Chihuahua using the bathroom in the house, advice needed PLEASE!

[AnimalsComeFirst]

Hi there,
2 months ago we adopted a 3 year old male un-neutered chihuahua named Gizmo. Ever since we got him, he has gone the bathroom in the house. Poop, not pee. He won't tell us, he'll just jump down and walk away, no barking, no whining. Just off he goes to go do his buisness in the other room. He follows me everywhere, and I have read they are a one person dog. He began pooping on my rug, as if defining me as "his", so I began to not coddle him as much and ignore him and not always hold him.

Now, all he does is poop in the house. When we bring him outside, he'll stand there and stare at us. We leave him out for 5 - 10 minutes. Nothing. We've tried rewarding when he does buisness outside, but he doesn't get it! We've been doing this for 2 months, and we are at wits end. If we can't fix this, he is going back to his old owners.

HOW can we train him to tell us when he needs to go outside? Please help!

 

[sourland]

Do a search on 'crate training'. Do not allow him into the room where he likes to defecate. Limit his access to rooms in the house, and only let him out of the crate while you are observing his actions. I recently had a young couple adopt a 2.5 year old non neutered male beagle from me. This dog was an outdoor, field trial dog, and had never been in a house. Using crate training techniques and closely monitoring him, he NEVER urinated or defecated in their house. They just didn't allow it to happen. It takes a lot of work, but it can be accomplished with adult dogs. It's all about getting them to regard the entire house as their den - an area not to be soiled. Good luck.

 

[Jubilee1111]

I second sourland's comments.

The crate has to be small enough to not allow the dog to escape a poo/pee if he goes in it. he will learn control and routine about when and where to potty. Freedom in the house is earned.

I find spending a lot of time outside doing stuff while they roam around and attend to business helps. Some dogs like privacy.

 

[AnimalsComeFirst]

Do a search on 'crate training'. Do not allow him into the room where he likes to defecate. Limit his access to rooms in the house, and only let him out of the crate while you are observing his actions. I recently had a young couple adopt a 2.5 year old non neutered male beagle from me. This dog was an outdoor, field trial dog, and had never been in a house. Using crate training techniques and closely monitoring him, he NEVER urinated or defecated in their house. They just didn't allow it to happen. It takes a lot of work, but it can be accomplished with adult dogs. It's all about getting them to regard the entire house as their den - an area not to be soiled. Good luck.

We do crate train him. But whenever we are about to leave, we bring him out and he won't do his buisness! Then we leave for 2 hours, come back to a smelly crate. We do watch him when he's out of his crate, but he doesn't give us warning, he just runs away to another room to do his buisness.

 

[llandry]

Is he motivated by anything specific such as a certain treat or something yummy? If so, the next time he goes in the house, pick up the pooh and put it out in the yard where you want him to go. Bring him outside and put him right down next to it and praise him. Give him the treat and make a big deal. You will have to do this a few times till he associates pooh and outside.

Make sure you're walking him with in 30 min of eating since eating stimulates the intestines to move. When take him out for walks after he eats, you may have to stay out for a while but try to stay out until he poops. Bring treats with you to reward him.

Behavior training is all positive, positive, positive reinforcement. Even though it can be the most infuriating experience of your life.

 

[drumstick diva]

I would keep him on a leash in the house so he can't suddenly run off and drop a bomb. If he suddenly tries to get away I would take him right outside. You don't mention your location. Is it possible it is really cold out for a smooth coated dog? Some breeds are notoriously difficult to housebreak but, I don't know anything about Chihuahuas in that respect.

 

[animallover505]

Try a smaller cage. Dogs won't lay in poop, and don't like to poop close to where they lay. And remember, Chihuahuas are tiny dogs. They have to go to the bathroom more often than larger dogs.

 

[mammat]

Try the leash in the house and only take him out on a leash. Our dachshund was horrible to train. I finally went to a behaviorist. We did this for about a week and it worked!

 

[nok13]

small dogs are notorioius for that; could be also that, like with my lilee, we allow her to use our bathroom as hers when it rains, as she just wont go outside, at all. so easier for us that its also considered 'outside' . useful for when we cant get back and dont have a dog sitter, they both know that the bathroom is also theirs if needed. the male usually doesnt , she does.

cold could be a factor but also the main mistake that most people make is that once the dog does its thing outdoors, they all come bakc indoors. so the dog has learned that poop= go back to boring inside.

so u have to teach him basical to poop on commman. everytime he poops, reward adn use a command like: potty, or peepee or toilet time or what ver word or languagte u want to use, always use that term, while he's doing it... even if it means that the first week u are sitting and walking with him for an hour or more... he will eventually go (a few raisins or oil in his dinner will help with the process)... once he goes, u say 'billy, poopoo" or whatever, while giving him a rinky dinky itsy bitsy reward/or his fave toy if thats what turns him on... then, KEEP GOING FOR AN OTHER MINUTE OR TWO on the 'fun' walk, THEN go home to house. dogs are sooooo good at training their pets oops owners to keep walking for ever and not go home... so first, a poo and pee, then play, then home. always. so that when its horrible outside or u are in a hurry, u just say, 'teddy make pooo' and he does.
my boxers, fox terrier and now the lhasas go on command. then we can go off and play or fun walk. just like a child pees before a long trip. (hell, i make my hsuband pee before a long trip even when he tells me he doesnt have to go, cause always but always we hit the troll way, and there its illegal to stop the car for anything other then mechanical trouble)...
it could be there is no comfortable place for him to poo outside. lilee cannot deal with unlevel surfaces, sand/rocky. only flat dirt. so we have an area outside that is her toilet of choice. so in the morning when im in a hurry, we go the doggy toilet area only.

maybe he was spoiled and carried everywhere by his first owner? maybe never had been outdoors? or some dogs only are used to certain surfaces. my boxer was used to sand and dirt also, but in a kennel she had issues with a cement run. (we are fairly rural in set up here, not much road or cement).

moving his poo outside and making it his toilet is a good idea. mean while wash the bathroom with white vinegar . bathrooms smell just like bathrooms, to dog noses. it smells like pee (men drip, etc) and the molecules stay in the floor and around the toilet so its obvious that he would choose there. whtie vinegar is good for that. rugs are also like dirt or grass...
we aslo have a closed door policy hwen we arent in the house. prevents doggy misunderstandings of what is off limits when.
u can teach dogs to ring a bell when they want out, just like scratching at the door, or whatever. lilee tends to stand and stare at us from the hall area when she wants out, she's not a very 'cuey' dog. foofoo will whine and scratch at the door. the boxers would stand up and try to open the door. my friend's saluki rings a bell at the door. it could be that he is trying to get your attention to go somewhere, without u noticing cause he is small and u are misreading his intentions. does he stop and stare and then run to the bathroom, if so, run after him, pick hm up (yep, might get pee'd on, been there done that, or pood on , even worse), take him outside, say 'teddy go poopoo' good boy, treat, even if he he doesnt really continue...

they say lhasa apsos are really really slow about potty training (yes, they are very very slow) but eventually they get it. they just do not have the 'want to please' attitude, and they are small so u dont notice whent they squat, as pups, and with all the fur, until u realize they are peeing its too late... but eventually they do learn.

 

[llandry]

This is good advice.

Just don't give raisins to help stimulate a bowel movement. Grapes, and therefore raisins, are toxic in dogs and will cause renal failure which there is no cure. There is no rhyme or reason as to the toxic levels either. Meaning a great dane could eat only a few and develop RF and a chihuahua could eat the same amount and be fine only to eat the same amount or less the following week and end up sick.