One of the first things Chihuahua owners need to accomplish is housetraining. The faster your Chihuahua gets housetrained, the earlier you have will have neat and tidy house and will have no more housebreaking nightmares. The time to begin housetraining is when you first bring your Chihuahua to his or her new home. Even before you step in to your house, take your dog to the place where you want him to urinate or defecate permanantly. Once your dog is done, praise your Chihuahua puppy and bring it inside to explore his new surroundings.
Dogs, by nature, do not want to dirty the place where they sleep. As a Chihuahua owner, you can use to your benefit. That is where a crate comes in handy. Get a crate big enough for your Chihuahua to walk inside and turn around, even when it is an adult. Train your Chihuahua to get inside the crate and treat it like its den. Put your puppy into the crate after he or she has been outside and eliminated.
After every two hours, you must take the puppy outside and let it relieve itself. Remember to take your dog to the same place every day. Dogs are creatures of habit, and they will recognize the proper place by its odor. Say "Do Your Business" or something like that everytime the dog goes outside. After he or she has eliminated, praise your pet. Repeat the process every 2 hours.
On days when you go to work and leave your Chihuahua alone, do not leave food or water in the crate, since this will make it difficult for the puppy to control his or her bladder and bowels. When you come home, take the puppy outside and then come in and feed and water it.
When you want to take your Chihuahua puppy out of the crate, watch carefully, and if he or she walks away from you and begins sniffing the ground, or squats, quickly pick him or her up and go outdoors. Take your do to its usual place outside and give your command to relieve itself there. Even if your Chihuahua pup has eliminated inside the house, never hit at the dog or shout at him. This makes Chihuahuas afraid.
Most puppies eliminate once after their playtime. So, take it outdoors, give your command and let it eliminate.
It would be a good idea to get a Chihuahua puppy in the summer or spring. That will help you take him or her outside easily. Chihuahua puppies, with their small size, cannot hold for long. So, you will need to take your Chihuahua puppy out very frequently. Take this as an exercise for you and you will enjoy it.. A normal Chihuahua puppy should get housetrained in about two - three weeks. Thereafter, a routine will be established and you will not have to take your Chihuahua outside so often. No more mess and stress.
