housetraining snag...

[melrosen]

Well, altogether Milo is doing really well w housetraining- I have elected to go the indoor route with this little chi, because I am in the seattle area and i am aware of how disdainful chi's are of the rain! Anyway, he pees in there just fine, I praise him and give him a treat. Pooping is an issue- he has accidents, sometimes even in his crate, no matter how often I take him. Any advice, especially from toy breed owners??? Or has anyone else experienced this issue and found a way to overcome it?

[luckychi]

<p>Are you paper training , litter box training, or puppy pad? When I catch mine starting to go&nbsp; not on the paper, I pick them up midstream and take them to the spot that needs to be his potty spot. Does your puppy have any specific characteristics when&nbsp; he needs to go poo? Some f mine just starts sniffing, some go round and round in circles.Look for a certain sign that the pup is getting ready to go, and then take the puppy to the spot they need to go. Try this, and the spot they went before, I kill all germs from the poo with a cheaper brand of Listerine, it kills all germs&nbsp; just put alittle on towel and wipe that area.and they will not potty there anymore.</p>

[amabsher]

<p>Hi Melissa. How old is Milo? Chihuahua puppies don't usually develop the muscles they need to "hold it" until about 15 weeks for girls and about 17 weeks for boys. If he is younger than this and is purebred, unfortunately this is normal. The best is to use&nbsp;crate training as a test to see if he can hold it after this approximate age. If he is younger... the best you can do is keep encouraging him to go where you want him to go. Try not to get mad... it really isn't his fault. When you can't watch him, keep him in a pen or confined play area and leave a little poo on the pad (even just a smudge is fine) so he knows that is where he should put that. When you see him do it where he should... wait until he is done and give him the most happy praise you can work up... maybe even a small treat as a reward for a job well done. Do not spank him or be too harsh when he doesn't do it right... this will just make him sneeky and he will try to hide from you when he has to poo. This makes potty training even harder and later if you want to be able to walk him on a harness and leash, he will not go potty on the leash because he will think that you seeing him go potty will make you mad.</p>
<p>I agree with the other post in that you should pick him up if he goes where he shouldn't. Try not to scare him or he wont be able to finnish the job when you get him where he should go. Even if he doesn't go anymore... you want to praise him for "Potty on the Pad"... he will learn that you LOVE it when he goes there... Even if he just sniffs the pad... give him praise... the pad should always be a happy place... never a discipline.</p>
<p>I offered in a different post but, do you want my phone number so you can ask puppy questions when you need to? Let me know or just look me up and give me a call.</p>

[melrosen]

<p>We are using crate training when we can't keep our eyes on Milo at all times- he's only 12 wks old, but he DID use the litter pan for pooping today and pretty much never has accidents with urine. I think maybe I give him his treat before he's had time to do both! I am only using positive training methods, by the way. But I don't want to inadvertantly teach him to go all over my house either!</p>

[amabsher]

<p>Melissa, to keep Milo from thinking your house is his toilet...</p>
<p>Buy some Pet Odor and Stain Remover that is Bacteria and Enzyme based. These have a pleasant scent and they will break down any particals of poo or urine so that they wont leave even a hint of an odor which will trigger your puppy to want to go again. This will also protect your pad so that it doesn't accumulate a "smell" in your house. I use "Unique" because it actually has the bacteria that make the enzyme and the bacteria live for about 7 days to work on what ever they find that is edible in your carpet and pad. This brand is also very safe for little puppies and it is ok to wipe it directly on a dog if it has been sprayed by a skunk or something really stinky. PetCo also has a brand of their own but it is just the enzyme without the bacteria and so it doesn't continue to work after so many hours.... but, it smells GREAT!!! These products are also great to mix up in a spray bottle and spray into those hard to reach places like furniture or wall mouldings... I also mop my tile and lynolium floors with it about one a week so soak down under the tile... Everyone who comes to my house always asks me how I keep it so you cannot smell my many house animals at all... this is my secret *smiles*</p>
<p>Good Luck.</p>

[Allin1PetCare]

<p>Hi there,</p>
<p>Great tips from the last poster.&nbsp; As&nbsp;a trainer and boarder, I frequently have various animals in and out of my home. I use Nature's Miracle, it even works on feline urine, you can buy it pretty much anywhere, and I am quite satisfied with the results. I also use it to mop my house just like the last post.</p>
<p>With regards to peeing in the crate. One of the things I've found with most of my clients is that the crate tends to be too big and therefore defeats the purpose of using crate training as a means of housebreaking. Start out be removing all cushions and stuffed animals - obsorbant materials promote peeing, and decreasing the size of the crate.</p>
<p>If you would like more information, contact All In One Pet Care by phone or email. We provide&nbsp; complimentary consults to all WNB members. Phone: 772-489-2945, email: Arlene@Allin1PetCare.com, Web: Allin1PetCare.com.</p>
<p>Be&nbsp;Blessed,</p>
<p>Arlene</p>