By: Kelly Marshall
Small breeds of dogs including toys, miniatures and just small
dogs are a unique challenge to housetrain. This is largely
because as puppies they are so tiny it is hard to tell when
they are actually going to the bathroom, their body positioning
changes very little compared to larger breed puppies. In
addition puppies have very small bladders compared to their
overall body size, and miniatures and toys have such small
bladders it seems that they are urinating at a high rate of
frequency, although the quantity of urine produced will be very
small, and often almost undetectable to humans. This leaves
constant “markers” around on rugs and furniture that signals to
the puppy this is a bathroom area. Another issue with small
puppies is that they can easily sneak under furniture, behind
furniture or even behind plants and relieve themselves with the
owners even being aware.
A few tips for housetraining a small breed puppy are:
1.Use crate training. A crate provides a safe place like a den
that the puppy will not mess in. Place the puppy in the crate
after eating, then take them out 10-15 minutes later and
immediately go to the designated toilet area. Give the puppy a
chance to use the bathroom, and then provide lots of praise. If
they don’t go after 5 minutes simply return them to the crate
and repeat the process every 5 minutes.
2.Watch for signals that they need to go outside when not in
the crate. Sniffing, pacing and circling are often signs that
the dog needs to go to the bathroom. If the puppy tries to get
behind or under furniture this is likely a sign.
3.Take the puppy to the bathroom area frequently, at least once
an hour. Praise the puppy when he or she goes in the right
place. Avoid playing or interacting with the dog on potty
breaks, as this will confuse the puppy as to what they are
supposed to do in the area.
4.If you want to monitor the puppy simply attach a short three
to four foot least to your wrist and keep the puppy with you at
all times. Watch for signs of needing to go outside.
5.Set a feeding schedule. Usually puppies will need to use the
bathroom 15 to 20 minutes after eating, but each dog is
different. Keep a journal or record of feeding times and
bathroom times and you can easily set a routine.
6.Avoid feeding the puppy any scraps, human food, or changing
their puppy food. This is likely to cause diarrhea that will
complicate the housetraining schedule.
7.Never punish a puppy for mistakes. This will only cause
anxiety and a greater desire by the puppy to be sneaky to avoid
getting punished. Clean the area with an enzyme based cleaner to
remove all odor. Avoid using bleach products as they can
actually mimic the chemicals in urine and can actually increase
the likelihood that the dog will use the same area again.
Try to have someone in the home for the first few weeks the
puppy arrives home to get it completely housetrained before
leaving him or her alone for long periods of time. Lastly,
remember that housetraining problems are usually a result of
lack of attention by the owner, and are almost never a direct
problem caused by the puppy.
