Cross Breeds

Why are small breed dogs harder to potty train?

I have a Golden Retriever and a Lab. Alot of my friends have a small dog and say that small dogs are WAY harder to potty train. Why do you think that is?

Public Comments

1. Because they have smaller bladders and bowels, which means they have to go more often, and maybe your friends don't have time to take them out as much.
2. I have a miniature Dachsund and I am having a hard time too. I want to watch your question so I can get answers too. Thanks for asking it!
3. I don't know why - small dogs' bottoms should fit right on the potty much easier than a large hairy bottom. You will never get a big dog's bottom in the right place and it will miss the potty when it goes!
4. there may be more involved than just the "small dog" part. depending on the breeding of the dog. most dogs from the Mall pet stores are inbreed and being raised in cages most of their life they didnt have the yard to do their business in with their parents. that may be part of it. if they got their dog from a legit breeder im not sure how to answer that one.
5. Read this in a 'Yorkie' training book - makes sense - small dogs see the world (your house) as a lot bigger than big dogs - hence their sense of territory, space, etc is different and except for the space where they sleep, stay, etc - they see the rest of the big wide world (your house) as far game for marking - need to keep dog confined and not be allowed to roam the house unless you are with him/her and can monitor him - I read the book a year too late ):
6. I have a chihuahua who hates the snow or wet grass for pooping. In the winter I set out a puppy pad.He will urinate outside and doesn't have a problem with bowels in my small condo. When visiting other homes, larger than mine, I always set out a pad and show it to him. That way he never has an accident and is always welcome in other homes.
7. if you give it the right attention it is a snap..lst remember they have smaller intestines etc...so feed them and stay close by..in app 10-15 min take them outside to the grass or your designated place for them to make their own....then take up the food...don't let them graze...feed them again as needed..same routine...DON'T leave the food down...remember what goes in must come out...so control how much intake there is...be patient & should work...i only had one boo boo with my schnauzer..and also praise them...let them know you are pleased..and believe they know...good luck....
8. Small breed dogs are better off being Litter Box trained, than being train to go out to the grass. I have 3 dogs a Brittany Spaniel a Papillon and a Chorkie ( Chihuahua Yorkie cross) and and i got the Chorkie trained in 4 days and the papillon in a week. all you have to do is 15-20 mins after eating or drinking or when you see the puppy nosing around looking to go to the bathroom. pick up the puppy and take it to the litter box or puppy pad and keep the puppy in the area of the box or pad and as soon as the puppy goes, praise the puppy and tell them how good they are. and when they have accidents in other parts of the house, don't get angry at the puppy. you just tell them that they had an accident and then take them to the box or pad and reiterate that this is where they go.
9. Some people also say that it's harder to catch a small dog who's already doing its "dirty business" on other than his weewee pad or outside, unlike a big Lab who can't crawl under your table to leave a tinkle. My adopted Pomeranian-Pekingese mix used to drive me nuts in leaving little drops of pee under everywhere in the house EXCEPT his weewee pad, and I just couldn't catch him. The only thing that helped to "break him in" was to confine the dog in a smaller space that has his target area within it when you see the signs of impending urination or defecation (in my case, i would take him to my bathroom where his wee wee pad was waiting) until he gets used to it. Good luck on your housetraining endeavors.
10. They are ***NOT***! They ARE just owned by LAZY,ignorant,"BLIND" & GUTLESS people who won't get off their butts & WORK at it! They're too soft to to DISCIPLINE them & don't NOTICE the tiny pee spots! If they peed a PUDDLE,they'd be leaping into action...one HOPES!
11. not true! i have two small dogs, and they both caught on very quickly. in truth, it is less about discipline and more about rewards. Make sure you are saying the words "outside" and "potty" when you take your dog out. (both my dogs perk up their ears and head toward the door when we say these words) and stand outside and make sure the dog does its business. When he does, give him a generous amount of praise-that's what dog's live for, by the way, your approval and attention. If you take the dog out at frequent intervals in the first few weeks, there shouldn't be any problems with "going" in the house. Gradually make the time intervals longer, however, small dogs should never be left inside longer than 7 hours, they simply can't hold it that long. Small dogs are quite easy to train, just do it right. Like I said, frequent intervals make it so that failure is practically impossible, so there's no need to feel like a guilty, punishing dictator by yelling. And the reinforcement of praise and love is a huge factor.
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