How do I paper train my chihuahua?
My husband and I work all day and we don’t want our schedules to dictate when our chihuahua goes to the bathroom. We would like to train her to use a wee wee pad or newspaper. Is it hard to paper train chihuahuas? What’s the best way to do that?
Chihuahuas can be difficult to housebreak because they are small and can find a secret spot under a table or behind the couch to do their dirty little deed. They don’t make big messes, so it’s hard to notice that they’ve gone in the wrong place. The two keys to housebreaking your chihuahua are:
- Allow your chihuahua to go only where you want her to go.
- Praise your chihuahua like she did the best thing in the world when she goes in the right place.
If you don’t mind setting up a litter box area in your home, I think indoor potty training is the best thing because once your chihuahua is trained, she can go to the bathroom anytime she wants and not have to wait for someone to take her out. Follow these steps to successfully paper train your puppy or adult chihuahua:
(1) Confinement. You need to be vigilant and not allow your chihuahua to establish a bad habit by going in the wrong place. Since you cannot watch your dog 24/7, you must confine your dog in a safe place when you cannot watch her like a hawk. Confinement can come in several forms: crate, play pen, or block off a small area with a baby gate. I recommend the Iris Plastic Indoor/Outdoor Pet Pen because it’s attractive, economical, easy to set up, easy to clean, and has a walk-in door which is a feature that’s not found in other brands. It is also the perfect size for small breeds.
Set up the pen or crate where you spend most of your time so your chihuahua is not lonely. Although you can block off the kitchen with a baby gate, I guarantee she will cry if she cannot see you.
If you don’t have much room or desire something more portable, you can use a dog crate. This one from Dog.com is great, it’s durable, folds away easily and has a pull-out plastic tray for easy cleaning. It’s also very affordable, and comes in black or gold finish.
Put a small bed on one end and fill in the left-over space with a wee wee pad.
Very important: Don’t forget to leave fresh water in the crate or pen!
(2) Get absorbent dogtraining pads. In a bind, newspapers also work, but they are not absorbent and tends to leave a puddle that your chihuahua can step on and cause an unsanitary mess. You can buy Piddle Pads in bulk and save. They even come in biodegradable form!
My father-in-law recently found this Protection Tray and after testing it for a month, we both think it’s the best thing in the world! It’s so easy to use, and it keeps training pads in place so they don’t slide around and so your dog won’t chew on the pads. Most importantly, it keeps your floors clean! Many dogs tend to pee on the edges of the wee wee pad, leaving a puddle on the floor NEXT to the wee wee pad. This tray is raised an inch off the floor so your dog has to step onto it. It defines a boundary for where your dog should go. Since it’s plastic, it’s super easy to clean (a high criteria in my book). I highly recommend this product. You just lift up the top, put in a training pad and the top snaps down to hold the pad securely in place. Click on the image to see how easy it is to use.
(3) Use Puppy Housebreaking Aid. Add a few drops onto the newspaper or training pad and bring your dog to the spot. The chemical is supposed to resemble the scent of urine and let your dog know this is the right spot to go. Puppy training pads are pre-treated with an attractant, but I find that a few drops of this stuff on the pads makes it 10 times more effective. A little bit goes a long way.
(4) Set up a schedule. Lead your dog to the training pad frequently during the day, but especially first thing in the morning, after meals, and before bedtime. Dogs have very short digestive tracts, so they will want to go the bathroom almost immediately after they’ve eaten.
(5) Praise your chihuahua tremendously when she goes in the right place! Have a very yummy treat or a squeaky toy ready and whenever you see her go in the right place, act like she just made you a million dollars and praise and pet her to no end. If you catch your dog going in the wrong place, yell at her right in the act and bring her to the right place immediately even if she doens’t have to go anymore. If you find a mess after the fact, there is no point in yelling at your dog because your dog will not connect a past action with the punishment. She will just think that you didn’t like seeing the mess and she will find a better place to hide it next time.
(6) Watch for signs that your chihuahua want to go to the bathroom (both pee and poop): sniffing the floor while circling or pacing. Before pooping, some dogs will turn around several times in one spot and lower their butt to the floor like they’re about to sit down.
