Any Advice?

[Jennie726]

Hey everyone!

We have a one year old chihuahua named Caper and he is house trained, but I would like to start teaching him to go outside as well. We're taking a vacation to the Smoky Mountains the end of this month and he is coming along. It will be about a 4 hour ride for us, so I know we will have to stop and let him use the bathroom, but how can I get him used to going outside? I have been trying for the last week to get him to go outside and he is doing pretty good, but sometimes he won't go. He waits until he comes back in and then uses his puppy pads. So, how can I get him to use it outside? I'm afraid when we do stop at a rest stop on our way to the mountains, he won't go and then he'll end up going in the car. So, does anyone have any advice for me? Thanks so much!!

 

[TheCheat1]

Hey everyone!

We have a one year old chihuahua named Caper and he is house trained, but I would like to start teaching him to go outside as well. We're taking a vacation to the Smoky Mountains the end of this month and he is coming along. It will be about a 4 hour ride for us, so I know we will have to stop and let him use the bathroom, but how can I get him used to going outside? I have been trying for the last week to get him to go outside and he is doing pretty good, but sometimes he won't go. He waits until he comes back in and then uses his puppy pads. So, how can I get him to use it outside? I'm afraid when we do stop at a rest stop on our way to the mountains, he won't go and then he'll end up going in the car. So, does anyone have any advice for me? Thanks so much!!

If he uses puppy pads then bring them just in case. That should do it.

 

[Jennie726]

Thanks, but we were already bringing them with us. I was just wondering what I could do on the way there. He will use the pads in the cabin, but I know we will have to stop on the way there. I would love for him to go at the rest area, but not sure he will. I may just drag out a puppy pad and put it on the ground and see if he will go if he won't go in the grass. Thanks!

 

[Sabina41]

No offense, but your story is exactly why I don't like puppy pads. Your dog is not housetrained, he's puppy pad trained. Which I suppose is ok to an extent, but if you have to travel or, God forbid, ever give up your dog he would outwardly appear to be unhousetrained to someone that didn't know any better.

Take up the puppy pads inside. Don't give him the option of using them. If he knows that he can come back inside and go there he's going to do that. After all, you've let him do that for the last year. Dog's are creatures of habit and you are looking at trying to break a year's worth of training. Frankly, you need to pick one thing or the other. It's going to be extremely difficult, if not impossible, to un-puppy pad train him just for a car trip and expect him to go back to it afterwards. That is very very confusing for a dog. When you take him outside, if he doesn't go to the bathroom RIGHT AWAY take him back inside, wait 5-15 minutes and take him back outside. The key is to get him to learn that he has to go as soon as he goes outside. Once he does go to the bathroom praise him a lot and give him his "freedom", whatever that is for him- playtime indoors or outdoors, a favorite toy, etc. Just don't let him have the freedom to roam around until AFTER he goes to the bathroom.

I wish you luck. Like I said, this is going to be tricky and take quite a while to un-Puppy Pad train your dog. You have ingrained a behavior in his head and it's going to confuse him at first, especially if he still has the option to use the puppy pad, like he does right now.

 

[Jennie726]

Thanks, hun. I think I have just decided to let him use the puppy pad at the rest area instead of breaking him of using them completely. He's such a small dog and he goes a lot, and plus I spend some time away from here and he's here sometimes for like an hour or 2 by himself, so I would rather have the puppy pads down and him use them than use the bathroom anywhere else in my house. So, what I think I will do is just allow him to use the puppy pad when we go to the mountains and then just throw it away at the rest area. I think that will probably be best for him. Thanks so much for the advice!!

 

[Sabina41]

FYI, as a year old chihuahua he should be able to hold it for at least 4-6 hours....an hour or two is not a big deal. You probably could housetrain him (for real) fairly easily if that is as long as you're ever gone.