Potty Training

We Chihuahuas are unique in that we are the smallest breed of dog. This makes us portable and relatively easy to clean up after.

Putting a fire hydrant in your living room is probably not an option.

My daddy says I’m a one tissue dog. I like to give my daddy presents when we take a walk. He wraps them in a single tissue. Sometimes he takes his wrapped presents home, but sometimes he throws them in a trash can. I don’t get it.

But I digress.

Housebreaking your Chi puppy to use newspaper or a “piddle” pad

Using either a newspaper or “piddle” pad, is a consideration for your small Chi puppy. This may cause some other problems in the future. When you decide to paper train a puppy, you have to use a specific method in order to eventually get the puppy to use the outdoors to relieve him or herself. This is the goal of most people.

In my case, I have been trained to do both. If I have to go, and there is no one to walk me, I use my piddle pads. Otherwise, I wait to be taken on my many long, sometimes endless walks.

Paper training your puppy can be a little frustrating if not done correctly.

You need to start as soon as you bring him or her home. Place the paper somewhere close to a door that the puppy will eventually use when they learn to relieve themselves outside.

You will need to place the puppy on the paper when you think it is time to potty. This should be done quite often so that the puppy realizes that this where they should go to the bathroom.

Whether you use a newspaper or piddle pad, it is best to use about three pieces to start. As the puppy becomes accustomed to going on the paper, you will eventually start taking away a piece of paper while moving it closer to the outside door.

This makes it fun to find the bathroom as it keeps moving. Piddle pads are scented so that it encourages your puppy to use it for it’s bathroom purposes. If you have an intelligent Chi, they might use a newspaper for reading, or chewing.

Keep in mind that taking the dog outside is also recommended when paper training.

The paper is for times when you cannot get to the puppy and take him or her outside. Or at night or when you’re away from home. As you move the paper closer to the door and take a piece away until you are down to just one piece, you should move the paper outdoors.

The puppy should have learned where to go and will ask to go out the door to reach the paper. When the puppy has accomplished asking to go outside for the paper, you can then take the paper away and allow the puppy to use the yard to relieve him or herself. This works only if you have an enclosed yard. You never want to just let your puppy roam the streets alone.

There are some downsides to paper training that you must be aware of before starting.

If you lay a piece of paper down anywhere in the house, chances are that the puppy is going to use this to relieve him or herself. And if you’re visiting people, your puppy will use their newspaper too. Better that than their carpet, though.

Potty training puppies to use a newspaper has its upsides, but you do have to be careful not to leave paper on the floor anywhere else in the house. If the puppy is a fast learner, this process should only take a month or so. Some dogs however will need longer.

You have to be patient when potty training a puppy to use newspaper.

Potty training puppies with paper can be easier on people who have busy schedules, but you will have to change the soiled paper many times a day. This is important when potty training a puppy.

If you have a puppy that pees a lot, you may want to use plastic under several layers of the newspaper so it does not soak through to the floor. You can also place the newspaper on a vinyl floor so that it is easier to clean after every paper change. I recommend the piddle pads for easy cleanup. They’re already lined and easy to dispose of.

You should take the shortest amount of time to paper train a puppy, but do not rush the puppy when you are moving the paper closer to the door.

Piddle Pads are also great for Senior Dogs

If you don’t have an enclosed yard, and your senior Chihuahua has difficulty holding it in, keep a piddle pad available for easy use. Why make your little Chi suffer at night or when you’re unavailable to walk them. End the guilt and mess with piddle pads.

For more helpful dog training help, please visit Potty Dog Training Website.

 

7 thoughts on “Potty Training”

  1. Hi, we have yoda now about 2 weeks. He is 6 months old. He does go on puppy paper. Slips alittle. I try to take him outside, but he shakes and pulls to go back up the stairs to go inside. He did pee outside twice but has not since. We have him in a fence area in our kitchen right now. We do have a 7 year old maltese that we are trying to introduce slowly to each other. Do you have any suggestions on how to train on going outdoors?

  2. From everything I’ve ready, the way to house train a puppy is to crate train them. After the puppy relieves themselves outside they can be let out of the cage to play. There’s a lot more to this, of course.

    Lucy was kept in a large octagonal “playpen” with a piddle pad. She learned to use the piddle pad, both in her pen and out. Eventually she learned to use the piddle pad all the time, until I started taking her for walks. She is now three but I still have the pads out. She does not use them anymore, except in an emergency, and only goes to the bathroom outside.

    Check out my Chihuahua Potty Training Article.

  3. Heya
    Your blog post Potty Training Your Chihuahua to Use a Paper, pee pad | All My Chihuahuas is informative &
    thought provoking, I will return to check your article content

  4. We just got our Chihuahua. He is only 3 months old and is a teacup size. Amazing little guy…love him already. We are trying to teach him to use the Piddle Pad. We leave in an RV so we have little space. We will also training him to go outside. Whatever suggestions you can give to make the transition go smoothly will be helpful.
    Thanks…

  5. When I first got my Chihuahua I kept her in a large crate at night and when not a home. I had a pee pad in the crate. Outside the crate I had several pee pads near the crate. I would put her on the pads kept her there until she did her business in the morning etc. Gradually I cut down the number of pads. Four years later I still keep two pads available for Lucy, even though I walk her several times a day. She almost never goes potty in the house anymore but if she really has to go, she always uses her pads. I am very happy!

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