Hi everyone I am new to this... I'm having such a hard hard problem with my 5 month chihuahua, Peanut, he won't go on his potty pad anymore.. he'll pee on the floor and poop as well... also I've caught him peeing on his bed..! I've never heard of a dog peeing where they sleep! He has been doing this constantly.. I'm getting tired of trying to training him to go on the pad... and also washing his bed every other day... what can I do ? Is something mentally wrong with the dog..? I've had other dogs and they've never gone to the bathroom where they sleep... and he also lays on his pee pad like its his bed .even if its been soiled!. PLEASE SOME ONE HELP ME... I'M 4 MONTHS PREGNANT AND ITS SOO HARD TO DEAL WITH THIS DOG NOT LEARNING... DOES ANYONE HAVE AN ANSWER/?? :( :confused:

Repetition is key. This dog is still very young and still in the learning process. You must be persistent and keep telling the dog it's a no-no to use the bed as a pee pad and vice versa. Your dog is obviously confused... Try switching the places of the bed and the pee pad. Also, if you don't have time to train your dog properly or don't want to anymore, I would suggest finding her a home where the parents will train her. This dog deserves the best and they are very needy.

The funny thing is I've tried changing his bed to a different location and changing his pee pad as well. My friend who owns 3 dogs has fully trainned her dogs on pee pads. She has told me to show him what he did... and tie him next to his pee pad when he does that. I've tried but I can't leave him tied over night... But is it normal for a dog to soil its bed and lay in it afterwords .I've bought a a tough plastic cover so we can put under is playpen( we have carpet). He has also destroyed it... I've probably gone through 30 pee pad unsoiled due to him just destroying them . May I ask how long does it really take to potty train chihuahua ?

Mine was fully trained by ten weeks. But it depends on the person training and the willingness of the dog. You may also try paying a professional to help you train the little one.

If this helps, this is what I did when mine was a baby. I had a birdcage lid. When she sniffed around I would put her on her pee pad and put the lid on top... so she had no choice to go there, then she realized after a while, the reason I did this, was THIS IS HER BATHROOM. So after a while I did not need the lid anymore, she just went there automatically. I would also crate your chihuahua at night.

I don't like pads, because I see so many problems with them. I think your problems are partly housetraining, and partly leadership. He is rebelling against your leadership. The wetting their own bed is often a sign of it. The key to most behavior problems is approaching things using the dog's natural instincts. Dogs see all the people and dogs in the household as a pack with each having their own rank in the pack and a top dog. Life is much easier if the 2 legged pack members outrank the 4 legged ones. You can learn to play the role of top dog by reading some books or going to a good obedience class. A good obedience class or book is about you being top dog, not about rewarding standard commands with a treat. Start at Raising Your Dog with the Monks of New Skete (http://www.dogsbestfriend.com/) For more on being top dog, see Establishing and Keeping Alpha Position, Letting your dog know you are the boss (http://www.dogbreedinfo.com./topdogrules.htm) This works well for younger dogs:

''Elevation for small puppies: Sit on the floor and gently put your hands around your pup's middle, below his front legs, and lift him up. He is facing you. Hold him for 15 seconds. Repeat until he no longer struggles. If he is past 10-12 weeks, lift his front feet off the ground, but don't pick him up.

Cradling for small puppies: Hold your puppy gently on his back, as you would cradle a small baby. If he struggles, hold him firmly until he quiets for 10-15 seconds. With larger pups, you can do this as your sit on the floor, with your pup between your legs.

Quiet lying down: Place your pup on the floor on his side, with all 4 legs pointing away from you. Use your hands on his neck/shoulder area and middle, to hold him in this position. When he is quiet, praise him. Lengthen the time that you keep him quietly in this position. When he accepts this position well, handle his paws and muzzle, while keeping him quiet.''

The quotes mean this isn't my original work. It is copied from my Puppy Raising Manual. I have long used these or minor variations of them, and they are very effective. You may want to give him a belly rub while he is on his back too. Helps bonding. There is a big difference between him rolling over and demanding a belly rub, and you choosing a time to roll him over and rub his belly. The latter cements your place as pack leader.

Don't make the mistake of saying''Oh, it is a small dog, I don't need that.'' Chihuahuas take themselves very seriously, and often dominate their households. If you don't want to do what he wants for the next 15 years, follow my advise. Also, neuter him soon.

Whether you continue the pads, or start taking him outside, you need to learn to recognize when he needs to go and act. Reading through the sticky at https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/dogs/information-articles-our-dogs-expert-labman-53153.html#post251809 will help.

