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Forgets House Training

When a Chihuahua Forgets House Training Rules

Overview

If your Chihuahua has forgotten house training lessons, you’re not alone. It’s not uncommon for owners to put in spend months of hard effort potty training their puppy or dog, then finally breathe a sigh of relief, thinking, ‘it’s done!’, only for some time to pass by and accidents start happening.

With some Chihuahuas, not only will there be random accidents in the house, the dog may seem to have completely forgotten about going to the bathroom outside. Before you know it, there’s puddle of pee and piles of poo throughout the house. You may be wondering if all that hard work was in vain and if your Chihuahua could really have such short-term memory.

Another related issue is when a puppy or dog misses the pee pads or rips them up instead of using them.

If your Chi has had this sort of regression and accidents are becoming common, you’ll be happy to know that there are actually several reasons why this can happen, which means it is fixable.

This article will cover exactly what went wrong and how to be sure that housebreaking rules are never forgotten again.

Tootsie Bonabootsie, at 3 years old, photo courtesy of Dawn Frady

First, rule out health issues and territorial marking

It’s important to know which sort of problem you are up against in order to properly address it.

So, you’ll want to be sure that your Chihuahua does not have a bladder infection, urinary tract infection, or other issues that can cause loss of bladder control. Other signs aside from peeing inside include blood in the urine, cloudy urine, urine that dribbles out, straining when urinating, more frequent urination, painful urination, and/or excessively licking the genital area. If you suspect this sort of health issue, this needs to be diagnosed and treated by the veterinarian.

You’ll also want to rule out territorial marking and it’s not always clear-cut. However, some signs that peeing inside is due to marking include a dog not being spayed or neutered, light sprays of urine (the entire bladder is not emptied), vertical objects are sprayed (like table legs), the entrance of the house is marked, and the Chihuahua shows other territorial signs such as not listening to owners and excessively barking at visitors.

Why a Chihuahua Will Forget Housebreaking Lessons

There are 3 main reasons why a Chihuahua will forget potty training rules: A lack of reinforcement, too much independence, and/or improper cleaning of accidents.

It may be one or all of these elements at play, so let’s dive into each one in order to understand what went wrong and how to fix things.

Gyspy, at 6 months old, photo courtesy of Jacqulyne Davila

Reason #1: Lack of Reinforcement

While some dogs will continue to follow established rules, others need continued feedback. Without it, a dog may have little motivation to follow a lesson that doesn’t bring him any positive results.

What went wrong: Chances are that when you were teaching your Chihuahua, you used lots of positive reinforcement. You got excited when your puppy peed or poo’d in the right spot, you gave lots of praise, and you handed over a yummy treat. Life was good. Your Chi did the deed and there were happy vibes all around. By giving that positive reinforcement, your Chihuahua learned that doing a certain action brought about favorable results (pee or poo in the designated area = praise and tasty rewards).

But then, things gradually changed. Over time, you showed far less excitement. Maybe you said ‘Good dog’ with less enthusiasm or sometimes even forgot to say it at all. New and tasty treats got scarce. And this is when your Chihuahua forgot those house training lessons, and to be fair, there was little reason to try and remember them.

How to fix this: Bring back that positive reinforcement. This goes hand-in-hand with point #2 below (too much independence) because you will need to be near your Chihuahua to emphasize a job well done.

Read on to point #2 for step-by-step guidelines to get things back on track.

Penny, at 6 years old (just adopted), photo courtesy of Barbara

Reason #2: Too Much Independence

Some dogs need continued guidance. It’s similar to how you supervise a child doing homework, not just in first grade, but all grades going forward.

What went wrong: Once your Chihuahua was doing great with house training you assumed that your job was done. What a relief! Maybe you just open the door and let your dog out. Or maybe you assume that your Chihuahua will let you know when they have to go to the bathroom.

A dog that is let out alone may spend that time doing everything other than going to the bathroom. And, even if he happens to pee or poo while out there, there’s no one saying ‘Good job’ and giving a treat (point #1). Praise and reward must be given at the moment a certain action is done; if you say ‘Good dog’ as your Chi comes back in, your dog will think you’re praising his entrance back into the house.

Not to mention that it’s exceedingly dangerous to let a Chihuahua outside alone. Hazards include other dogs coming into the yard (even fenced yards), wildlife attacks including birds of prey, ingestion of grass, feces (that of other dogs and/or wildlife), toxic weeds, or plants, and risk of escaping.

In regard to letting you know when there is a need, this cannot always be expected. If you’re in another part of the house or busy focusing on something else, your dog may not have time to find you and alert you.

So, to resolve both reason #1 and reason #2, follow these tips to the letter:

1. When you are not there to supervise, do not allow your Chihuahua to have free reign in the house. This is just asking for trouble.

Have your Chi in a small gated off area or in a canine playpen. Within that, line the area with pee pads, and place a quality bed, water bowl (food if you will not be home), and some favorite toys. This immediately resolves the issue of accidents all over the house.

If you are looking for a playpen, the IRIS 24'' Pet Playpen with Door is highly recommended. This has a door for easy in and out, it’s super sturdy, comes in an array of colors, is a perfect size (8 square feet – though you can make it larger by connecting an extension panel(s) if you wish), and it’s portable.

