Fustrated!!!!!!

Question
QUESTION: I am completely fustrated with my rescued Chi (5 years old)...I saved her from a bad situation (Breeder Mill) and gave her all the medical/love/toys/food everything she could ever imagine for a dog and she is driving me absolutly bonkers! She's a great dog, quiet, respectful and very obedient but there is one flaw...she refuses to be litter box/pad train! this wouldn't be so bad if she wasn't so stubborn too, I take her out every 6-7 hours after waking/feeding/drinking (always reward her and use the word go bathroom when she does)...but sometimes the weather could be just a tad bit cold and she refuses to go outside, i bought her sweaters, boots and i would still have to drag her kicking and screaming (literatly) outside to go use the bathroom, when we get outside she chokes herself on the chain to go back inside cuz it's too cold...i'm firm but i will never hit...so i thought fine i'll pad/litter box train you...oh here's a fun story...i crate her with a litter box with a pad in it, give her a nice comfy bed, first thing she does pee in her bed and sleep in the litter box, my vet says take bits of her treat and sprinkle it on her bed so she wont pee in it, okay she stopped, someone else suggest putting just a little bit of her pee and poo in the litter box, no go she sleeps in her litter box even WITH pee and Poo, i thought dogs don't like to sleep in thier own waste? the crate is big enough for her food water, and then just the litter box...she will not go to the bathroom as long as she is in here OR as long as she is being watched but you turn your head for 2 seconds literatly and shes gone and back and theres a nice present for you in the kitchen...I'm at ends here I love her but i don't have time to work around my schedual to feed her and water her ONLY when the weather prmits, not to mention winters just around the corner! P.S she is spayed and my vet is also at ends with her...so I'm asking for your help before I take her back because i know acciedents happen steeping in pee and poo everyday isnt...i dont want to give up!

ANSWER: Hi Xe...

I'm wondering just a few things:  When you say that you rescued her from a "Breeder Mill", what do you mean?  Tell me about the place that you rescued her from and under what circumstances she was kept.  Did you actually rescue her from a "rescue group" who rescued her from a puppy mill?

Also, you don't mention your vet having addressed her problem from a medical standpoint.  Has a urinalysis been done, has blood work been done?

She chokes herself on a chain?  What kind of chain?  Explain that.  Also, what do you mean when you say that you "drag her kicking and screaming"?  I was appalled when I read that and thought that you may want to explain it.

What do you mean when you say "I love her but I don't have time to work around my schedule to feed her and water her ONLY when weather permits, not to mention winters just around the corner!"??

Have you consulted a trainer, a rescue group that deals with puppy mill dogs, someone with experience with abused dogs, a second opinion vet?  Who have you consulted over this matter?

Get back to me with answers to the above questions.

Jo Ann

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Well no I didn't go thru a service but my two friends who went with me
can agree tat it was a puppy mill, I originally went in to pick up a baby chi
from a "unnamed" breeder of a friend of mine, went I gotthere I saw this
chi sitting in the corner, she came to greet me and I just fell in love, I
asked the breeder about her and she said it was a used up breeder chi
and she was going to "get rid of it" because it wasn't giving her anymore
litters...I really fell in love with her asked if I could have her and she
named a price and I took her home...the place I got her was normal
enough she was a breeder and had a lot of chi's but all looked healthy
and ran around her house freely...No my vet says she's prefectly healthy
correct size weight and everything, she got all her shots (utd) Well chain
as in leash normal leash, I mean if the weather is even remotly cold (like
early morning when she wakes up) she will refuse to go outside no matter
how hard I pull the leash, she will whine, bark and sit right by the door
steps, when I give up and carry her to the grass where she is suppose to
go she will pull with all her might to go back inside, if she isn't leash and I
put her down shell run right back inside...I live in Wisconsin and it'll be
winter soon if she won't even go out in 60 degree weather she definatly
won't go out in the winter below zero...I work, and when I work more than
8 hours I have my friend come take her out, but my friend won't be here
forever and I can't depend on them all the time... She poos and pees after
she eats (always has water tho) but I can't feed her in the colder earlier
mornigs before work if she won't go poop outside...I mean I guess
summer isn't so bad but it's winter I'm worried about...I don't want to wake
up stepping in piles of poo and pee...I will have to give her up for adoption
if she doesn't learn because my parents, roommates are getting fed up
with it...she really is a wonderful dog very obedient loves everyone and
never ever will hurt anything (she's scared of almost everything)...I've only
talked to my vet and trainers keep telling me the same things I've been
telling you...I don't think she was abused, she's so loving and shows no
signs of abuse, besides the constant breeding and no record of
vaccinations(no tail between legs no growling ears always perks right up)
and again very obedient comes when called and sits, cuddles and lays
down on command. I just thought I'd get a second opinion...do u think
shell ever learn? Ive had her for 2months now...any tips? I really do love
her and has given her everything she has ever wanted...

