How to Potty Train my Chihuahua Puppy?

nina: How to potty train a Сhihuahua puppy?
I can't seem to potty train my three-month-old Сhihuahua. I have tried spanking, scolding, putting him outside, but he doesn't seem to get it. Does anyone the best way to Chihuahua house training?
chihuahua puppy photo
Photo Credit: adrigu/Flickr CC

Answers and Views:

Answer by mzrobsn414
I have a one-year-old Chihuahua and i first trained him on pee pee pads because I got him in the winter and it was to go outside there's some kind of scent on them to encourage to go on it .try to find one designated spot to keep it and put him on frequently especially 15-30 mins after eating ,you could also try to get another dog to go on the pad and he might get the idea good luck

Answer by Sred
with my 6-week-old, I'd take her outside every two hours with a warm wet cloth and set her on the ground and say potty, go potty...at the same time I'd gently wash her behind with the warm water squeezed from the cloth, when she'd go potty, I'd tell her what a good dog she was and just lavish praise on her. Sometimes it takes a while for the #2 potty urge to hit, so staying outside until she actually did something, could sometimes get me very wet or very cold, but I didn't give up and didn't leave her outside to go alone. Keep up with a routine......

Answer by Diane
I have raised three Chis from pups and house trained all of them with no litter, no pee pads, just taking the time to see that they went outside very often and being persistent in their training. The keys are patience and persistence and it doesn’t happen overnight. About 8 months they were fully trained.

Answer by sinfully sweet
My friend had a chihuahua and trained it to go in a litter box ! he said he used some scent you can get from the pet store to make them want to go, but also after the dog eats put it outside or in the box until it goes, praise it, etc. also he said you could use some of those wee-wee pads then gradually move them outside or in near then in the box then remove them and the dog will go then. good luck, chi's are great little dogs, if I didn't have to travel so much I would get one.

Answer by meeeeee
Good lord….I do hope you are kidding when you say spanking and scolding?
Those type of 'methods' are extremely 'old school' and are very, very discouraged now by vets and breeders alike.

It is NOT the way to go….not only does it confuse and frighten the poor dog, but they will not go to the toilet in front of you anymore. They will also hesitate in general when going to the toilet, as they are afraid.

There are many other, far 'better' methods of toilet training your chihuahua.

Personally, I watched where my chihuahua would go to the toilet for about the 1st week when we had her.
There were a few places where she would go back to when she needed to pee or poop.
I placed about 2 sheets of newspaper in these areas, and she went back to only these places, all on her own, and went to the toilet there.
Slowly, I removed some of the newspaper, until the only bit left was in the laundry in this 'around the corner' place.
She started going to only that one place for the toilet.

I've since replaced the newspaper with a small try, which has absorbent (both texture and SMELL) litter inside it.
So all I do is take out the tray at the end of each day, lift up the top layer which contains the litter and pee and poop, rinse it off and put on another small layer of litter.
Takes about 2 mins….and there is no mess or smell at all.


View potty training pads for Chihuahua on Amazon (#ad)

But having said that, I know I have been incredibly lucky as many people struggle.
I suppose it really comes down to your own individual dog and what they best respond to.

For interest purposes….
I got my little chihuahua when she was approx 8 weeks old.
It took about 2 1/2 weeks for her to become used to the laundry space for toileting.
She is now about 16 weeks old.

Answer by Chit P
well, none of those will work! negative reinforcement doesn't work for potty training. try litterbox training him. chihuahuas have a bladder the size of a walnut. set him up with a crate on one side and a safe potty spot on the other. make him sleep in his crate. take him out once or twice a night and put him on his potty spot. he's not old enough for proper bladder control yet. he'll be old enough in a few months to hold his bladder a lot longer.

Always praise him when he goes on his potty spot. If he misses or squats outside of it, say nothing and clean it up. or if you catch him in the act. before he is able to go, just take him calmly from where he was, and put him on his potty spot. if you praise him whenever you see him go on his potty spot, he'll understand.

use a command word like "go potty" or "hurry up" when he goes into his pre-potty pattern.
I suggest using Purina's second nature dog litter box. it's easier for small dogs with such small bladders.

Answer by bloodyRN
Small dogs take ALOT of TIME and Patients. They have to go a lot when they are young...tiny dog tiny bladder. Let them out frequently praise them when they go outside and for accidents put a weewee pad down you can buy them in any pet store or even Walmart.
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