about to go...

Question
"charlie" my 4 year old chihuaha normally uses his peepad. The former owner trained him.  We have been able to get to "Go" outside daily.  There is also a peepad for him to use.  Yet ALL throughout my house there is evedence of him peeing on things.  (curtains,furniture carpets,).  The deep yellow stains are imbedded into my NEW carpet.  He is about to be posted on Freecycle to get rid of my "Problem."
The squirt bottle and cage "techniques" were simply a waste of time. He is simply defiant.

Answer
Ann, I'm sorry you feel you are at your wits end. However, you must be consistent in order for any method to be effective; you have to be more defiant than he is.

His crate should only be big enough to allow him to stand, turn around, and lie down in. If it's any larger, he may go to the bathroom in it. Crate him whenever you leave for work (if you work), and also at night if he's pottying in your house during the night. When you get home from work, take him out, put him on a leash, and take him outside immediately. Walk him around and praise him happily and warmly when he potties outside. If you have a fenced yard, let him off the leash when he's through pottying, and let him run around and play with him for a few minutes before going back inside.

When he's loose in the house, you have several choices:

1. Use baby gates to keep him confined to the room you are in, so you can keep an eye on him and take him out immediately if he starts to show signs of needing to go.

2. Keep him tethered to you on a 6 foot leash, for the same reason as #1.

3. Use a 'belly band' to keep him from soiling in the house. This will not prevent him from *trying.* All it does is make going to the bathroom very uncomfortable. Whenever he pees, he pees on his belly instead of on whatever he's trying to pee on. You have to remember to take it off before you take him outside, and also to keep him clean just as you would a baby that still wears a diaper. You do not want to leave him unsupervised with the belly band on, though, as he may try to chew it or pull it off. Some dogs do, and some dogs don't mind wearing them at all.


To clean your carpet, I would recommend that you use Nature's Miracle in a steam cleaner. I would also stop giving him access to a pee pad in the house if your goal is to get him to go outside. He needs to learn that pottying in the house is a no-no. Period.

If you still feel that you need to rehome him, I would advise against Freecycle. You need to ask even a small 'adoption fee' to prevent people from getting him to use as dogfighting bait, or to sell to labs to be experimented on, etc.

Good luck, and please let me know if there's anything else I can help you with.