Housetraining Your Chihuahua Puppy

One of the first things you will want to teach your new puppy when you bring him home is housetraining. This is the start of your bond with you and your puppy and it is good to make it a positive, stress free experience for both of you. Housetraining your Chihuahua puppy requires patience, consistency and commitment. It may take a few weeks to successfully housetrain your puppy. Your puppy will learn to get used to a routine schedule for eating, playing, and going outside to eliminate.

To begin the housetraining you may want to take your Chihuahua puppy outside at least every two hours during the day. You may take him outside after every meal or drink, or after he wakes up from a nap. Always remember to take your puppy out when he wakes up in the morning and also after playing, and before going to bed at night.

Choose an area outside and try to take your puppy close to that same spot each time, so he becomes very familiar with it. When you are going through this housetraining process, it is really helpful if you praise and reward your Chihuahua puppy when he eliminates outside. Praise him verbally and you may also want to give him a treat. This is a type of positive reinforcement for your puppy. He will learn that going to the bathroom outside is what is expected of him. Also, feeding your puppy at the same times each day is helpful to keep a good routine.

During the night, some puppies can sleep for several hours without having to eliminate. Your Chihuahua puppy may wake you up during the night. If that happens you may quietly take him out to eliminate, and then help him get back to his bed.

During the day when you are with your puppy, you can learn to watch for signs that your puppy needs to eliminate. Some signs may be restlessness, sniffing around, barking, going to the door, or trying to squat. When you see these signs you may quickly take your puppy outside to his bathroom spot. If he eliminates, you can praise him and reward him with a treat. Hopefully some of these housetraining tips are helpful!