My chihuahua is 7 mo old, I got him when he was 4 mo. He was semi-housebroken when I got him, but has since regressed. We have no fence around the house we live in, so I have been attempting to housebreak him by putting him outside on a leash, but the poor little guy seems to be terrified of the leash! He will not move on the leash at all if I stay out there with him, if left alone he will walk around until he feels any tugging at all on his neck, then he freezes until I come out to get him. He refuses to go to the bathroom while on the leash, and if taken out without the leash, immediately bolts and runs around the neighborhood. He now seems to be holding his poop and pee until he gets back into the house! Whenever I find a mess inside, I have been taking him over to it, saying NO firmly, smacking his nose gently and immediately walking him outside saying OUTSIDE, and attaching him to the leash... I take him out frequently during the day, placing him on the leash for no longer than 20 min at a time... I'm at my wits end! He is such a good dog except for this one thing! Help!

That is not a good way to potty train your dog. Our dog experts will come online and give you fantastic advice on the best way to potty train and deal with the leash problem. Be patient and check back now and then.

P.S. NEVER hit your dog!!

First, when you find where he has pottied in the house, stop trying to reprimand him. He doesn't know you are upset about him pottying in the house. He is seeing 'outside' as a punishment instead of a chance to relieve himself. If you find a mess, clean it up with very little fuss and make certain to use a product that will eliminate the smell for him.

If you catch him in the act of pottying inside, Say 'no' in a calm voice, pick him up and get him outside as quickly and with as little fuss as possible. Calmly give him the command to potty. Stay with him until he relieves himself and then praise him. A small treat might even be in order.

You need to begin potty training all over again and forget tying him out. Get him a harness. It will keep him from getting upset about the leash tugging on his neck. It is also safer for smaller dogs whose necks and throats can be damaged by pressure from a collar.

At regular intervals take him outside. After he wakes up, thirty minutes after eating, and after playing are good times to begin with. Take him to the area where you want him to potty. Give him the command to potty and then pretty much ignore him until he does (keep him out of trouble but do not play or allow others to distract him.) You may have to walk him for 30 minutes to an hour, but you stay out with him until he relieves himself. Praise and play with him after he potties. Then you can take him back inside.

You might consider training him to ring a bell (they also make doorbells for dogs) to let you know when he needs to go.

Another idea for you to think about is setting up a doggy play yard/run (a fenced in area specifically for the dog) for him to use for a bathroom.

Make going outside a good thing. Going potty outside gets him all kinds of affection and play.

Remember that smacking him on the nose isn't telling him anything other than going to the bathroom is bad especially if you back it up by banishing him outside with a tie-out he is afraid of. This is one time when a negative approach causes more and more issues. You need to show him in a positive way what you want and expect.

My chihuahua is 7 mo old, I got him when he was 4 mo. He was semi-housebroken when I got him, but has since regressed. We have no fence around the house we live in, so I have been attempting to housebreak him by putting him outside on a leash, but the poor little guy seems to be terrified of the leash! He will not move on the leash at all if I stay out there with him, if left alone he will walk around until he feels any tugging at all on his neck, then he freezes until I come out to get him. He refuses to go to the bathroom while on the leash, and if taken out without the leash, immediately bolts and runs around the neighborhood. He now seems to be holding his poop and pee until he gets back into the house! Whenever I find a mess inside, I have been taking him over to it, saying NO firmly, smacking his nose gently and immediately walking him outside saying OUTSIDE, and attaching him to the leash... I take him out frequently during the day, placing him on the leash for no longer than 20 min at a time... I'm at my wits end! He is such a good dog except for this one thing! Help!

None of these issues are the dogs fault, they're lack of training, lack of understanding of dogs, lack of proper time and patience.

Never ever smack your dog, no matter how gentle you are. You dog has no idea that he shouldn't potty inside. Why? You never taught him! You can't just put your dog on a leash in the yard and expect him to do what you think he should do. He has no idea, until he's taught. If you won't teach him, then the behavior that results from that lack of teaching isn't his fault.

It's like having a baby and not potty training that baby. Is it the baby's fault when it craps in its pants? No. It was never taught otherwise. Smacking the baby isn't teaching, it's just hitting.

What did you do to get your puppy used to the leash? Did you introduce the leash slowly, let the puppy get used to it through a matter of days, weeks if necessary? Or did you simply put the leash on the puppy, put the puppy outside, and expect the puppy to get used to it?

There are so many issues here, and I doubt you can fix them all yourself. I would highly suggest a personal trainer to not only train the dog, but train you on what it takes to train a dog.

Okay, I just re-read my post. It comes off as harsh, which isn't my intention. If that's the way you take it, I'm sorry. But seriously, all the issues I've mentioned are issues you need to deal with. The writing may come off as harsh, but everything I've written is true.

Good luck.

The approach you have described was working in the beginning, until my boyfriend started allowing him to run free while I was gone-- now when ever I take him outside, he bolts and run away... no amount of calling him works, he acts like he doesn't even know me until I get right up to him. That is why I started putting him on the leash, which I did introduce slowly--he has never gotten used to it. I understand that he is now associating the leash with being punished but I don't want him to get hit by a car or stolen on one of his bolting excursions! So now, he is getting very little exercise, because once again, he won't walk while on the leash! I'm at a loss...

The approach you have described was working in the beginning, until my boyfriend started allowing him to run free while I was gone-- now when ever I take him outside, he bolts and run away...no amount of calling him works, he acts like he doesn't even know me until I get right up to him. That is why I started putting him on the leash, which I did introduce slowly--he has never gotten used to it. I understand that he is now associating the leash with being punished but I don't want him to get hit by a car or stolen on one of his bolting excursions! So now, he is getting very little exercise, bc once again, he won't walk while on the leash! I'm at a loss.....

Get a dog run for the yard, that's an easy fix to the potty issue. You can buy them in all sizes, all heights. Just place it in the yard, place him in it when it's potty time. Introduce it slowly. Don't just get it and plop him in it. Slow and steady, lots of praise and treats, let him get used to it, minutes at a time.

As for the walking on a leash issue, again, I really think it's time for a personal trainer for that issue. If you introduced the leash properly, and the dog is still afraid, then this has become an issue. Dogs usually have issues when they've been made afraid of something in the past, by our reaction. I'm guessing that he had a bad leash event, where something happened, someone yelled, or pulled, or something (not saying it was you) and now the leash is not something that signifies a walk and fun (like it should) but fear and anxiety.

A personal trainer can help you deal with this issue.

How about purchase a puppy playpen and keep it outside?