What do I do?

Question
I have a Chihuahua, and he is about a year old, and my sister wont train him, because she thinks he will not learn. We have had many dogs that have gone to the restroom in our house, and so my sister thinks that he will just smell the spot, even though its been cleaned. And i'm also getting a new puppy in December, and it's going to be crate trained. Can i still crate train the Chihuahua too or will it just keep using the house?

Answer
Hello Coral!

If many dogs have gone to the restroom in your house, you must make every effort to be sure the soiled areas are neutralized.  See this blog post:  http://blog.gizmo2wizmo.com/2009/05/12/5-essential-steps-to-cleaning-dog-pee.asp...

Dogs have a very keen sense of smell, and tend to mark where other dogs have used the restroom if they detect it.  If the soiled areas are carpeted, your task may be even more difficult if you do not replace the carpet.  If the soiled areas are hard surfaces, they may be easier to neutralize.

Here is another good blog post for you:
http://blog.gizmo2wizmo.com/2009/10/07/stop-your-dog-from-peeing-inside.aspx

You should be able to crate train both the Chihuahua and the new puppy.  Also, you may want to consider a potty training bell - check out this blog post:  http://blog.gizmo2wizmo.com/2008/09/13/house-train-your-dog-the-easy-way.aspx

Good luck!