The Nightmares Of Housebreaking...

First of all - how old is the puppy. If the puppy is 8-10 weeks old, there is no way you can expect them to be housebroken. Like a little kid, they may not have it "all together" to both understand and to physically hold it in. Scolding a puppy at 8 weeks old for going on the floor is like scolding a 7 month old for going in their diaper - it will only distress them and there is little way that that will do them any good. And besides it is going to take any dog at LEAST 3 weeks to adjust to a new home/new family/routines. And because of age its going to take a little while longer than that. Chis can be hard to housebreak mostly because of their people. A lot of folks refuse to treat them like regular dogs - teaching them to sit, etc - and just want to carry them around like a little doll. Not that you do - but people let tiny dogs get away with murder because they are afraid to tell them no or think it will hurt them to have to be forced to go to the bathroom outside. . It sounds like you are very frustrated and dogs pick up on that. For a dog to be housebroken, you must be absolutely consistent and calm. When the puppy goes where you want her to, praise her. But when she goes somewhere else, don't let her be in view when you clean it up. I urge you to forget about pad training for now, because what it will create is that if the puppy doesn't see the pad you don't put one down, or can't make it in time, they will go on your throw rug, etc. Every time the puppy wakes up, eats, etc - take her outside and do not bring her back in until she goes. And praise her like crazy when she goes to the bathroom outside. And don't scold her if you discover that she peed in the house after the fact. She will not connect it to what she did. I know you will probably have to take her out a lot at first but gradually she will be able to hold it longer and longer. Also, crates are not cruel. they are very kind - many people would have not taken their dog to the shelter when they give up if they had only crate trained in the beginning. I am not saying you would do that, but it will save a lifetime of trying to correct a bad habit. And it will make your dog a better houseguest if you should go away and have a relative watch her - she will feel comfortable and secure having her crate with her that she can retreat to and they also have a way of seperating her out when they vaccum or if she needs some quiet time. When you are not supervising the puppy put her in her crate. it will prevent her from geting into everything too. It is not neglect and she will probably take a nap (like human children they need lots of naps). It just means when you are absorbed by the computer she won't slink off to under the bed and pee. You can have her crate in the room with you you can be taking to her, etc, too. One of my dogs we thought he was doing so well, and then found the surprises in the closet and under the bed, etc. The older she gets and is more capable of understand and holding her bladder, the more freedom she gets. Or try a leash and keep her with you while you do household tasks. My sister has a tiny dog - a 5 lb chi. Being a mix, I think your girl will end up being an 8-15 dog perhaps more so than a teeny tiny 3-4 lb dog. But you never know. The best thing she did was to treat him like a normal dog - to sit, for housebreaking, etc and she has a dog that is extremely social and cool because of it now that he's all grown up.

I see you already got some good advice from the above posters so I'll just chime in and say it does get better but it will take time, patience and most importantly, constant supervision from you. Your eyes need to be on the pup every second, or she should be in her crate. A second is all it takes for her to go inside, and every accident inside is only going to prolong the housebreaking process. You will end up taking her out a lot at first, probably at least once every 30 minutes when she's awake as well as after eating, drinking and sleeping, but it usually doesn't last for long. Just until she understands where she is supposed to go, because right now those pads are confusing her and making her think she is allowed to go inside the house.

Crating has always been the quickest and easiest way for me. You may hate to do it, but they really learn that they do not like to soil where they sleep and eat. They get use to it and will actually go to their crates for bed on their own. I do wish you luck with your housebreaking.

Trust me everyone who owns a dog goes through issue. They will eventually learn. It just take time, I usually put pee pads near the door to teeach them when they need to go go that they need to go to the door. Plus, if you see them peeing pick your dog up and move it to the pee pad or take it out. So they know they need to do that when they are going. Good luck it will happen each dog has different

OK biwasaki, no need to fret. New puppy owners have these hard times with every dog. Anyone would probably list that they have 'housebreaking problems with their new dog'. First of all, it's good to know that puppies have zero control over their bladder until they are at least about 4 months of age. This is also different between males and females (it seems that males take a little longer to get better control). Understand that even after four months some dogs still have no control, but if this is the case, it would be wise to speak with a vet and make sure the dog doesn't have any bladder control issues that are abnormal. The first thing that really needs to happen here is crate training. I know you don't want to, but that is the main key to housetraining, that way she knows not to eliminate in the cage? (all the cage is is like a den for them-dogs originated from the wolf. wolves live in small den areas, they never eliminate in their den (the same place they eat and sleep)) If she eliminates in the cage it's very bad, but don't scold her as it isn't her fault. I don't mean for this to sound harsh, but it's yours for not being persistant, (Though it's hard to stay persistant with puppies). Place the food bowl in the crate while feeding. Second of all, whoever told you to walk them after eating or napping is very correct. When a puppy wakes up from a nap, or right after their done eating, or even after a playtime session, the dog needs to be let outside. The dog will not be able to hold it's bladder forever after eating. Some dogs are VERY excited when they go outside, or when they are out of the crate, but you can't blame them. Whenever you find a puppy sniffing around like crazy, expect it to squat. Don't freak out! Don't say 'no'! Don't scold. Quickly lift the dog and take it outside to it's elimiation spot. (Most dogs have specifics). Third, give the animal time. I know that you don't want to stand in the rain, snow, cold, or even just stand outside for more than 20 minutes (20 is a LONG time for people) but puppies should go within an hour (I know what you're saying 'an hour!? you're crazy! I'm not standing out there with my dog for an hour because she wants to play when I told her to go!' LOL, well everyone has to suffer with this. If the dog still doesn't eliminate within an hour, take them in, place them in the crate, 30 minutes later, take them out again. Don't play or feed her in that 30 minute period. If you have any questions or comments feel free to post here or to send me a private message.