Chihuahua Hour

Most experts in the field of dog training will tell you that one of the most successful approaches to house-breaking your Chi is not allow your puppy to have full freedom of the house until it knows where it can "go". 

The first step in training your Chihuahua is to provide it with constant access to some where it can use - example, a litter tray or access to a safe garden through a cat flap, etc.

The second step is to watch it for signs of wanting to "go", and carefully taking it to the desired place - i.e. the litter tray or through the open door to the garden (later showing it how to use the cat flap - don't forget this must lead to a safe and secure garden).

Repeating this process a few times will eventually pay-off.  The trick is to be vigillant and consistent in the early days, and use praise for successes (do not be overly negative for failures, and never smack, she will not respond well to this).  See also Facts article page

Training

General Training of your Chihuahua is beyond the scope of this article but it is generally thought that a Chihuahua is easy to train within the first two years of its life but after that can be a little harder than most other dogs (not impossible though, see Books/Gifts - USA or UK in Menu).