Potty Training PuppiesPotty training puppies will mainly involve consistency and a very watchful eye! It is always best to use a training crate when housebreaking, as it will greatly reduce the time that it takes puppies to get through potty training. Puppies are pretty predictable as to when they need to use the potty. This is to be used to your advantage!
As soon as they wake up, they need to potty. Within a few minutes of eating, they need to potty. During playtime, they will need to potty several times. And so the cycle continues! 
One of the biggest mistakes that people make when housebreaking Chihuahua puppies, is that they carry the pup outside rather than
walking him on a leash.
The problem with this is that the pup never learns how to ask to go outside, and therefore doesn’t let you know when he needs to go. I thought we would never get our first Chihuahua housebroken and couldn’t understand what I was doing wrong. After I learned that it was due to carrying her instead of walking her, she finally housebroke. After applying this new insight, every time we got a new Chihuahua puppy, potty training went smoother and faster! As soon as your puppy wakes up from a nap, snap a leash on him and tell him, “Outside?” or “Let’s go potty”, or similar words. Make sure that you always use the same words as this will help his training to go quicker. When potty training puppies, always go to the same spot every time, as their sense of smell will help them to remember what that spot is for. While you are outside, quietly repeat the command “Go potty” a couple of times, but other than that, do not talk to him, as this can distract him from what he is suppose to be doing. 
When he does start to pee, while he is in the middle of actually going, tell him good boy, in an upbeat happy tone of voice. As soon as he is finished, immediately praise him enthusiastically as you are bringing him back into the house. Do not stay outside to play at this point, as puppies quickly forget the reason for going outside. Play with him inside of the house instead. Later, when he is housebroken, then you can combine bathroom time and outside play time. Usually within just a couple of minutes after eating, your Chihuahua will need to go outside, again. Follow the same routine as for when he wakes up from a nap. During playtime, you need to keep a very close eye on puppies. Usually, although not always, a dog will start to sniff the floor and sometimes turn a circle or two, right before they are getting ready to go. As soon as you notice this behavior, immediately snap a leash on him and take him outside. If you do not see him until he has already started urinating, yell “no, no” or “uh, uh” to get his attention and then run him outside to finish. Praise him outside whether he actually finishes then or not. 
If he has an accident in your house, and you do not witness it happening, then just clean it up. Do not scold him for it. Because of their small size, some puppies are known for using the bathroom in the house, but doing it in a hidden spot. This is because using the bathroom is something they have to do, and they do not understand why they get in trouble for doing what comes naturally, so they try and hide what they are doing. Some people mistakenly believe that puppies know better and that is why they hide their mess. But this is not true. It is because they have been scolded, or worse, and are afraid to urinate in front of you. Never allow your Chihuahua to get to this point, or it will be close to impossible to housebreak him. During the potty training of puppies phase, make sure you praise him greatly when he goes where he is suppose to, and quietly clean up any messes he makes, while he is learning what you expect from him. Housebreaking puppies does take time. Do not expect it to happen overnight, or even in a week or two. It is a process. You will notice that your Chihuahua’s potty training is consisting less of cleaning up accidents, and more outside successes, as each week passes. Eventually, when your Chihuahua needs to go potty, you will see him walk towards the door. Whenever you see this, immediately ask him if he wants to “Go Potty” and take him out on his leash. With your Chihuahua puppy, potty training can be taught by using a litter box, rather than outside, if this is what you prefer. Consistency and praise is the best method when potty training puppies. By following this advice, you’ll soon see that learning how to housebreak puppies, really isn’t as hard as some people claim it to be!
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