Michael wrote:
I’m getting a 2 month old Chihuahua mix in a week and we plan to put his bed in a large laundry room separate from our house. I was wondering, at night should I leave the door open so he can “go” outside or should I leave it closed, like my mom suggested, so she can learn to control herself.
House training is going to be the most important piece of training your dog will need if she is to be an indoor dog, so it is really important to get this right! First of all, the pup will need to be close to her pack, especially at such a young age, otherwise it can cause problems later on. Ideally, you need to keep her in the main house for at least six weeks – think about using a crate to confine her – then when she is reliably housetrained, introduce her to her new sleeping place in the laundry room. I would advise use of a doggy door rather than leaving the main door open.
As much as it will be hard work for you, your new dog will need to potty every couple of hours through the night (they are not physically developed to hold it in any longer at such a young age, so it is nothing to do with “control”), and it is better for a human to take her out so she knows she is doing what you want of her. If you are lucky and keep to a schedule, this may only be for the first couple of weeks, after which, you may only need to get up with her once through the night until she is about six months old, then she could be reliable overnight provided she is allowed to go right before you go to bed and as soon as you wake up.
Tags: House Training Your Dog, housetraining, potty training a puppy