Small dog questions. Can I be a (good) dog owner?

[athomemom]

If you have a Yorkie, Shihtzu, Chihuahua, or another type of small dog, how often do you let them out to go potty? What's reasonable? Are all small dogs difficult to housebreak?

 

We had a German Shepherd from a rescue for 4-6 weeks. We had to send her back. They gave us inaccurate info and she just kept peeing on the floor. Not to mention the other issues.

 

At the moment, I don't even want to consider a rescue group. We just haven't had much luck. We have had dogs in the past and never had the issues we've had with working with rescue dogs.

 

I am thinking a small dog might work for our family. My guys are teens, my house is relatively quiet. We aren't on the go all the time. Are little dogs restrictive? How tied to the house would I have to be?

 

IF we consider this, we will go through a person rehoming a dog instead of a rescue, I think. Please don't get me wrong. I love what rescue groups do and I applaud them for it. We just haven't lucked out in the dog department with a rescue.

 

Thoughts? I would really love to have a cutie to love!

[Pamela H in Texas]

Many times, small dogs are harder to housebreak. However, it isn't because of the dog, but owner. It simply isn't as problematic when they make a mistake so we don't respond the same (or change how we do based on it). Thankfully, we got our dog potty trained (probably by someone who worked outside the home) :)

 

As for how often? Josie goes out 2-3 times per day (morning, night, about 3pm). SHe has a potty pad by the bedroom door that she uses a couple times per month (she's an elderly dog so can't always make it all the way through the night).

 

Anyway, *we* don't get baby dogs anymore. We ALWAYS get a dog from someone who has already trained them because we stink at potty training. I'm surprised we haven't untrained Josie.

[athomemom]

Many times, small dogs are harder to housebreak. However, it isn't because of the dog, but owner. It simply isn't as problematic when they make a mistake so we don't respond the same (or change how we do based on it). Thankfully, we got our dog potty trained (probably by someone who worked outside the home) :)

 

As for how often? Josie goes out 2-3 times per day (morning, night, about 3pm). SHe has a potty pad by the bedroom door that she uses a couple times per month (she's an elderly dog so can't always make it all the way through the night).

 

Anyway, *we* don't get baby dogs anymore. We ALWAYS get a dog from someone who has already trained them because we stink at potty training. I'm surprised we haven't untrained Josie.

 

What kind of dog do you have? Do you crate her at night?

[Tammi K]

Our current dog, a silkie/maltese mix, was the hardest to house train. She also was the 'chewiest' dog and we did have to be careful if things dropped on the floor and the kids didn't clean up. She is also, by far, the noiseiest dog we have ever had. Little seems to equal yippy. Perhaps it's a matter of training but ours seems to think she is one heck of a guard dog and will not hesitate to let you know someone is at the door.

 

Negatives aside, he's a good little dog and a faithful companion. He demands very little in terms of exercise. Little legs don't take long to tire out, I guess.

 

Our dog generally goes out for potty breaks when we wake up in the morning, sometime mid-afternoon, and before bed. Sometimes he asks to be let out (he stands by the door and looks around for someone let him out) and when we open the door, he just lays in the sun.

[sparrow]

Our small dog, a shih-tzu/maltese, has been difficult to potty train. I understand that shih-tzus often are difficult. We haven't helped matters by "paper training" him to go in the laundry room. It's a vicious cycle I'm sure we'll never get out of now. He goes out a LOT because we have an older, bigger dog that has to go out a lot now.

 

That being said, it's not a *huge* deal to me. I wish I hadn't started the paper training, but what's done is done. We love him. He's incredibly dopey and sweet. We've never used a crate. He's not at all destructive, except to errant pencils that fall on the floor.

[The Governess]

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[athomemom]

I love hearing about your small doggies. I am short (and fat). LOL It'd be nice to have a dog my size. :001_smile: Most folks don't have a lot of positives to say about small dogs. I knew that you all would be honest with me.

[kokotg]

I had a 22 pound terrier mix who was completely housebroken when he was 8 weeks old. So I think it doesn't really depend on the size of the dog, but I do think there tends to be overlap between breeds that are known for being tough to house train and breeds on the small side.

 

I hear you on the bad luck with rescue dogs....just to throw another idea out there--we adopted our latest after fostering her first. We didn't go into fostering intending to adopt so soon (we only made it to the second foster dog before caving!), but I don't think I'll ever do it another way now. Our last couple rescue/shelter dogs came with a lot of issues, and I was on the verge of saying to heck with it and buying a puppy next time. But fostering turned out to be perfect; we specified that we only wanted to foster small dogs, and we were able to live with her and find out all her quirks, good and bad, before we decided we couldn't live without her. But we also got to know we were helping a dog who needed a chance (she was rescued from a high kill shelter when she was very, very pregnant before she came to us).

