My adult dog pees inside. How do I house train them to go outside?
Updated On September 23rd, 2025
Pet's info: Dog | Chihuahua | Female
Recently got a chiwawa that is 2 years old and was trained to go to the bathroom inside the house. How can I prevent this or retrain the dog?
4 Answers
Most Helpful Answer
Published on August 2nd, 2018
Great question! I can give you the method I recommend for potty training puppies, which should also work with Jojo. Start by keeping her on a regular feeding schedule, and taking away her food between meals. Take her out to potty first thing every morning, and once every hour to couple of hours in the beginning. Always make sure she goes out after meals, first thing when she wakes up from a nap, last thing before bedtime at night, and right before you leave the house. Take her to the same spot each time to go potty. Her scent there will encourage her to go. Stay with her outside each time she goes to potty, at least until she is fully house trained. When she goes outside, praise her and give her a treat. You might want to consider crate training as part of her house training. It allows you to keep an eye on her for signs that she has to go potty, and will teach her to hold it until you put her outdoors. The crate needs to be big enough for her to stand up, turn around, and lie down, but it should not be big enough for her to go potty in. I hope this helps!
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Related Answers from Veterinarians
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Published on November 10th, 2019
Zoey is only two months old, she is still learning. Potty training takes time and patience, and it's not going to happen quickly. It can take months sometimes. I will give you the method that has always worked for me. Start by keeping your puppy on a regular feeding schedule, and taking away her food between meals. Take her out to potty first thing every morning, and once every 30 minutes to an hour. Always make sure she goes out after meals, first thing when she wakes up from a nap, last thing before bedtime at night, and right before you leave the house. Take her to the same spot each time to go potty. Her scent there will encourage her to go. Stay with her outside each time she goes to potty, at least until she is fully house trained. When she goes outside, praise her and give her a treat. You might want to consider crate training as part of her house training. It allows you to keep an eye on her for signs that she has to go potty, and will teach her to hold it until you put her outdoors. The crate needs to be big enough for her to stand up, turn around, and lie down, but it should not be big enough for her to go potty in.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
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Published on March 6th, 2017
It's interesting that Luna was trained to go in the crate and not outside, as the crate is typically used to teach a dog to hold their bladder and bowels until they are let outside to potty. I will give you the method I recommend for potty training, which hopefully should help with Luna. Start by keeping Luna on a regular feeding schedule, and taking away her food between meals. Take her out to potty first thing every morning, and once every 30 minutes to an hour. Always make sure she goes out after meals, first thing when she wakes up from a nap, last thing before bedtime at night, and right before you leave the house. Take her to the same spot each time to go potty. Her scent there will encourage her to go. Stay with her outside each time she goes to potty, at least until she is fully house trained. When she goes outside, praise her and give her a treat.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
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Published on February 6th, 2019
It would help to know if you are kennel training. Most dogs will not potty in the kenne if the area is small enough. If you are not currently kenne training, I recommend to do some reading about how it’s done and then get started. If dogs were kept in a cage all the time and forced to mess in the cage, this will create a problem kennel training as the pet thinks this is normal. Please repost if that is the case. Continue to take him outside frequently. If you begin kennel training, take him outside and if he does not potty, take him back inside and put him back in the kennel for 30 minutes. Then take him outside again. Once he potties, praise him and give treats. Then he can be loose in the house. If he does not potty outside, back in the kennel he goes. Most dogs will learn quickly to potty outside so they can be free in the house. Be slow and consistent. Barry will be confused if everyone does not follow the same protocol. I hope this is helpful and please feel free to post any additional questions!
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
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