Potty Training Your New Puppy
Getting to know my Chihuahua was, next to getting to know my newborn daughters, the most rewarding experience of my life. I had just been through the most upsetting time in my life, when my friend suggested that I take one of her Chi puppies. Mocha was a challenge. She was and still is unlike any pet I have ever owned. She was so tiny and sensitive. We felt compelled to protect her instead of her protecting us. I bonded with Mocha at a time, as I said above, when I was feeling my most vunerable. She was so receptive to my needs for cuddling and kisses. Not to mention how willing she was to please me. Now that Mocha is grown and we own three more Chihuahuas, I have come to know them almost as well as I know Mocha. 
House training was a real trip. Some tips that I found helpful:
1. If you have a new puppy, try the puppy pads with the scent built in to attract the puppy to the pad. I would layer it between newspaper and put it by the door which I eventually want the pup to use to go out. Use a plastic trash bag underneith if you have carpet.
2. Everytime your puppy wakes up from a nap immediatly take him/her outside to go. Just like us, they have to go after a long sleep. This works wonders to save on accidents.
3. When your pup eats his digestive system stimulates him/her to have a bowel movement within 5-20 minutes. Take the pup out starting at 5 minutes and stay out with him until he has a movement. This will help you determine when he/she will need to go after feeding time.
4. Make a chart and record every potty and poopoo that you can witness. Include the time and amount. This will help you to determine the most urgent times that your pup will need to be taken out.
5. Find your pup's signal. Each one of my chis has his/her own signal that he/she uses to let us know when they have to go out. Mocha will sit and shake, Gracie will stare while making a low grumbling noise, Scar jumps up and down like a bouncing ball and Simon, the most embarrassing of them all, will screech as if he were being beaten. I feel compelled to tell neighbors that, "He really makes that sound on his own. Honest!"
When you find your chi's signal, and this will take a lot of observation, you will have achieved the most important step. NEVER rub your chi's nose in his/her feces or urine. This is an old and outdated cruel method. Do not HIT your puppy. This may cause him to become rebelious and you will have a chi that will mess in the house. Getting to know your Chi can be fun and full of laughs, so take your time, watch for their signals and most of all give them lots of love.
Mums
Margie
http://texalmal.com
AMCA / AMCGH Member
AMAL / TAMR - Houston, Texas
Some dogs will greet their owners by rolling over on their back, or by cringing and peeing. This is seen most often in puppies or insecure dogs. If the dog is otherwise housebroken and does not have a medical problem, this may be a behavior known as submissive urination. Basically, the dog is is submitting to the owner (as the dominant animal) and asking to be accepted within the family "pack". If the dog is new to the home, he may be unsure of his place in the family or insecure about this recent change in his life.
Body Basics: An erect body posture with ears and tail held high is a dominant/confident dog posture. Head and tail down, ears softly back or twittering, no or fleeting eye contact, and body cringing is a submissive/insecure posture. Erect body posture is the dog's normal perceived posture of humans... Cowering, cringing, or fawning are "active" forms of submissive to pacifying a more dominant animal. Dogs use this posture to make themselves appear smaller and less threatening. This is to pacify the dominant animal and asking for "pack" acceptance within the family. Active submission also includes smiling, pawing/paw lifting, "muzzle licking" or peeing behaviors. Normal household variants: Acting "guilty" or "asking forgiveness" when in trouble with their human, or gentle pawing for attention.
Rolling over is a "passive" form of submission and complete surrender to another animal. This exposes the dog's vital areas and shows the dominant animal there is no threat to the current "pack order". Belly rubs are a variant of this, showing the human that they are in charge and are trusted not to hurt the dog. (We teach our dogs that belly rubs are a pleasant form of attention and acceptance by us.)
Submissive Urination: Gently greet the dog in a soft even voice (not excited or high pitched), but do NOT pet the dog or make direct eye contact. It usually helps just to say hello and keep walking.. unless the dog is really submissive and pees as it moves. You can also ignore the dog for a few minutes before you greet them, or you can both go outside where any peeing doesn't matter as much. If you can talk or pet the dog without it peeing, do so. Sometimes it helps to crouch or lean down to the dog's level... do not lean OVER the dog. If the dog starts to cower, stop the petting immediately and walk off ignoring the dog. Eventually the dog will get the idea that the overly submissive posturing is ignored, while more confident greeting behavior is rewarded and accepted. I've usually left a submissive dog in a crate/kennel for easy clean up.. ignored the dog until I can open the backyard door, then opened the crate door (WITHOUT making eye contact), and walked straight outside while calling the dog to follow. They usually do.. and once outside, you can greet the dog there or wander about the yard until the main greeting period has past and the dog has calmed down. Outside is a good place to practice the no-pee/pet, pee/no-pet behavior training. Several others have given good responses on how to deal with a submissive urination problem. Having someone else take over the "dominant" roles of feeding, walking, etc is probably the best one to start with. When the situation improves a little and the dog is more secure in the home, the owner can try laying on the floor with him, etc.
NEVER make a big deal of submissive peeing or punish the dog.. it only makes him MORE submissive.. a vicious cycle. Just quietly clean up the mess. The urination behavior WILL go away, but it does take time, patience, and understanding.
GET YOUR PET'S HOROSCOPE
Size and Color
Chihuahuas come in all colors and sizes ranging from 1-6 pounds. Over six pounds is considered overweight for a chihuahua according to the breed standard. Here are a few examples of different sizes and colors. These are chis that belong to a breeder friend of mine.
