# My chihuahua has to pee more than I have time for :/



## Tanksmommy (Apr 24, 2012)

Hi, let me just say I am so happy to be a part of this community! I truly love my Chihuahua Tank more than anything. What is beautiful about dogs, is no matter how you act, how many times you may punish them, and no matter how much crap life throws at you, they are ALWAYS there! That is beautiful and they truly are a gift from god!!!

But there is a teensy tiny problem... His bladder is the size of a grape. He needs to go potty around 11 am, then at 2, then at 4, then at 6, then at 9, and When I wake up for my nightly pee, so does he. And I do take him out this frequently when I'm *ahem* NOT WORKING. 

Realistically, I can't take him out every two hours. I don't know what I am supposed to do for the next 12 years with a chihuahua who acts like a new born baby. Every two hours is crazy. And he is so tiny, that I refuse to use the doggy door in fear of raccoons and foxes.

He's not a fan of pee pads, either. He's a fan of carpet, couches, rugs, and laundry piles. :tard:

I guess my question is, what do I do to keep him from peeing on objects in the house? Something to fall back on when I can't take him out. What worked for you? I am going crazy...


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## LittleGemma (Apr 1, 2012)

How old is he? How long have you been going with the potty training? The rule of thumb is that for every month old a puppy is, they can hold it for one hour, plus one additional hour overall. So if a puppy is two months, they will be able to hold it for three hours maximum. However, since Chis are so small, they do have very tiny bladders, so that rule may not always apply. I fostered an eight-week-old Chi that had to pee every 30-45 minutes, so you can feel lucky that he's holding it for two hours!

Potty training is a LOT of constant work. If you can't let him out whenever he needs to, you should either have him in a playpen (this is the best option if you will be away for more than 2 hours) or a crate to prevent him from just peeing all over the house. If you put him in a playpen with a bed, water, and toys at one end, and puppy pads at the other, he will most likely relieve himself on the pads because he won't want to soil where he sleeps. The crate method is the same, except much smaller and he will only have room to lay down, stand up and turn around in his crate. For this reason you should not use the crate method if you're going to be unable to let him out for extended periods of time. He will do his best to hold it while he's in his crate because he won't want to sleep in his own mess. But don't expect him to hold it longer than he is physically capable.

Remember, if he has an accident, it is never his fault. It's always yours. You have to be responsible for allowing him to relieve himself where he's supposed to when he needs to. It can take some time depending on your individual Chi, but with consistency and effort, he will learn where he is supposed to go. Good luck!


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## OzChi (Oct 26, 2011)

Ok not wanting to sound mean but is this a joke?


> My chihuahua has to pee more than I have time for :/


A dog is a commitment and if you don't have the time/inclination to potty train him then do you have time to walk, bathe, play with, provide mental stimulation for, provide good nutrition for and provide vet care for him?
Do some research on potty training methods, there is plenty of advice out there. The playpen method that Caitlin kindly suggested above is a good one, you can also use a small room such as a bathroom when you can't watch him. When you are home and have him out of the pen yes you do have to take him to his potty spot every half hour until he gets it. It will be a long process - mine both just clicked one day around 4 months so it was 2 whole months of constantly taking them to their spot and cleaning up any accidents - it's your responsibility because you chose to buy a dog!


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## AussieLass (Mar 1, 2012)

Tanksmommy said:


> .... no matter how you act, how many times you may punish them, they are ALWAYS there!
> 
> .... when I'm *ahem* NOT WORKING.
> 
> ..... pees more than I have time for


Well those 3 statements right there have been some serious bubble gum for this 'ol Aussie brain .... it's gotta be a wind-up yes?

Yours,

Left Wondering.


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## chideb (Jan 29, 2008)

I, too, am feeling a bit odd by this post..If you are for real, how old is your chi? If he is a pup, then the playpen suggested by Caitlin is the method we have used for over 20 years.. and it works. If the little guy isn't a pup then I don't understand how someone could live with a chi into adulthood and be only now having this situation.
If I have misjudged your post (I think the lead in may have put me off "*more than I have time for..") then I will apologize.*


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## michele (Jan 12, 2009)

I'm afraid puppies do pee a lot ,just like babies do.


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## 20887 (Mar 16, 2011)

If he is young, he will be able to hold it longer as he gets older. Put him in a playpen with pee pads when you are at work... If he has to go, he will go on the pads. I leave both of my dogs in my room when I am at school, and they have a pee pad to use if they need it.


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## theshanman97 (Feb 19, 2012)

it takes a LONG time to train! believe me! my tillie is now only getting it! we still have daily accidents but we are getting there! , i would say try the crate or play pen training as it will help but saying he pees more than you have time for!!??? im 14 and am coping! , i under stand if he is maybe a rescue ect. but im sorry you should have researched BEFORE getting a dog! good luck but do remember its not their fault its like us , if we need the loo we go where we can and its the same with dogs except its floors ect. with them


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## rubia (Jul 3, 2008)

