have enough time to take this poor puppy outside you willl have to train the puppy to go on the puppy pads. I know you say that isn’t working?? You need to know how to train the puppy!!!!
You have to watch your puppy and when it is looking around with its nose to the ground or will attempt to go into another room then pick up the puppy and put it on the puppy pad. Puppies don’t know just to walk over to the pad and do their business!! You will have to sit down with the puppy and keep it on the pad until it does its business. I really hate this method though!!! This is not a normal thing for a dog anyway!! They are used to going outside on the grass!!!!!!
I brought home a 6 1/2 week old Lab puppy. I started off taking her outside on a leash. I kept the dog’s leash on the front door knob. When I saw her looking around as if she were trying to find a place to go potty I would then pick her up. I would walk over to the door put her leash on her and take her outside. I always would put her down in the same place. That way she could smell where she had done her business before. I would walk around with her telling her to go pee or poop.
After she was done I would pick her up and then bring her back in the house and give her a treat.
I feed my puppy three times a day. After she eats I wait for about 10-20 minutes then I take her out. Repeating the same process.
When she takes a drink of water I would wait fro about 5-20 MINUTES AND TAKE HER OUT repeating the same process.
I HAVE OUR our puppy sleep with my husband and me. That way I know when she wakes up at night. So I can take her out. PUPPIES ARE JUST LIKE HAVING A BABY!!! You have to get up with them at night as well!!!!!!
You have to have lots of patience with a puppy. When you get upset with the puppy this only confuses the poor thing and will scare it even more than it is already!! Puppies become very nervous easily. They miss their mother and brothers and sisters!! You are the mother now!!!!! You have to take the time!!!!
Where do you put the poor thing when you are at work???
I am sure you just put it in a crate which I don’t like. I like the kennels better. The puppies can see out better and see what is going on around them. It needs a soft bed and a teddy bear to be able to curl up with. Does it go all day without water?? Then when it does drink water it has to go potty!!!!
Make sure the kennel or crate is big enough for the bed and the pad. Dogs do not like to lay close to where they do their business!!!
You have to pick a method of potty training and stick with it.
It took me 3 1/2 weeks to potty train my puppy and I am home all day.
If your boyfriend does not have the patience, then have him leave the poor dog alone. He could do more damage than good.
Why would you get a puppy if you work such long hours!!!!!
Sounds like to me you don’t have the time for a puppy!!!!
The poor thing does not deserve to be just put in a kennel and left alone that many hours. You will never grow close to your dog!! When are you going to have any time to spend with this poor thing.
It takes time and lots of it!!! Puppies are just like babies!!!!!!!!!!
Good Luck!!!!
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Experience!!!!
2009 Oct 26
Do you or your husband work at a place that will allow your dog to come (sometimes places make exceptions for tiny dogs) ? Maybe you could take turns.
Small dogs can be trained to use a pad or litter box. I have several.
But training is required.
A dog that has a very small bladder, holding it for "16" hrs "every" day could end up in a bladder infection, or at the least distress.
Where does he sleep at night?
Crate training can/will work for shorter periods of time. Maybe you could have someone else come and take him out while you are at work.
Also some puppies do not even have bladder control until 6 months old so accidents are inevitable.
An older dog probably would have been best, or a breed that has a larger bladder that can hold it for longer periods of time. Or maybe now was not the best time to have a dog.
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2009 Oct 26
The answer is obvious, you don’t have time for a puppy. It’s not something you can tuck up on the shelf and just take down when you have the time. Dogs have needs and a 4 month old puppy cannot be expected to learn anything when it is left alone nearly all day. Would you expect a 4 month old baby to train itself?
Find a good home for the pup with someone who will love it and have time for it.
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