It is very much necessary to have your chihuahua trained to go to the bathroom. It is difficult to teach them as they are very notorious. Sometimes, the owner raises a red flag when they fail to teach them about their places of taking baths. If done correctly then the chihuahua could be trained at any point in their lifetime. All you need to do is have patience and wait for your dog to learn. Working together and choosing the right guidelines could help the drug in the right guidelines. The wrong bathroom habits by your chihuahua may lead him to the shelters sometimes, as no one wants a chihuahua peeing in their house everywhere. Below could be some chihuahua Housebreaking tips:
Training guidelines
Selecting an area
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The area for the starting of your dog’s training should be specified and cleared. A place near the house will be very much suitable for the dog. However, try avoiding the places where humans gather often. When choosing a place keeping in mind the different weather your place experiences. Now, you don’t want your chihuahua to run away from training from the excuse of changing the weather. Also please note the things that are located in the area so that you know your chihuahua is safe from all the danger during the training. Always keep patience until the time your pet accepts the changes and the practices.
Keep everything ready and set the schedule
For chihuahuas keep a leash ready and have your coat, shoes ready so that you could always make a quick escape for the training when needed. Based on the age of the dog try making a schedule every few hours. For 2 months, the dog tries making a schedule for 2 hours, for a 3-month-old every 3 hours, and so on. Bring the chihuahua outside at some of the specific times that may include mealtime or some time of the day:
- Take him out in the morning as soon as he wakes.
- After 20 minutes of feeding each time.
- During the time right after the pet wakes from his very much needed sleep.
- And finally after 20 minutes before the bedtime of the chihuahua.
- Try taking the puppy outside even without a leash that way the chihuahua will be excited to reach the designated place
Give your chihuahua time to accept the changes
When you go out with your pet try standing in the center and allow your chihuahua to get familiar with the surroundings. When a dog is satisfied with the surroundings he will move away to someplace and pee.
A chihuahua will take about 20 minutes to relax his bowel muscles long enough to finally have a bowel movement. While urination won’t take a long period of time, try to be patient.
Appreciate the efforts
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Keep encouraging your chihuahua with attention, rewards, and being enthusiastic about the efforts he is making. This way the dog will have confidence that doing this makes you happy and rewards him. He will try doing it every time you take him out.
Use some treats to do so, whenever a chihuahua makes effort give him some as they are great tools to encourage a dog.
Increase the time
As your chihuahua grows start increasing the time. A chihuahua has less ability to hold bathroom needs for a longer time. So, it is advisable to increase the timings to avoid getting your carpet wet. The schedule for training should also be adjusted accordingly.
Give response at night when needed
It is a habit of some chihuahuas to wake at night and whine. This is all to get the attention of the owner or maybe to meet his bathroom needs. So, during night time it is necessary to have training on two of the elements:
- try putting him to sleep by patting him
- and give potty training if needed
During night potty time is serious so put the chihuahua to sleep as soon as possible after the dog has no more needs. If you notice that the goal of your chihuahua is to get your attention. You should ignore him, and order him to sleep.
YOU CAN ALSO CHECK: My Chihuahua Barks at Night
Plan for when you are not available
Try planning for the days when you won’t be available. Try making some extra places that will give chihuahua some space so that he could move freely. In the extra area provide all the supplies that he would need for the time you are not present. This way the dog will meet all the training needs. And as the dog will grow the time for bathroom needs will increase and the dog will be able to survive for a longer time.
Some people put their chihuahuas inside a crat all day. This is not recommended because being confined to such a small area can lead to stress and anxiety.
YOU CAN ALSO CHECK: Leaving a chihuahua home and separation anxiety
Accept mistakes
You have to be ready for some housebreaking accidents. To avoid a mess and te bad odor clean the area faster using a mild soap detergent and then an enzyme spray.
We advise you not to punish your chihuahua because the result you will get from punishing your dog is a fearful dog.
Q&A
How long does it take?
After reading the tips above, you are probably wondering how long the training process will take to get a favorable result. Well, as you know every dog is unique, therefore the answer to this question varies greatly. However, it will take 3 to 4 weeks for a chihuahua pup to understand the process.
Bladder and bowel muscles will take time to be strong and as the dog matures the bathroom frequency will decrease. Chihuahuas should be good around the age of six months. After this age, you can leave your dog home alone for a long period of time.
What If My Chihuahua Starts Marking?
Marking territory is a dog instinct, every dog including chihuahuas tries to mark their territory. We should differentiate between marking and peeing accidentally. Marking is a behavioral issue, the dog uses a small amount of urine to mark his territory which means that the bladder is not fully emptied.
In order to stop marking, use an enzyme cleaner to clean the area. You should also need to teach your dog the basic commands. If you notice that your dog has a selected marking area, put there some of their favorite toys or bed to stop marking.
YOU CAN ALSO READ: Chihuahua Territorial Marking
Are chihuahuas so hard to house train?
Chihuahuas are notorious for being stubborn, however in order to have an obedient chihuahua. You have to set yourself as the Alpha to get your chihuahua to listen to you and overcome his stubborn streak. Here are some reasons why a chihuahua is hard to house train:
- Sometimes their small size makes training hard, as they can get hurt easily because of their fragile bones. For this reason, a chihuahua may run away from training.
- Chihuahuas are not outdoor dogs.
- Their small bodies can’t bear harsh training, so make sure to give them the opportunity to relieve themselves often.
- Chihuahuas can’t bear cold seasons.
Should I use Treats When House Training a Puppy?
Praise is a big part of any training, dogs, in general, like to be praised. Make certain to make every pee/poop in the right place feel like it’s something great for them. The more rewarding the experience is the more likely a chihuahua will continue to do it.
Food will motivate your dog greatly, it encourages them and tells them that they have done something right.
Giving treats to your chihuahua after doing what you order him to do will push him to respond more positively.
Is indoor training better than outdoor?
For tiny dogs like a chihuahua, indoor training is much more viable, however, all dogs follow their instincts to choose the spot in which they go to the bathroom.
There is another factor that can tell which one to choose is that there are some people who do not have access to an outdoor space. For this reason, indoor training may be the right answer for them. However, outdoor training is faster than indoor training.
My dog was house trained but has suddenly forgotten the rules.
The main reason for this the that our chihuahua is highly stressed. This latter can be caused by the following reasons:
- Change in the household members
- The leader is showing weakness, or the leadership is not established yet.
- A new dog is added to the pack, so the dog may start marking to set his territory.
- A health issue is in play, such as urinary tract infections, for this reason, it’s advisable to ask for a complete checkup from your veterinary.
- If your dog is senior, it is probably due to a bladder issue, because senior dogs will have less control over bladder
Summary
All the above methods will help you train your chihuahua and make him more disciplined. Though the dog is known for its notorious nature if treated with patience the results could be worth the wait. The dog could be trained at any age but provided the nature if trained earlier the results could be achieved early.
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