Potty training a stubborn puppy might sound like an impossible mission in the beginning. But patience is always the key to accomplish anything.
First and foremost, any kind of early training will benefit your puppy’s life in a number of ways. The more you train him, the better he becomes.
How To Potty Train A Stubborn Puppy
Potty training a stubborn puppy requires that you create a clear and positive authority figure for him. Before you potty train your puppy, it’s important that he knows that you’re the alpha figure in the house and that he has to submit to you. A great way to accomplish this is by having a very strict schedule (Feeding Time, Nap Time, Playtime and Potty Time) and sticking to it. It’s also very important for you to have a reward system for your little one. The reward should come in the form of lots of praise and quality treats.
Establish A Routine
Define feeding time, nap time, playtime and potty time for your puppy. This will help to establish your position as his pack leader and make him submissive.
With a fixed schedule, you can plan for his potty needs and keep the accidents to the minimum.
Your puppy will also feel much comfortable with a routine as he will be able to anticipate what is coming next and this will make him less nervous.
A puppy typically needs to go to the bathroom about 12 -15 times a day, so prepare a routine that covers these times.
Try to account for how many times your puppy needs to eat and drink water each day to make sure he is on schedule.
Take him outside at the same time every day and give him about 10 minutes to make sure he goes. Keep a close eye on him to make sure that he doesn’t go to the bathroom in the house where you can’t see him, or maybe even without your knowledge.
At night, before placing him in his crate, make sure that he has done his potty and then take him out when you wake up the next morning.
Also try to limit his water and food intake before going to bed for the night.
Accustom To Eliminate In Designated Spot
When you take your puppy outside, put him on a leash and take him to the same spot every time, so that he gets used to using the same designated spot for his elimination.
A puppy will usually find a quiet spot and relieve himself. When you take him outside, let him sniff around for a while, so that he knows that is where he is supposed to be.
He is likely to walk in a circle before peeing as that is his natural instinct to ensure that his surroundings are safe.
Make sure that you are with him and watch him doing his elimination. Be calm and avoid eye contact or talk to your puppy. This is to avoid him from getting distracted and forget that he is here to do his potty.
Keeping your puppy on a leash is recommended, since this will make it easier for you to confine him to the spot where he needs to relieve himself and prevent him for peeing on your plants in the garden.
Associate Command with Peeing
This command will be handy in the situation when your puppy is distracted by other stimuli and forget that he is supposed to do his elimination.
You see, a puppy has a short attention span and easily gets distracted. When he is out for his potty, he is easily caught away with various stimuli such as cars going past the road outside the yard, birds flying past or even children playing in the yard and forget that he is here to do his peeing.
This is when you would need to remind him that he should be doing his elimination and if he is trained on “go poop” or “go pee-pee” command, you can instruct him to do his potty right now.
Always remember to praise him “Good Boy!” when he is peeing. This is to make him associate “Good Boy!” with the act of eliminating at the designated spot.
No Punishment For Accident
Never ever punish your puppy for any accident when he goes inside. If you catch him in the act of eliminating indoors, use a very firm “NO!” and carry him outside.
Make it clear that you are displeased in his action and that he understands why you are not happy with his action.
Even though you are extremely displeased, scolding or punishing will not teach him much, because he won’t get the message.This might make him get fearful of elimination and attempt to hide his pee from your sight!
Potty training should take about two weeks for your pup to master. It’s important to remember to be patient and not get irritated or angry. Your puppy is still learning, and he might have accident along the way.
When he does have accidents, don’t get angry with him, clean up the mess and move on!
Crate Training
Using a crate to train a puppy on potty is a very common approach used by many dog owners. Crates not only provide a sense of security and personal space for your puppy but also help to train your puppy to hold his bladder till he is out for his elimination.
Puppies do not like to pee in the area where they sleep and eat and if you make the crate his “home”, your pup would certainly refrain from making it dirty.
Of course, this is based on the following assumption:
- Your crate is just specious for your puppy to stand up, and turn around and not big enough for him to use one of the corners for his elimination.
- You are letting your puppy out of his crate for his potty every 1-2 hours.
- Your puppy is not peeing on the blanket in his crate. You can do a check if your puppy is “kicking” away the blanket to one corner of the crate.
Place the crate in an area where you can supervise him easily. This will help you to get him out of the crate for outside when he shows signs of potty needs.
You will probably need to come up with a routine to take him out of the crate and to his potty area outside. This will help him to become accustomed to a schedule.
It may take a few days for your puppy to get used to spend his time in his crate. He may be panic when you close the crate door. Just hang in there.
He will outgrow this stage, and finally be okay with the idea of spending some time in his crate. Make sure that you have all the necessary things (blanket and toys) prepared in the crate for him.
Once he gradually learned how to hold his bladder and go outside for potty, you can begin leaving him out of the crate for a longer period of time. You must understand that this takes time.
If you do choose to go with a crate, make sure that someone is available to allow your puppy to potty outside while you are away.
Praise and Reward Him For Potty
One of the most important things to remember when potty training your puppy is to give him praise when he goes potty and reward him with a treat. This will let him know that going potty is a good thing.
This will help to create a positive reinforcement that going outside for elimination will earn him a reward, and he would be more than willing to repeat that action over again.
Sign Of Persistent Indoor Potty
If your puppy is constantly going potty indoors despite having him potty trained, it is possible that he is having a hard time controlling his bladder because of the excitement of living in a new home or it may also be the case that he is simply marking his territory.
If he is doing this because of territorial marking, you can stop this behavior by asserting yourself as his pack leader. Make him be aware that you are his “BOSS” and all territory belongs to you.
If you feel that his potty problem is because of excitement, simply give him some chewing toys to keep him busy as he gets to settle down in his new environment.
How Often Should Your Puppy Go For Potty?
It depends on the size and age of your puppy. Generally, a puppy will need to do his potty when
- He wakes up in the morning
- After playtime
- After each meal
- Before sleep
- After a nap
Every 2 hours is a good rule of thumb. Probably even more frequent if your puppy is very young as his bladder is not fully developed to hold his urine. For a puppy of 2 months old, he can hold his bladder for 2 hours.
Conclusion
It will certainly take time and patience to housetrain a stubborn puppy such as a Chihuahua to take orders and listen to you.
You must first establish yourself as his Alpha. Only then will he be willing to be trained by you.
Make use of the tips shared in this post to start potty training your strong-willed puppy today and stop his peeing on your carpet.