Answer
Hi Xe...

The person you got this dog from isn't a "puppy miller", but she is an irresponsible backyard breeder.  There's a difference between the two.  You say that her dogs were all out and running around and that you didn't see where they were in cages.  I wouldn't be too surprised if she does have cages in the garage or another area of the house, though.  One thing you have to understand is that a dog that's been used for breeding isn't the same as one which you adopted from a loving, good home.  These dogs are often over bred and even suffer from urinary incontinence due to the uterus being so stretched out too often.  You still didn't answer my question about a urinalysis and blood work.  I ask about that because we often see indiscriminate urination in dogs that have liver shunt problems and the urinalysis and blood work would either indicate that or possibly rule it out.  You ALWAYS have to rule out medical problems before you focus on behavioral issues.

Okay, having said that, I want to point out that Chihuahuas are VERY difficult to house train.  I run a Chihuahua health and behavior group at Yahoo Groups and we have people joining all the time complaining about indiscriminate urination and their dogs were NOT breeder dogs obtained from a backyard breeder.  I have three Chihuahuas myself and it's a real commitment to make sure that they're "going" where they should.  This is common with so many small breed dogs. In the case of your dog, I'll bet you that this dog was NOT properly house trained at any time in it's life.  She's five years old and she's just not "getting it" because she had been left outside in the cold for long periods by the breeder in the past and that's why she refuses to do her business outside.  OR, she's just like many small breed dogs that hate to go outside in the cold.  We don't know for sure.

Xe, a couple of things that I wanted to address with you:  About the chain.  Don't use a collar to walk or take her out to do her business.  Use a harness or halter with leash instead.  Much safer and less traumatic for the dog.  Chihuahuas are prone to something called a collapsed trachea and severe damage can be done to the trachea with the use of a collar.  There are darling halter vests that you can purchase for her that will work better, trust me.  Also, how many people live at your house?  You mentioned that you have roommates and your parents?  One thing I always tell people is that everyone in the household has to be on board with training methods and be consistent. Dogs easily get confused if one person is letting them out consistently and another one isn't.  

There's a gal that's on my Chihuahua Yahoo Group that lives in Wisconsin who also talks about how her dog will not do his business outside in the cold weather.  Not uncommon with small breed dogs at all, especially the short coated Chihuahuas. I live in California and my dogs HATE going outside in the cold and it isn't even nearly as cold here as it is where you live.  My dogs are "doggie box" trained.  It took time and it took patience, but they are trained to use a dog box with a pee pad on the bottom.  Many people that I know who have Chihuahuas and live in cold areas train their dogs to use the pee pads or doggie boxes during the cold months or at night.

You've tried many things already that I would have suggested for house training.  I don't know what your living situation is like, but have you considered getting an x-pen and keeping her in just one confined section of the house using that?  The way I recommend using them is setting up the x-pen with a pee pad (or a dog box with a pee pad), a bed, water...the usual stuff.  You take her out of the confined area when you want her to go to the bathroom outside and when she does her business outside, you praise her with all you've got!  You kiss her and give her a treat and tell her what a "good girl" she is.  And you do this every time.  Now, if you know that she's not going to do her business in the morning when it's cold, go ahead and feed her and leave her in her confined area and praise her to no end if she pees or poops on even just a part of the pee pad.  Since this is a confined area, that should take care of your desire to NOT get up in the morning and step in poop and pee.  If she poops and pees in a place other than the pee pad or doggie box, simply tell her "no" in a firm voice.  There's no sense in reprimanding her over it because she's simply not going to understand.  She probably peed where ever she could at the breeder's house and it's going to take awhile to train her properly, especially after five years of being a breeding dog.  Dogs basically live to please you.  She doesn't quite know how to right now - she's balancing her own fears (being out in the cold) with what you expect of her verses what was expected of her at her old home.  It's tough.  House training takes lots of time and commitment and more people give up dogs to shelters due to house training issues than probably any other issue on earth.

I did want to tell you that it sounds like she has an absolutely wonderful personality.  There are many pluses here...  

Tell me what you think of all this...especially the x-pen idea.  You're one individual that really has tried almost everything and finding her a good home with maybe someone that's home full time may be the right answer if you should decide to do that. I have confidence that you would place her in only the best of homes and that you would be perfectly honest about her potty issues and background.  Oh, one more question - are there other dogs at your house?

Jo Ann