How To Housebreak Your Chihuahua Puppy

Most Chihuahua puppies are notoriously difficult to housebreak. But all hope is not lost! You can certainly housebreak your Chihuahua in only a few short weeks by diligently following the steps for housebreaking which i have outlined below.

Housebreaking is the process of teaching your Chihuahua puppy to eliminate outside the house, on a piece of newspaper, or in a litter box. Where you teach him to eliminate is up to you. I highly recommend, however, that you teach him to eliminate outside if you have easy access to a backyard. Don't paper or litter box train your Chihuahua unless you absolutely have to - such as if you live in a high rise apartment and do not have easy access to a backyard. There's no reason to train him to eliminate on paper or in a litter box inside if he can go outside in the backyard.

The formula for effectively housebreaking your Chihuahua

The key to housebreaking your Chihuahua puppy is to make sure he consistently eliminates in his designated toilet area - whether it be in the backyard or on newspaper or a litter box - for a period of two or three weeks.

If you consistently get him to eliminate in the right place, for two or three weeks, and correct him for going in the wrong places, he will learn where he is supposed to go and he will go there in the future.

But, the question is... how do you get him to go to the toilet where he is supposed to be going, such as outside, for two or three weeks so that he learns?

You simply need to diligently follow the formula below. It will require some effort on your part during the two or three week housebreaking period, but if you follow it, you will have a housebroken Chihuahua in only a few short weeks:

  1. Confine your Chihuahua puppy in his den during housebreaking Dogs try very hard not eliminate in their den where they sleep and eat. So by confining your Chihuahua puppy to his den during the day - in between toilet breaks, walks and play time, i.e. when you're not watching him - you can effectively make him "hold it in" - without letting him make a mistake inside the house.

    Keep in mind that a Chihuahua puppy of less than 6 months of age cannot control his elimination for longer than 4 hours. However, while sleeping during the night he should be able to hold it in for the night, if he's in his den.

    A "crate" is used to imitate the den environment. A crate is basically a small crate which you can keep your Chihuahua puppy in. If you use a crate, and i highly recommend you do, you will need to crate train your Chihuahua puppy first.

    If you don't want to use a crate then you can you an exercise pen which is similar to a crate but a little larger and with no roof, or you can wall off a small space in the kitchen or in another small room in your home. This space should only be about 2 foot by 3 foot in size. Otherwise, if the area is to large, he will eliminate at one end of the space, and treat the other end like his den.

    By keeping your Chihuahua puppy in his den, you will stop him from eliminating anywhere around the house. Giving your Chihuahua puppy free reign of the house during the housebreaking period won't work.

  2. Establish a feeding schedule

    What goes in on schedule comes out on schedule. Your Chihuahua puppy will need to eliminate approximately 30 minutes after a meal. So establish a feeding schedule whereby you feed him at the same time everyday then you will know when he has the urge to eliminate and can take him outside.

    If your Chihuahua puppy is 16 weeks to 3 months old feed him four times per day. If he is 3 months to 6 months of age, you can feed him three times per day. If he is 6 months or older you can feed him twice per day.

    Don't give your Chihuahua pup treats or table scraps during his housebreaking period or he will need to go to the toilet more frequently and you won't know when so you won't have been ready for it and taken him to his toilet area.

  3. Regularly take him to his toilet area

    It is up to you to give him plenty of opportunities to eliminate outside during the day - or before and after you get home from work if you work all day - and to also keep a very watchful eye on him when he is out of his den so you can take him to his toilet area if he starts to eliminate where he shouldn't. If he starts circling on the same spot and sniffing this is a sign that he needs to eliminate. Quickly grab him and whisk him outside.

    You should take him to his toilet area 20 to 30 minutes after each meal, you should also take him to his toilet area first thing in the morning when you wake up, and before you put him to bed. Your Chihuahua puppy may also get the urge to "go" whenever he wakes up for a nap - so take him out then too. If he doesn't go to the toilet after his meal when you take him out, bring him inside again, confine him, and take him back out 15 minutes later to try again.

    Each time he starts eliminating where you want him to, such as on his litter box, newspaper, out outside, say "Go toilet", so that he associates this word with going to the toilet. Then in future, after he has made the connection with this word and eliminating, you can encourage him to hurry up by saying "Go toilet" when you want him to go.

    If you work all day, then chances are he will eliminate in the house when you have gone. A Chihuahua puppy just cannot hold it very long. So you will have to accept that. But it shouldn't slow down your housebreaking success to much if you follow the procedure below:

    Use a larger exercise pen, or fence off a larger area in a room of your house. Cover 1/3 of the area with newspaper. Cover another 1/3 of the area with his blanket, and also place some toys and a biscuit here to. And leave 1/3 of the area uncovered, and place his water and food here - closest to the blanket area. Then leave for work. He should get into the habit of soiling the newspaper - away from his den. On the weekends, be sure to revert back to keeping him in a smaller den so that he doesn't eliminate in the house at all.

  4. Give praise and corrections

    Praise and corrections are a very important part of housebreaking your Chihuahua puppy. When he eliminates where you want him to - outside on the lawn, on the designated newspaper, or in his litter box be sure to praise him, "Good boy, you're such a good boy!".

    If you catch him going somewhere else other than his designated toilet area, clap your hands loudly and say "NO" in a firm and loud voice. This will startle him, now run over to him, pick him up, and take him to his toilet area to eliminate (outside, the newspaper or litter box).

    DO NOT punish your Chihuahua puppy for going to the toilet where he not supposed to go. Punishment will ruin your relationship with him and set your housetraining back. This definitely means NOT to rub his face in his feces - it has been proven that this does not to work.

    DO NOT correct him or discipline him AFTER he has eliminated in the wrong area. If you don't catch him before or during the act of elimination - to say "NO" in a stern voice, and take him outside - then don't say anything to him at all. Getting mad because you just found out that he has soiled on your new carpet might make you feel better - but he will NOT understand that you are made because he eliminated on it. He will just think you're getting mad for no reason. You must catch him in the act and then correct him for him to associate that eliminating where he was is not acceptable.

    Mistakes happen. Your Chihuahua will eliminate in the house at least a few times even if you are extra vigilant during this housebreaking period - it's just something that happens. So don't get mad. Just clean up the mess, use some pet odor remover to remove the smell from the carpet, and move on.

  5. Remove odors

    Dogs like to eliminate where they have eliminated before. They figure out where they have eliminated before using smell. This is why you must remove all traces of the smell from the feces or urine from the carpet using a pet stein/odor removal product. These products do a thorough job at removes all of the small from the carpet. If you just use water and soap, you may think the smell is gone, but he will still be able to smell it.

So in summary here's what you should do to housebreak your Chi puppy: