She likes being in her crate because it simulates a dogs instinct to want to be in a den. Gigi sleeps more often in her crate then her beds. She is housebroken now and I leave the crate door open all the time. It also works out good because if I have a lot of people over she can hide in there and I don't have to worry about her getting stepped on., so it is not a punishment rather a safe haven for them and they like it.
Peggy -------Original Message------- From: JD Date: 8/2/2013 1:21:27 PM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [Chihuahuas] having my own CHi issues thanks so much. I'm going to try this. I feel bad crating her, i feel its a punishment. Even though she likes being in there because of bedding and toys. I'll start right away. I have two crates. One upstairs in my bedroom, which is not the smallest but the 2nd smallest crate. I also have a medium one downstairs. Its big enough to fit a 10-15 pound dog. JD On Aug 2, 2013, at 12:42 PM, Peggy & The Girls <[email protected]> wrote: Even when you get an older dog they have to be retrained not to mark in their home. Both my dogs were adults as was others when I got them and they had to be housebroken. 9 out of 10 times when a dog isn't housebroken it is not the dogs fault, but rather the owner has sent the wrong signals to the dog. Puppies need to be on a strict schedule so you get their built in clock adjusted to your schedule. That means feeding, wee pad, walking, play time, nap and night time, are all on a schedule until the dog is 100% housebroken. Sounds like Piper is very confused. So the best thing to do is to start from scratch. She needs to be confined in an area or a crate whenever you can't monitor her. Once you allow her out of her area, walk her on a leash, (don't carry her) to another area where her wee pad is, or outside if that is how you want to train her. Once she goes, then it is attention and play time or feeding time outside of her area. That is her reward for going on the pad. After about 30 minutes, walk her again to the pad and make sure she goes, if she doesn't pee or poop, then back into the crate and try again 15 minutes later. If she does go the first time, then she gets to be free for a bit longer as long as you can monitor her. If you stick to her being in her area or crate and only let her out to pee and then playtime reward she will get the hang of it. She is a year old so she should be peeing 3-4 times and pooping once aday. Keeping her confined when you can't monit or will also solve the litter pan issue. Once she is housebroken and has earned her freedom, you will have to find a way to keep the litter box out of her reach because it doesn't;t make a difference what breed or how old a dog is, they all seem to love cat tootsie rolls.....yuk! If you do the crate training method correctly then she should be housebroken within a months time. Peggy -------Original Message------- From: JD Date: 8/2/2013 10:20:44 AM To: [email protected] Subject: [Chihuahuas] having my own CHi issues Ok hopefully this doesn't come off wrong, but I'm having such issues with Piper my chi mix. She's refusing to potty train and is peeing and popping every where. Its getting to the point where I can't keep up any more. Besides her messes, my cats are reacting to HER mess by making messes themselves. So now my house is one big giant waste station. I have a toddler, I'm 5.5 months pregnant with a high risk pregnancy and a heart condition. This stress has been wearing me out and taking its toll on me. Yesterday alone I spent over 3 hours (through out the day) just cleaning pee, poop and other messes up. If it isn't dog or cat pee and poop, Piper takes poop from the litter boxes and leaves them all over. I need help in resolving this issue soon or I have have to rehome her and opt for an older Chi who is already potty trained. Tips and advise welcomed JD Sent from my Tardis
