Cross Breeds

Why is it so hard to house break small dogs?

And please dont say all dogs are hard to break. I have 4 large dogs, all labs and they were not that hard to train. And the bottom line is, they :are: trained. My friend has a pikingese that she cannot get to stop going all over the house. Same with my gram, she has a chiuhaha (spelt wrong) and he does the same. both animals are fixed and taken out quite often.. is this a problem with all small dogs?

Public Comments

1. I have had larger dogs and smaller dogs and noticed no difference. Since your a dog owner you probably know this stuff already but always bring your dog out the same door. If sometimes you take him out front, sometimes out back and sometimes out the garage it will take him/her longer to learn. Also, I put a bell by the door I take him out. They pick up relatively quick that if they ring the bell you'll take them out.
2. hold it out the window and squeeze
3. Here's a link that may help: http://animal.discovery.com/convergence/its-me-or-the-dog/positive-training/positive-training_02.html
4. I have a chihuahua and he still pees in the house from time to time (he's four). During the day, we keep him in the kitchen to avoid this happening, but when we are home it still hard to watch him 24/7. My vet said that its because he has such a small bladder, so we try to take him out every 2 hours and that has really helped.
5. I don't think so, but I hear what you are saying. I have had both small and large and have always found the large dogs easy to house-break. Only ONE of my small dogs was simple, and my most recent two (my dachshunds I have now) are both stubbornly refusing to completely stop with the inside "moments". I wonder if it is because I "baby" them more. I know they are very smart, so it isn't that. But they are spoiled and won't go out when it is raining, for instance. So I would have to agreed with you. At least the messes are likewise small.
6. I too have noticed it with my Toy Eskie. He was not as easily trained as my Mini or my Standard Eskies. And even now, going on 4 yrs old, he seems to have to go more often than the other 2 do. I don't think that it's harder to train them. I think it's just that they need to go out more often than a bigger dog. I have found that taking my toy out more often was better for him and stopped him from having accidents.
7. Small dogs have small bladders, and if not taken out enough, even the best trained dog can have an accident. Have your friend try cutting back on the amount of water she gives her dogs.
8. I have a small 8lb dog and she took to paper straight away, toilet training her took about 2 weeks of hard work and after that there were only a few accidents for a month. I'm UK based and when we got her it was raining alot, so the training wasn't as smooth as I'd have wished. I think I've just been lucky.
9. Mostly small dogs in comparison, but the constant inbreeding is largely the cause. Think about it...dogs in their natural "wild" state look nothing like a terrier or a pom. It takes the breeding and rebreeding to bring out these "desired traits", small stature, coat, temperment...Inbreeding causes problems with all kinds of dogs, like the hip dysplasia that German Shephards are so prone to... This is why "mutts" often have such a great temperment (not always, it definitely depends on the background of the animal), and mutts USUALLY have less health problems...again, this is just a vast generalization, there are always exceptions...
10. I think the main reason smaller dogs are hard to potty train is because they have extremely small bladders. With other sized dogs it is easier to house break because they CAN hold it in for a good amount of time. Small dogs need to be taken out every 20-30 minutes and directly before and after the dog eats and drinks, even treats and baths. A handful of treats should be carried with the owner everywhere and when the dog goes potty outside, give a treat and say good boy. My dad has two Daschunds (sp?) and they ended up having to put a doggy door in the back door. Him and my step-mom own their own buisness and weren't home enough to potty train them, but getting them to use to dog door was surprisingly easy enough. I think small dogs are difficult to train all together. Just because they usually are stubborn and self centered, lol. I am a new comer in the dog training world and they are my greatest obsticle. I trainer our Labs for hunting (we bred) when I was younger, but these small dogs.....lol I think the best bet is going to be, either train on those piddle pads (I highly HIGHLY hate), hire a pro or install a dog door.
11. Many of my friends also have small dogs yorkipoo,yorkshire terrier, and such. The yorkipoo goes in the house all the time and is always barking. I think that that most small dogs are naturally always excited. You always see them shivering with excitement when something happens or a new person pets them or anything. I think that where they are always worked up they tend to go more often. My mom sheared a sheep this summer and It peed like 14 times in 2 hours because it was really nervous.I think that small dogs are the same.
12. I think part of this has to do with their size, because the world is so much bigger to them. If your lab pees in one corner of the room, and then sits in the other corner, it's not that far away to him, he can still see it, it's part of his den. If a chihuahua pees in one corner of a room, and then goes to the other corner, it's pretty far. Think of the size of the den for a toy dog vs a large breed. I also think people tend to baby small dogs more than big dogs, and also, small dogs have a faster metabolic rate than large dogs. Calories per pound for a toy breed are almost twice what is required per pound for a giant breed. All of this adds up to make a dog which is harder to housebreak. It's not that they aren't as smart, or don't care. It's just a whole different world out there when you're so tiny.
13. Two reasons; the first is they have small bladders and must go a lot more often. The second reason is that small dogs are more excitable and pee when excited!
14. It took me years to figure this out. I made a pen for my puppy lined with paper. I took him out often but he also learned to use the paper. When I laid my cookbook open on the floor he even used it. After all, it was paper. He's 14 now and goes out and still paper trained so when it's raining he uses the paper.
15. It is my opinion to crate small dogs (even puppies) when you are away from home or during the night. Have a set time to take your pet outside for it's business and stick with the timing. If you work during the day, simply take the pet outside immediately when you arrive home an get up in the mornings. They will soon learn to hold their business until you let them out. I hope this works for you! Always praise the pet and even giving them a special treat at first!!!!!! They will most of the time have to have a BM right after they eat and set the feeding times AM & PM. Dont' leave food down all day and dry dog food is the best for your pet. You could consult your Vet. I'm sure they could give good advise on this matter of training.
16. Too many people treat small dogs like human babies, and larger dogs like dogs. Dogs that are treated as dogs usually get trained and they behave as one would expect a dog to behave. Dogs that are treated as human babies grow up to be unmanageable and out of control because they were allowed to get away with misbehaving most of their lives. I suspect that the people you describe with small dog problems always allowed their small cute doggy to get away with misbehaving. Now they don't know how to correct it.
17. I think I have some news for you, and other Y/A family. I had recently obtained a young, female Chihuahua puppy. She is meant to stay inside, and be paper trained. She still gets outside, but not often enough. I got her paper trained in way less than a week. My method? Easy. I spread paper where I desired her to do her business. I waited a real short time for her to go in completely the wrong area. I was expecting this, and got it. Then, ONE TIME, I took her, and almost rubbed her nose in it. Then, carefully, with a paper towel, I dabbed it up, and painted it all over the newspaper. I know, it sounds gross. NOW, she waits to go, until she finds her scent mark on the newspaper. Bullseye!! She loves the newspaper now!! I live in the country, in the midwest. Even a fenced yard isn't much help. You may not think about it, but there are ALWAYS huge predatory flying birds here, Hawks, etc, circling looking for a easy fly down carry out meal. She's a Mini Chihuahua. I still love being in the country.