(7) Clean up messes thoroughly. If your dog pees in the wrong place, clean it up right away and thoroughly so she will not be tempted to go in the same spot again. If you don’t know about Nature’s Miracle, get familiar with it now because it will be your best friend for years to come. It has a special enzyme that breaks down organic stains and odors, it doesn’t just mask the odor with fragrance. It’s a must for any dog owner. The larger size in the spray bottle is extra handy.
Tip: Replace soiled newspaper/wee wee pad frequently. I’ve noticed that my dogs don’t like to go where it is dirty. If there is already pee or poop on the newspaper, they will not want to step in and instead will go next to the newspaper or some other spot. Change the newspaper as soon as you discover it is soiled.
ShareTags: Chihuahua Puppy, Housebreaking, Paper train, Training, Wee wee pad
September 11, 2007
Karyn :
Just wanted to comment on the of wee wee pads. Another more inexpensive way to use pads is to get pads for adults who are incontinent. They are much cheaper then wee wee pads. I get a pack of 18 from Walmart for $5.29
September 11, 2007
Cindy :
Karyn, thanks for the money-saving tip on wee wee pads. That’s so smart!
September 29, 2007
jazzy :
how do you housebreak a chihuahua to go out doors?
October 30, 2007
Cindy :
See this post on housebreaking a chihuahua to go outside:
http://yourchihuahua.com/housebreaking-your-chihuhaua-outdoor-training.html
June 15, 2008
amyvsings :
I am potty training my two month old Shih-Tzu to use the puppy pads also. She uses them, but has the same problem with going over the edges sometimes. I bought a small tray to hold the pads, but she won’t go on the pad in the tray so I have an extra pad out that isn’t in the tray. How can I get her to start using the one in the tray? I have tried putting an pad in the tray that she peed on a little hoping that she would be attracted to the smell, but still no luck. I really prefer the tray since it keeps the pad in place and stops her from chewing it up. Help?
June 16, 2008
Cindy :
Have you tried confining your dog to a very small area with just enough room for her bed, the wee wee pad and tray, and her water bowl? If you don’t give her any room, then she would have to use the wee wee pad on the tray. Another thing I would try is to put her on the tray and then give her a very yummy treat. Or ask her to go on the tray herself and then reward with a treat. I did that with one of my dogs, and he would wait for me to come home, run to the tray, stand there and wait for me to give him his treat. Basically, if you can turn the tray into a magical happy experience, she will use it.
July 27, 2008
Laurette Cunha :
hi, any advice, my little hihuahua uses the wee wee pad sometimes, and uses the carpet other times. How can I teach him to use pad only.
October 7, 2008
??, ?, Pets, Dog, Dog Training, Dog Breed, Poodle :
How To Train Your Chihuahua…
Once you bring that adorable Chihuahua puppy home from the breeder, it is time for the Chihuahua obedience training to begin. By the time your pup is old enough to go home with you, he is old enough to begin learning to follow basic commands and find o…
March 12, 2011
marlin :
Hi!
I have been doing the steps but my 2 month old. Chihuahua refuses to use pad, when I place her in the pad she just sits there looking at me, and then she goes in the carpet, I don’t know what else to do!
May 22, 2011
Kristin Mason :
I have a 4 month old chihuahua, who uses the pee pee pad when she wants to, most of the time she will pee on it but she refuses to poop on the pad, what do I do????
June 14, 2011
Sylvia :
I have been giving a 7yrs old Chihuahua. She is very shy and timid,although she seems to be accepting me(at times)other times she gets very skitige.I was told she has been papertrained, and she does go onto the pee pad at times, she also dirties on my rug, right next to where I sit.I’m not quite sure on how to properly papertrain her so that she uses it at all times.Yelling at her when caught in the act seems to only confuse her even more.I know that with plenty of patience & love, she will become a great friend for me(it’s just her & I)but I need some direction on how to do this the proper way!!! Anyone with TIPS, it would be greatly appreciated,giving her up is no longer an option, she has my heart already.