[Firestar Academy]

I hear you on the bad luck with rescue dogs....just to throw another idea out there--we adopted our latest after fostering her first. We didn't go into fostering intending to adopt so soon (we only made it to the second foster dog before caving!), but I don't think I'll ever do it another way now. Our last couple rescue/shelter dogs came with a lot of issues, and I was on the verge of saying to heck with it and buying a puppy next time. But fostering turned out to be perfect; we specified that we only wanted to foster small dogs, and we were able to live with her and find out all her quirks, good and bad, before we decided we couldn't live without her. But we also got to know we were helping a dog who needed a chance (she was rescued from a high kill shelter when she was very, very pregnant before she came to us).

 

THis is what we are doing. fostering with a rescue. The first rescue we had for a 10 day hold and she came to us extremely ill. Like we thought she wasn't going to make it it kind of sick. my husband loved her. me, not so much. Next, we were placed with 4 litter mates at 3 weeks old. I will attacha photo if i can. 2 have been adopted. we still have 2. they are getting too big for us.

 

rescues cannot ever guarantee a breed. I would immediately raise a red flag if they do. and you can specify a breed when fostering, too.

 

but back to your question. I believe dogs are just as diverse as children. it will all depend on the dog's personality and genes.

 

Robin

[TravelingChris]

I have had two miniature poodles and neither have given us problems- my poodle is so smart that he figured out on his own that if he couldn't hold it, go to the bathroom. (He is an old dog and has medical problems now and some of the medications make him pee a lot more). We quickly retrained him to go on pee pads if we aren't home and he does that if he isn't able to go outside. We got him from Coastal Poodle Rescue in Florida and they were fantastic to work with. If you live in Florida, look at them.

[mom2jjka]

Our Yorkie has been extremely hard to housebreak,and we have tried it all: crate training, tethering, round the clock/timed outside breaks, praise, rewards, took him to the vet to see if there were physical problems ( there weren't)....it just did not work. He is 3 now and still has issues. :glare:

 

But...we have made adjustments that allow us to live somewhat peaceably together.

First of all - we live in WI, and we finally figured that he just could not handle going outside in the cold. So we focused on indoor housebreaking instead. We buy 'chucks' pads at Sam's club and use those as potty pads.

He is so small that no matter what size crate we got - there was still room for him to 'do his business' in and still lie down. So we turned our 1/2 bath in to his kennel. We have a baby gate on the door, and we put his bed and his potty pad in here. If we go away, or if we can't keep an eye on him - he goes in there.

 

Also - he now wears a male rap/belly band (which we stuff with a 'Depends' pad.) He would not stop dribbling or lifting his leg.

(Our vet actually thinks he might have OCD...and his compulsion is to pee :tongue_smilie:)

 

I love our little guy, and he is like a family member...but honestly - it gets old fast....and expensive. And if I could do it all over again I would not pick a toy breed.

[Pamela H in Texas]

I lost my post....

 

Josie is a lhasa who lives for belly rubs. As long as you give them, she doesn't care if you're 16months old or 44 years old. Seriously. She was nervous when we first got foster kids; but now she knows that they are just another source for belly rubs.

 

Josie is not ever crated. I think we crated her the first visit to my mom's house, like when we left for supper or something. It isn't normal for her though. We take her on vacation. We considered crating several months ago when she started having issues with night time. Instead, we were SUPER conscientious about getting her outside RIGHT before bed and we bought the potty pads. Less than an accident per week isn't enough to make me try crating. Instead, we by the large pads and reuse until she uses it.

 

She isn't very needy. We are home much of the time so can love on her a lot, but she'd be fine if I had to work and the kids were at school.

 

HTHs,

[Pawz4me]

I am thinking a small dog might work for our family. My guys are teens, my house is relatively quiet. We aren't on the go all the time. Are little dogs restrictive? How tied to the house would I have to be?

 

I consider myself a very experienced dog owner. Between my own dogs and fosters, I couldn't begin to count the number that I've house trained. But last Thanksgiving we got an 11-week old Shih Tzu puppy, and he was definitely the hardest by far to train. The combination of a tiny bladder and giving absolutely none of the usual signals of needing to go made him quite the challenge. Puppy pads made it a survivable experience. He was fairly reliably using them in a couple of days. Now at 13 months old he goes outside most of the time, but I keep a puppy pad down for the times I slip up and forget to take him out often enough. When I'm home I try to take him out every couple of hours now. But of course he can hold it longer than that if necessary. Four hours is no problem at all, and one time we had to leave him for nine hours and he managed it fine. At 13 months old he still has a lot of puppy in him, so for his safety he stays in a crate when we're away.

