My chihuahua goes to the bathroom and then steps in it. I drive my fiancee to work in the morning and leave her in the bathroom to do her business. I am only gone for about 45 minutes, so I thought what could be the worst thing that could happen. Well I came home and she had stepped in her poo and pee and was jumping all over my bathroom. There was poop everywhere, on my floor, toilet,walls and vanity. I couldn’t believe it she was running in it and she thought it was great. She is only 5 months old so i hope she grows out of it. Is that normal and how can I break the habit? We trained her to go on her pads which she is still learning, but she seems so excited after she just steps in it and not just once.

It’s normal in the sense that many chihuahuas do the same thing, but it’s certainly not desirable. If you’re using absorbent pads, that can minimize the problem. Otherwise, I would put a piece of carpeting or rug near the pad and let Ava step off onto it so it can absorb some more before she starts walking around. It helps to make the litter area very distinct from the rest of the environment, for example, you can put her pad in a tray that she has to step into. The Protection Tray will keep the wee wee pad in place so she can’t drag or move it around.

When you’re home with her, make sure you don’t give her a treat or praise her until she steps off the pad. Hold the treat out a few feet away so she knows she has to get out of the pad area asap to get her treat.

As puppies grow older, they learn to keep better hygiene. One of my dogs will go out of her way not to get her feet dirty, she will lick and clean herself if she gets anything on them (I don’t know if that’s good or bad…) Your dog will develop the same habits in time, but it’s nothing you can teach her.

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Tags: Chihuahua Puppy, Housebreaking, Training