Always good advice from Labman!

You've got a baby coming who will also need love and patience (and leadership).

From a PM:
''Wow, thanks for your advise. Now what should I do when he pees on the pad but deficates on the floor? How should I approach the situation. We live in a condo that does not have a yard.. so taking him outside would be a hard thing. We live in Old town burbank so the only thing around is a bunch of restaurants and stores. He also is very hesitant to go outside, I've tried. (its very cold here). I've heard that you cannot take a pup to obidence school until they are 6 or 9 months old. He is only 5months. Is this true? Like today he went on the pad in the morning which was nice no mess no fuss and was rewarded and let out of his play pen. But when we left to run an errand for 30 min. we came back he had ripped the pad and the plastic cover underneath and deficated on our carpet, and sat on IT!. he had feces on his feet and back legs! He always tend to make a bigger mess when I am not here. But when I am here he won't rip the pad or plastic. He has a huge area inside of his play pen to play, eat and pee. So I'm not sure now what going on. He knows what he did because the moment he sees me he goes and lays on his blanket and looks away. Now if I tie him for making a mess would that some how help him?? One more questions, what's the big deal about neutering a male dog? What happens if I don't do it?? Thanks for everything.''

I think the site policy of asking and answering question in the public forum and not by PM or Email is wise. It also helps to keep all the info on one dog and a given problem in one place.

I am not sure exactly how dogs select where to relieve themselves. I think they want to go near where other dogs did, but not exactly where another did. The older they get, the more obsessed they seem to be about sniffing and marking. I watch my 14 year old Aster every day on her well more of a sniff than a walk. I also notice when I take a dog out, they like to walk off a little ways after urinating before they have a bowel movement. Perhaps you need to give him one pad to urinate on and another for bowel movement.

As for shredding the pads, crate him when you can't watch him. Other dogs may
Not be as bad as the young Labs I am plagued with. Still your house and dog
Will be much safer with the dog in a crate when you are away. The dog may be
Happier in its den than loose in the house. It relaxes, it feels safe in its
Den. It rests, the body slows down reducing the need for water and relieving
Its self. Dogs that have been crated all along do very well. Many of them
Will rest in their crates even when the door is open. I think the plastic
Ones give the dog more of a safe, enclosed den feeling. They are harder for
Dogs to open too. Metal ones can be put in a corner or covered with
Something the dog can't pull in and chew. Select a crate just big enough for the full grown dog to stretch out in.

Leave it some toys. Perhaps a Kong filled with peanut butter. Don't leave
Anything in the crate the dog might chew up. It will do fine without even any
Bedding. You will come home to a safe dog and a house you can enjoy.

Accidents and damaged possessions are the fault of whoever was watching the puppy. When you are watching it, immediately correct it as soon as it goes for anything except its own toys. In a quiet, but firm voice ''Bad dog, its name drop!''. Gently remove what ever and replace it with one of his toys, or if older, hold eye contact until the puppy drops it.


A dog that has not been crated since it was little, make take some work.
Start just putting its toys and treats in the crate. Praise it for going
in. If you have been able to trust it with any bedding, put that in the crate.
Feed it in the crate. This is also an easy way to maintain order at feeding
Time for more than one dog.

Why neuter a male dog? There are several reasons. For starters, it reduces the challenges to your leadership that you may be fighting right now. He could start marking the house soon. It also keeps them from going berserk if a female comes in season up wind. He will stop at nothing to get loose, even jumping out a window.

Barring surviving that, he is unlikely to have a chance to breed a female contributing to the unwanted dogs we slaughter by the millions. Unneutered males also have more cancer.

Even the best shot program leaves a window where a dog is vulnerable to parvo an other life threatening diseases. That is why the usual practice is to delay taking the dog to obedience class or other places where there are other strange dogs.

I've tried the crate for 3 weeks and all he did was rip the pad and smear feces all over the inside of the crate for 3 weeks. He won't even pee on the pad even if its inside the crate he will go on the outside of the pad then sit on it. That's why we got him a playpen. Its much bigger and he has space to sleep go to the bathroom and eat , but even then he still makes a huge mess. That is the only way we can confine him when we are gone at work. What's a good age to neuter a dog?

Six months is the usual age. If you ask, the vet might do it anytime now.

My friend has a yorkie tea cup. She is the cutest thing but she would pee everywhere and not on the pee pee pads. Now they are teaching her to pee on the pad and she doing good. And instead of peeing in the house when she goes on a walk she goes pee outside.