Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I just recently got a baby chiuaua and she is really adorable. I instantly fell in love with her, but I have problems training her.

These are my goals for her. I would like her to sleep in her own bed (not the crate). she goes in there most of the time without hesitation during the day. when she tries to nap on me i put her in there and she just crawls in and sleeps. although at night time, i have problems with this. when i lay her to bed in there she will not stay. she will wake up and run to my door and keep clawing at it and crying. i am not sure whether if she goes back to sleep in her bed, but she stops crying sometimes. but last night she just cried for as long as i could remember throughout the night.

i want her to pee/poo in the right spot (on a house training pad). when the breeder gave her to us, she knew where to pee right away. although she does miss sometimes and pees in the wrong spot sometimes. i try to catch her most of the time and i startle her by clapping and saying "NO!" and immediately taking he to the pad, but she doesn't pee/poo anymore.

i also want her to be crate trained. which i do throughout the day. when i wake up i put her in the crate for awhile until she stops crying, i then take her out and give her a treat. she barely cries in there now (been doing it for about a day or two).

well those above are my goals. but there is a question that i have. if i crate train her and leave her in there all the time, how would i get her to sleep in her bed at night? because her bed is seperate from the crate. i would also like her to do her business on the house pads because in a few weeks, during the afternoons, no one will really be able to watch her. so i want her to do her business on her own with the pad.

thanks for your replies in advance!

Your chihuahua is tiny and you may be giving it too much room.

When I got my Shih Tzu puppy, she was 2 pounds. I fenced in a hallway for her with her crate, food, water and wee wee pads...oh, toys and chewies too. (the breeder probably had the same kind of set-up. Maybe a laundry room with the gate. Don't close the door so she cannot see out) Ayla slept in the crate with the door open at night and when I wasn't home. This gave her free access to the pad. If they have too much room, they think they can go anywhere

As she got used to this, she was allowed the run of the kitchen so she would know where her wee wee pads was but had access to a different bed if she wanted (it is now her favorite spot)

Take your time with this because it is easier to get them to do it right, then to try to retrain them after. I would make a big deal out of her going on the pad, giving a special treat when she did. She would run to me to get a treat once she went.
I wouldn't punish her if she messed but she would know I was disappointed and wanted to please me. Again, the treats didn't hurt.

Once she was housebroken and knew where her pad was, using it regularly, she was allowed the run of the house and had a pillow next to the couch. (Okay, on the couch with us too)
After I knew she could hold it through the night, she was finally allowed to sleep in a bed next to me on the second floor.

She is now working on my husband to allow her to sleep in our bed but I'm holding off on that one.
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Dee and Ayla

hmm well she has been having the run of the house for awhile now. i don't know where i could cage her off . she is using her pad though most of the time. peeing on it, but pooping is a whole different story. i think i need new treats for her.

what does it mean when u let the dog run around the whole house? her bed is kind of like a little den. its a round cushion with a top to it so she can crawl inside of it. and its at a corner

You have to make a decision on whether you want to contain her now, after being allowed the run of the house or to continue picking up poo. Yes, that was blunt but...

What about gating off the bathroom? I gated the hallway leading to the bathroom, keeping the bathroom door closed. I know it is annoying to climb over gates but it does work.

And don't forget to make a big deal when she goes on the pad (what a good puppy, you get a cookie), with the treats. Try the Natural Balance food that is shaped like a sausage. It smells like salami. They sell a trial size. You can cut it into teenie, tiny pieces. My dog did Obedience classes with it. Actually, would do anything for it.

I have to admit that I am having a small problem with my dog occasionally pooing 3 feet away from her pad. This just started and I think I have a handle on it (may be medical)but for the past year that I have had her, she has done great with the weewees. She ended up being 10 pounds and I don't have to worry about her going outside in bad weather or getting home in time to let her out. It is a decision I am happy with.
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Dee and Ayla

would not caging her off prevent her from completely learning where to go to the bathroom at?

"When I got my Shih Tzu puppy, she was 2 pounds. I fenced in a hallway for her with her crate, food, water and wee wee pads...oh, toys and chewies too. (the breeder probably had the same kind of set-up. Maybe a laundry room with the gate. Don't close the door so she cannot see out) Ayla slept in the crate with the door open at night and when I wasn't home. This gave her free access to the pad. If they have too much room, they think they can go anywhere"
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Dee and Ayla