The only solution that I see here is get him to use the piddle pads for a wee when you cna't take him out. Tear up and throw away the soiled carpet , clean everything else with enzyme cleaner--seveeral times. He is "markin" and peeing where he went before--he can smell it and thinks he is doing the right thing. Use baby gates, the kind for child-proofing, to keep him away from sofas and other things that he can't be trusted when you aren't around. Get those laudry 'piles" gone--he thinks it is all a piddle pad. Keep him in close quarters, stay right with him when you are at home and pick him up and go straight to the piddle pad when he sniffs around. Reward him when he gets it right. When you aren't at home I'd keep him gated in a room with bedding food water , toys and clean piddle pads. It is work.....but well worth it. Good luck


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## Audreybabypup (Sep 14, 2010)

Ok so first the "punish them" thing struck me odd, but then I got thinking well perhaps your Tank is a rescue and you mean he's been punished in the passed and not by you. My little sophia is only one year old and has had a worse life than I want to think about before I found her and adopted her at my local humane society. She has been punished severely abused to the point of a broken rib! And she still loves. If that is what you mean, then I totally understand. As for potty training, you are correct, his bladder is the size of a grape. Actually its about the size of a quarter. So if a person had a bladder that small, yup we'd be peeing at least every 2 hours if not more. I highly suggest crate training (for whenever you'll be gone only less than 3 hours) and play pen training for any longer than that. Potty training takes complete devotion. Welcome to the forum, I hope that you can learn some more here and hopefully get your little man potty trained well. Another thing to remember is you must clean accidents well! An enzyme cleaner (or white vinegar) works well. If he pees on the floor, wipe it and place the papertowel in which you wiped it with on his pee pad. Dogs naturally return to their scent to potty. So placing the pee there says "hey pee here" and then clean the accident spot with a cleaner so that spot does not smell like his pee spot.


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## LittleGemma (Apr 1, 2012)

Dee, you crack me up.

As others have said, I hope you haven't actually punished your pup... When I read it the first time, I thought you must have just meant telling him "NO" or ignoring him when he's behaving some way he's not supposed to. A dog is not going to understand the concept of being punished by hurting or scaring him, and it will definitely not help him learn the way he is supposed to behave.

The enzymatic cleaner is also a great suggestion and a very important one. You must get the scent out of wherever he soiled, otherwise he will smell it and keep going back to that spot to use. Even if you clean it with soap and water and you personally cannot smell anything there anymore, he will still be able to smell it, so that is why it's important to use an enzymatic cleaner. The brand I use is called Piss Off, but I think that's just here in Sweden. I think Nature's Miracle is one of the widely used brands in the US.


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## Chihuahuasloveme (Jan 8, 2010)

It doesn't really matter how old the dog is small dogs do need to get out more mine are 6 and 5 and my mom let's them out every 2 hours when I'm at work thank god I have someone to care for them when I'm working what about a doggie day care for when u are working? I do agree with the play pen area also maybe if you can section off a non carpeted area you'd be able to leve a pee pad for him too someone also suggested locking him in a bathroom you could also leave a pee pad in there if he misses it's easy to mop up as its on tile cant really think of any thin else besides what has already been mentioned. Good luck


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## teetee (Aug 25, 2011)

OzChi said:


> Ok not wanting to sound mean but is this a joke?
> A dog is a commitment and if you don't have the time/inclination to potty train him then do you have time to walk, bathe, play with, provide mental stimulation for, provide good nutrition for and provide vet care for him?
> Do some research on potty training methods, there is plenty of advice out there. The playpen method that Caitlin kindly suggested above is a good one, you can also use a small room such as a bathroom when you can't watch him. When you are home and have him out of the pen yes you do have to take him to his potty spot every half hour until he gets it. It will be a long process - mine both just clicked one day around 4 months so it was 2 whole months of constantly taking them to their spot and cleaning up any accidents - it's your responsibility because you chose to buy a dog!


Yes I agree whole heartedly. 

Miya is 7 months and she just now "clicked", after much repetition and hard work on both our parts. It's not easy. It takes dedication, love, and patience. I am trying not to be judgmental but from the way you wrote your post, it almost seems like you're kidding. If it has an accident, it's your fault not his. Show him where to go, even if it takes a million times of picking him up and putting him on his pee pad. Never hit or spank or yell. That only makes the dog fearful of you. A firm "NO" will work and when you place him on the pad, use a word like "potty" or "go potty". Like I said, it's going to take a long time and you have to be willing to make that commitment.


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## woodard2009 (Aug 4, 2010)

Tanksmommy said:


> Hi, let me just say I am so happy to be a part of this community! I truly love my Chihuahua Tank more than anything. What is beautiful about dogs, is no matter how you act, how many times you may punish them, and no matter how much crap life throws at you, they are ALWAYS there! That is beautiful and they truly are a gift from god!!!
> 
> But there is a teensy tiny problem... His bladder is the size of a grape. He needs to go potty around 11 am, then at 2, then at 4, then at 6, then at 9, and When I wake up for my nightly pee, so does he. And I do take him out this frequently when I'm *ahem* NOT WORKING.
> 
> ...


Not knowing how old your pup is & a little history, it's hard to help you. But pups get used to schedules. Unless he has a bladder/kidney infection, he must be really young to have to go every two hours. I don't remember mine having to ever go every two hours. How much water is he drinking, how much are you feeding him?


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## kimr (Nov 14, 2010)

This whole "first post" is fishy.

Best to not rise to the 'bait'.


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