Diapering a dog...........am I crazy?

[Slightly Cracked]

My husband got me a 4 month old chihuahua when I lost my rat terrier this last April.

We have been very successful in crate training dogs in the past. She is in the crate when I leave for work a little after 8 and she is let out at noon when my husband come home for lunch and then again when he gets home a little bit after 3:30.
We limit her food and water and watch every move she makes.............But when I let my guard down or when I am not home and she is out of the crate with my husband and son she pees. It is ALWAYS in the same spot behind our chairs in the living room.
I am at my wits end. I do not want to give up on this dog. She minds in EVERY other way, she will drop stuff if I tell her, she sits, she doesn't bite or snap at kids or anyone else. and a lovable dog.
But this peeing and pooping in the house is driving me NUTS!!! It is pushing my loving husband to the limit too.

Today I bought diapers for her. I cut a hole for her tail and put them on her. So far she has actually "ask" to go outside 3 times.
Has anyone had success with diapers or am I just setting myself up for failure?

Thanks a bunch,

SC

 

[Overeasyplz]

Nope, our chihuahua wears a diaper all the time. He is an older fellow, someone abandoned him on our driveway. He is a sweet lil guy but cannot stop peeing on things. So i made a velcro band and stuck a maxi pad in it. I buy them in bulk at wallyworld 48 pack is 3.29. It works great and I made a ton of diapers for him. Most dogs I noticed take 6-8 months to train from puppyhood, hopefully your little girl will catch on.

 

[NewHopePoultry]

Nope,your not crazy.
I had to put a diaper on my older male min pin before he apssed away and I've put some on both of my small dogs who dont seem to understand not to go potty in the house.

 

[CoopCrazy]

We used to use them when our Chis would go in heat.. They did really well with them..

 

[Patchesnposies]

I recently got my first chihuahua, too. Paloma is about 9 mos or a year old now, and such sweetie. She is VERY obedient and not snappish or yappy, two fears that I had when we got her.

She is, as the smallest critter in the house, incredibly territorial. She is totally housebroken, finally! We used to raise English Springer Spaniels and were avid crate trainer's; we even gave a crate training primer as a hand out to folks who bought our pups, because we believe in it so much. Paloma took much longer to house break than any other dog we have ever had, even with crate training.

But, now that she is housebroken we have discovered that she will pee to mark her territory. The weird thing is that she does it in the cat box! She will climb in and pee a little on one spot and then pee a little on another spot....so strange!

I don't know if that is what is going on with your chihuahua or not. I say, if the diaper keeps your pup from peeing where you don't want her to, than use what works!

Good Luck!

 

[Slightly Cracked]

Thanks everyone for the encouragement!!
I had this HUGE fear that I was doing something awful by putting a diaper on this dog.
She is a wonderful little dog, I am even considering getting her certified for pet therapy. But the peeing is driving me nuts!
My husband is going to shampoo the carpets tomorrow while I am at work, so maybe she will not "mark" her territory behind my chair anymore.
I will keep working on the crate training and hopefully one of these days she "get it".

Thanks again,

SC

 

[MagsC]

No, you are definitely NOT crazy (or at least, as crazy as the rest of us,lol)
I have TWO very old dogs I have to diaper along with their medications and such.

 

[rodriguezpoultry]

We use the diaper method for potty training.

 

[Skyesrocket]

The diaper itself might housebreak her. Many dogs will stop peeing when they realize if they pee in it they will get wet. So, you might not want to use the super absorbant ones.

 

[lovesduckies]

my sister has the same problem with her mini chihuahuah. he's a male and PEES EVERYWHERE. she bought him after he had already been fixed. she took him to the vet to make sure he was fixed and the vet told my sister that it's really hard to house break them. i wish you luck!! she is finding him a new home