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About my chihuahua

19 16:37:27

Question
I am having a really hard time training my puppy she is a little over a year now and i have had her for about 11 months now and she was potty trained for a while or so i thought she was doing good using the bathroom outside because i always took her out like every hour maybe more but now that i have a full time job i am scared to leave her out of her crate because the times that i have she tore up my couches and used the bathroom all over the place. I dont know what kind of signs to look for to let me know that she has to use the bathroom. when i see her sniffing i take her out she wont use outside she will come right back in and use the bathroom inside please try to help me to the best of your ability. thank you

Answer
Hi Ann...

It's not unusual at all to have your Chihuahua regress with their potty training even when there has been no major changes.  However, in your case, there has been a really major change in that you now have a full time job.  Very often this means starting all over again with potty training due to the huge change in routine that your puppy was use to.

First off, you really need to clean the places where she went to the bathroom inside the house so that she doesn't think that's where she's suppose to be going.  If she can smell those areas, she's going to be more tempted to keep going in those places.  Second, praise her and give her treats every single time you take her outside and she does her business.  

Now, about the period of time that you're at work.  Do you feed her in the morning?  I'd give her a meal and put her out to do her business and then confine her in a specific area using a baby gate or xpen.  Don't give her the run of the house.  Buy some pee pads and put them in the area where she's confined and reward her every single time you see that she's used them.  You may have to cover a good half of the confined area in the beginning to get her use to the pee pads.  Eventually, she may not need pee pads and will be able to wait until you get home and let her out, but I really don't like the idea of making such a small dog hold their bladder for too long.  Make sure that she has a bed and a water bowl and her toys in this area, too.

I hope this helps.  Don't hesitate to write again if you have further questions.