HELP!!! 13 week old puppy peeing and pooping in the house!!!

by Autum
(Albuquerque,NM)

I have a 13 week old male chi-pin (chihuahua/ minature pinscher) I have had him for about 3 weeks now and he is learning the idea of going outside and the command word "go pee-pee" and will do his "business" when told but he is still peeing and pooping in the house!!!

My husband is very frustrated with this and I try to tell him that "Jax" is still learning. I cannot catch "Jax" in the act of doing pee and poop so I know I cannot reprimand him for it. I have a pretty busy day and feel soooooo bad to have to leave him in a crate for about 4 hours when I go to work. is this ok to do??

I am pretty sure he would do well with the crate but i'm not sure if it's ok to leave him in there that long. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE tell me what I need to do!!!!



Hi Autumn
Don't panic! It sounds as though Jax is actually doing pretty well so far, but it's very normal for pups to eliminate indoors when they haven't fully understood the concept of 'doing their business' outside only.

Of course, it's very frustrating and you need to help him 'un-learn' this behavior asap. Using a crate is the way to do this, and it is okay to leave him in his crate for 4 hours while you work. I would also suggest crating him whenever you are not able to supervise him properly.

You're right not to reprimand him for peeing or poooping indoors when you haven't actually 'caught him in the act'. You need to help Jax to build the correct habit of eliminating outdoors by regular potty breaks and close supervision whenever he's not crated. He will understand better if he is corrected while actually committing the 'crime' if you know what I mean.

I'd recommend that you read my Crate Training A Puppy and Potty Train A Puppy pages for more tips and advice.

It sounds as though Jax is a smart little guy and if you are calm and consistent with him he will do just fine so don't worry. Best of luck.