potty training

United States
January 16, 2008 11:42am CST
does anybody got any ideas on potty training a puppy? we have a chihuahua mixed puppy. we got her like a week before Christmas from a friend of ours. she is a very small little girl. we have been training her to use a puppy pad, but it is not working so far. she gets along with our two cats we have. her other problem is she will get in the cat's litter box and eat the poo poo in there. we are not sure why she does that or how to stop her from doing it. if you have any ideas, then please pass them by me. thanks in advance for all the help and advice.
6 responses
@Galena (9110)
16 Jan 08
after her meals, take her for a little wander outside, so that she goes to the toilet outside. if you catch her going to the toilet indoors, pick her up and take her out. even if that means leaving a trail of wee where she doesn't stop. even if she doesn't go again, it gets more an association. praise her when she goes in the right place, and make sure she has plenty of trips out to go to the toilet.
1 person likes this
• United States
16 Jan 08
i have actually been trying to take her outside some. she just doesn't seem to like going outside. i have a collar and leash on her and she will just sit there or lay down shaking. i will tug on the collar some to get her to walk, but that doesn't work either. she will just sit there unless you drag her and i don't want to do that. she has used the pad a few times and she always gets praise when we she does go on the pad.
@stephcjh (38473)
• United States
21 Jan 08
We used treats to train our dog. We let him out and if he does his business outside, we shake some treats in a plastic bowl and call for him to come back in. He knows that if he potties outside he gets a treat. It works.
@Seraphine (385)
• Finland
16 Jan 08
Do the puppy a favor and get rid of the pee pads. They will only confuse her and make her think it's okay to go inside the house. If you want her to potty outside, then take her outside. If she isn't used to a leash, put the leash on her inside the house and let her drag it around under supervision so she gets used to it. The more accidents she has inside the house, the longer it will take her to get housebroken and chis are not the easiest breed to housebreak. It can take a while before they understand it but you have to keep consistent and never let her out of your sight for even a second. I crate-trained my pup from day 1 and he was housebroken in less than a week with minimal accidents. All it took was to keep eyes on him like a hawk every single second he was out of his crate, took him outside after eating, drinking, during and after playtime and in general every 30 minutes he was awake as well as once a night until he was 12 weeks old and was able to hold it during the night. All outside pottying has to be praised and food-rewarded with something great the pup preferably only gets for this purpose. The treats can be weaned out a little by little once the pup starts to understand outside is the only place to go.
1 person likes this
@chooochy (356)
17 Jan 08
i used to spray a little vinager diluted with water on areas that the dog goes to the toilet on, the acidity prevents the dog from going to the toilet there, also lots of praise and rewards when they do do it outside and lots of bad dog and not much attention when they do it inside but show them y they have been bad first.
1 person likes this
• United States
16 Jan 08
okay, first off. Eating cat poop is a pretty normal thing. There's not really that much you can do the prevent it, other then putting the litter box in a place where the dog can't reach it, but the cat can. Remember, cats jump much higher than dogs, if that helps you think of a place. Secondly, crate training is the way to go. Try taking your dog out on a leash, and go to the area where you wish her to be doing her deeds in the future. If she does what you want her to, give her a treat, and loads of praise. If she doesn't go to the bathroom within 2-4 minutes, take her inside, and put her in a crate. Take her out every 30-90 minutes, and try again. If she doesn't do her stuff, just put her back into the crate. Repeat as needed. She won't poop or pee in the crate, so eventually she will do as she is supposed to. For us, it took about 3 days before the dog would go to the bathroom everyime. So, just be patient, and she should learn pretty quickly. Best of luck to you!
1 person likes this
• Australia
17 Jan 08
Generally toy dogs are the hardest to toilet train. We have to remember that she is only a baby, and we would not expect too much from a baby, the same goes for a puppy. Firstly - praise her for going in the right place, and use a code word eg "Wees". Soon you can have her toileting on command. Secondly - only tell her off if you catch her in the act of toileting wrong. Scold her gently, take her to the correct place, use your code word and praise (even if she doesnt go). It takes a few weeks - months before you can expect her to always remember. Eating cat poo is very normal. My dog did it too, but now I have an enclosed litter tray and her presto, no more poo eating :)
1 person likes this