If you have the right set-up, do not worry about times you are not home. This will not cause a house training regression as long as pee and poo are contained to the playpen area and potty training is reinforced when you are there.

Timmy, photo courtesy of Lisa Vowels

2. If there’s issues with the pee pads, there are several options can help when a Chihuahua either misses the pads (goes to the bathroom right beside them) or chew/rips at them:

A) Use one large pad (as opposed to several small ones) that has a ‘sticky’ side as to not slip around. A great option for this is Bulldogology XL Pee Pads with Adhesive Sticky Tape. These measure 24 x 35 inches, which almost covers the inside area of the recommended playpen (35.25 x 35.25) and it has an adhesive that helps it stick to any sort of flooring.

B) Use a large washable pad. These cannot be ripped apart like standard pee pads and another plus is that these are environmentally friendly.

For this, you may want to consider Rocket & Rex Washable Pee Pads. These are a large 30 x 36 (perfect for the playpen area), stand up to 300 washings, and have a 100% satisfaction guarantee.

C) Use a pee pad holder. You’ll see lots of these on the market, and some work much better than others. The Richell Paw Trax Mesh Training Tray is very effective with a neat snap-in frame feature. The holder itself is 25.2 x 18.9, but you can use larger pads if you wish. The grated area is also very small and soft, so this is paw-friendly. With this, pads cannot be chewed and they are going to stay in place.

D) Use a grass pad. A big head’s up here, these are not for every budget. Real grass pads are disposable boxes of real grass that typically need to be replaced every 1.5 weeks (so about 3 per month). Yet, the idea is really neat and many dogs do very well in using these; having grass helps house training lessons to stay in a dog’s mind.

One of the more wallet-friendly ones is the DoggieLawn Disposable Dog Potty. But, keep in mind this is a reoccurring expense.

Banjo, at 6.5 months (3.9 lbs.), photo courtesy of Rosanna Sirico

3. Do not wait for signals; take your Chihuahua outside on schedule. This will be first thing in the morning, 20 minutes after a meal, every 2 to 3 hours, right before bed, as soon as you get home (if you’ve been away), and of course any time that your Chi makes a motion to pee or poo.

4. Give super happy praise and a tasty treat. This is paramount. The moment your puppy or dog has done the deed, say ‘Good dog’ with lots of enthusiasm and palm a training treat.

It is vitally important that the treat is not something that is given out at any rate (it must be extra special and only doled out when housebreaking rules are remembered). It should also be moist (not dry), small (as to not interfere with a dog’s appetite) and super-packed with flavor.

If you are looking for an effective training treat, there are a couple of good choices.

If you have a puppy, a fantastic treat is Wellness Puppy Bites Grain-Free Training Treats. These are made in the USA, are grain-free, have no corn, soy, or artificial additives, and offer the mouth-watering flavor of soft lamb & salmon.

If you have an adult, a terrific choice is Zuke's Mini Naturals Dog Treats. These are made in the USA, have no wheat, corn, soy, or artificial additives. And comes in extra-yummy flavors including duck, peanut butter, pork, and rabbit.

5. Respond appropriately to accidents. It can be frustrating when a Chihuahua forgets their housebreaking lessons. But, do remember that you play a role in this as well. It’s really a team effort. So, do not raise your voice; it won’t have much of an effect once the deed is done.

And, part of this is cleaning the spot correctly, which brings us to the 3rd reason a Chihuahua will forget housebreaking lessons; point #3 is next.

Ellie May, at 8 years old, photo courtesy of Barbie Blew

Reason #3: Improper Cleaning of Accidents

Rules are easily forgotten when there is a competing signal telling a dog that the inside of the house is the bathroom area.

What went wrong: Sometimes it’s easy to forget that dogs see and sense the world differently from us. For canines, the nose rules! Dogs depend on their sense of smell to inform and direct them.

Both urine and feces contain enzymes that humans cannot smell, but dogs can. Soap and water do not remove these. Once you clean up an accident, the area can look completely spotless but be sending a very strong signal to your Chihuahua. It is essentially an announcement that says, ‘This is the bathroom area!’. This will greatly contribute to a repeat of urinating or having a bowel movement in the house.

How to fix this: First, do clean the area with dish detergent and warm water, using paper towels or a cloth towel to blot it dry. However, once that is complete, use a quality enzyme cleanser.

You will want to spray the area thoroughly with the cleanser and let that stay for 5 minutes. Then, use paper towels to blot it and allow the remainder to dry.

If you are looking for a very effective cleanser for potty training accidents, a great one is Simple Solution Extreme Enzyme Formula. This is made in the USA, and works on all types of flooring, plus furniture, bedding, and other fabrics. It is also fantastic in removing stains.

Summary

If your Chihuahua has forgotten housebreaking rules, there is always a reason why. To stop accidents from happening and get things back on course, you’ll want to:

Rule out health issues and territorial marking.
Keep your Chi in one spot, like a canine playpen.
Use pee pads, along with a non-slip and non-chew method if needed.
Take your Chi outside often enough and stay there to supervise.
Always give positive reinforcement via praise and special training treats.
Clean accidents with a quality enzyme cleanser.

By working together as a team, your Chihuahua will remember what is expected and gain a sense of pride that they are going a good job. And, of course, a pee-free and poo-free house is a happier house.