Thank-you!!!!
Cookie & Sylvia
December 18, 2011
diane :
I have a 4 month chiuaua, and I have set up a pee tray with pee pads in the bathroom. I have even gotten the spray you put in the area where you want the dog to go.
She has only done her pee twice in 2 days in there. I also try to take her out every hour, after eating, and after sleeping. She is still making mistakes in the house. I do have to confess that I have only had her 7 days. My goal is to train her for indoor potty, and early morning, and late night(before bed) potty outside.
Could you give me some step by step instructions.
Diane
December 24, 2011
Mia and Furbii :
DO NOT YELL AT YOUR CHIHUAHUA!!!!!!! Give a stern, slightly loud NO to let her know shes done something wrong and take her to the wee wee pad. Cindy, you should know better! Yelling only scares her and tells her that going infront of you is bad, so shell sneak off and find a privae place to do it. This can really hinder your housebreaking efforts. It may even make her scared o go arond your house, which can cause serious medical issues. USE POSITIIVE REINFORCEMENT, IT WORKS WONDERS
May 21, 2012
madeleine :
not so smart. Puppypads smells pee for dogs to understand where to go
May 21, 2012
madeleine :
My puppies already go on pee pads when they go home at 8 weeks. When you take the dog out of the crate follow it closely. If it goes in the wrong spot,say ‘no ‘with a deep voice and lift them to the right place and say:’Here you go’ with a squeaky voice. Half of my puppies dont have an accident after 7 weeks and the other half have few accidents. When they go to the new home, let them see the new pee pad po yard or potty area and say Here you go with a squeaky vice and voila
July 31, 2012
Gloria :
Where can i buy that protection tray??
January 21, 2013
Ayla :
I live in Ohio, which can have very cold weather. I have been mostly training on puppy pads, but do take my chi out if the weather is not too terrible. One day when it was cold I took him out, he squatted, I took him in and he peed on the rug. It took me about half an hour to realize that he had faked me out! He will go outside if the weather is ok. My point is, if you live in a cold climate I think house-training a chi is probably counter-productive. This is just a conclusion I came to by observation. I am no dog expert. In fact, this is my first puppy. But they definately like to keep warm. Malcolm doesn’t even like walking on the tile!
August 18, 2013
Gloria :
I rescued a 2 year old male Chihuahua. I also have a 14 year old female Chihuahua. My older one uses a pee pad and very rarely goes in wrong place. I am having trouble training my new male to use the pee pad. Is it possible to train him to use the same pee pad as older one or do I need to set up a new place for him?
January 28, 2014
Jennifer :
I just got a chihuahua yesterday rescued from a bad situation, anyhow I thought she was housetrained already being one, guess again. this morning she pp on an electric blanket, my coat and pooped on a blanket. so I fixed up the bathroom as a pp pad place with a crate and blanket, and some food and water and a toy. I hope that in a week she will understand no pp in the house and use pp pad. she is crying but I’m ignoring it, I did take her out for some cuddles for 15 min. I’m praying for help and advice that we can get her trained as I hate the thought of taking her to spca.
February 16, 2014
cat grooming :
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I have extra blades and a damp cloth nearby when the blade receives
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I had by no means clipped possibly pet or human prior to, but decided to try out performing my Regular Schnauzer at house.
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February 25, 2014
sharon :
when I first brought him home he was really good and went on the paper and wee wee pad but all of a sudden stopped. He sleeps with me and has even gone in the bed, this I can’t have. He also bits, toes, fingers and won’t come and let me pick him up when I want too he is only 12 weeks old, but do not want this all to become a habit. I am at my end.HELP!He is so cute and love him so much but this has to stop.
November 10, 2014
David :
When you bring your Chihuahua home from the BREEDER???!!! Dammit, the dog shelters are overflowing with Chihuahuas! VERY ADOPTABLE CHIHUAHUAS! Thousands and thousands of unwanted dogs are euthanized in this country every year. Every time you get your dog from a breeder you are responsible for another dog whose life is snuffed out for your selfish narcissistic vanity.