Housemates Chihuahua

Question
Hi there.  My housemate has a Chihuahua named Kazi, she's almost 2 years old, and is anything but house broken.  Before he moved into the house, he had been trying to train her to use those indoor pads to house break her. He used them for a short while when he moved into our house back in June, but it became apparent very quickly that it hardly mattered if they were out, she seemed to prefer going on throw rugs, or anywhere else, really.

The other housemates and I have really been pushing him to be consistent with her, take her for a walk first thing in the morning, take her out mid day if he's home, and take her out in the evening and before you go to bed.  He's actually been really good about it for the past few weeks.  The frustrating thing is that, for example, he took her on a walk for an hour or so, then played in the backyard with her for another hour.  When he brought her inside, she immediately pooped on the floor.

It's almost like he's trained her to go inside, rather than out, and I'm wondering what we can do to fix this situation.  It's becoming extremely difficult for the non-dog-owning housemates to put up with this animal.

Is crating her a good idea?  He has a very small little dog crate, but he feels guilty if he keeps her in it when she hasn't already done anything bad.  We could get her a larger crate.

We do tell her "NO!" when we catch her going in the house, make her smell it, and then set her outside.  Doesn't seem to help.  Any recommendations will be much appreciated!

Thanks,

Josh

Answer
First, ya'll have a decision to make. Do you want the dog to go outside, or on the potty pads. If you give her an option, she's going to take all the options she can. And if she's been trained to go inside, that's where she's going to go. If she's pad trained, she needs to be retrained to a pad each time she moves to a new home. She should be rewarded for going in an appropriate place, and punishing her won't do any good. You have to prevent accidents.

While I realize it's common practice, I have always been confused as to what making a dog smell its own poop is supposed to accomplish...

Yes, she needs to be crated. Any given moment that someone's eyeball isn't glued to her she must be in the crate. When she's out, she should be on a leash so she can quickly be led over to her potty pad or taken outside.

So read this article first http://www.examiner.com/x-7644-Detroit-Pet-Training-Examiner~y2009m7d29-Pet-Trai...

Once she's crate trained, you can start the housebreaking.

Then read this article http://www.examiner.com/x-7644-Detroit-Pet-Training-Examiner~y2009m7d13-Pet-Trai...

She should be completely housebroken in three weeks, assuming you and all of your housemates follow the rules as outlined to the letter