 

I'm not really sure what you mean by "are little dogs restrictive" and "how tied to the house would I have to be?" Any dog is at least a little restrictive, of course. It's not healthy for any dog to have to "hold it" for hours and hours all the time. And the breeds you mention are bred pretty much for the sole purpose of being companion dogs. As such they really need a lot of human attention to be happy. But unless you're gone a LOT every day, a small dog should do just fine.

Edited October 28, 2012 by Pawz4me

[momtoamiracle]

I had a poodle once and it took her months to get it, but then all of a sudden she was completely trained.

 

 

I have a chihuahua that was a stray. He showed up to breed with my female 8mntha ago and stayed. He has peed in the house, mostly after the puppies were born. I think it was a jealousy thing. We have a part of our yard fenced off, all three dogs stay there most of the day. We bring them in at night and when it is cold. then they are gated in the laundry room. My chihauhua is the only one allowed free reign of the house. My female terrier drops too much hair, and the puppy chews on stuff.

 

 

 

I prefer small dogs. I find them easier to handle and to travel with. Our Jack is a great traveler.

[Plucky]

Small dogs are hard to potty train. Some just don't from what I understand. If you are adverse to a prolonged training and would get rid of the dog then I say don't get one. I don't mean that in a mean way. Maybe you want a cat.

[KungFuPanda]

I actually think large dogs are physically easier to live with and care for. You DO have more hair to vacuum, and the food costs more, but I find them more mellow overall. (yes, I know there are exceptions)

 

I have a pound hound. My dog is hysterically neurotic and fearful BUT his bark scares away telemarketers (they don't know he's a wuss), I swear he sleeps 15 hours a day, he doesn't chew anything up EVER, and he house trained himself as a puppy. We just left the door open.

 

Being a greyhound mix, he IS weird, BUT he's easy to live with, adjusts to a sporadic schedule, and can go 12 hours without going out. He just never goes in the house.

[BlsdMama]

My sister rescued a Yorkie.

 

It has been an absolute nightmare. They have an incredibly difficult dalmatian. I give them credit for being VERY committed dog owners... I would have had them gone long, long ago and I'm really committed to our German Shepherd.

 

Potty training has been really difficult with her. They've finally resorted to pads for the most part because she simply can't hold it for longer than a couple of hours. Bless them for their commitment to her though.

 

They DID get her as an adult and she WAS neglected which did "train" her to urinate in her space. To their credit, she has a home for life; Even if she urinates in it.

[momtoamiracle]

One other thing, all of my dogs, including my five month old puppy, can go 12hours without going to the bathroom. They are all small, between 7 and 17 lbs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I've heard Yorkie are the hardest to train.

[caroljenn]

We have a Shih-tzu. She is the best, sweetest dog I have ever had, and I've had many! We got her as a puppy and I had an octagon shaped pen (for human babies) that I put her bed and food/water bowls in. I covered all the ground with the potty pads, and began deleting them little by little, until she only had one. I left that one out so long because I would be gone all day. Our little girl is not the smartest dog on earth, just the sweetest, and it took her about a year to have no accidents at all.

 

She is 8 now and never has accidents at all. She hasn't since she was a pup. She goes out about three times a day, when she wakes up, sometime during the day and at night, but we bought a doggy door so she can come and go as she pleases.

 

She is the best dog, truly. She doesn't destroy anything (including her toys). She doesn't bark unless there's a reason. She will snuggle and worry about you if your sick or crying, and she plays fetch, which a dog book said Shih-tzus "don't do".

 

I would not hesitate one second to get another Shih-tzu!

Edited October 28, 2012 by caroljenn

[Jan in SC]

I would go a little larger and look at a Boston terrier. We have a 4 year old and he is awesome. He was housebroken by 8 weeks. We trained him to ring a desk bell sitting by the back door when he needed to go outside. My dh even trained him to go in specific places in the backyard.

[Plucky]

I would go a little larger and look at a Boston terrier. We have a 4 year old and he is awesome. He was housebroken by 8 weeks. We trained him to ring a desk bell sitting by the back door when he needed to go outside. My dh even trained him to go in specific places in the backyard.

 

I love Boston Terriers. We have a pug and it took her about 4 months. She still wants to sneak over and pee & poo on the carpet in the living room. I guess she considers that indoor grass. All dogs are banned from the carpeted area in our house.

 

Our shepherd/husky mix trained in a couple weeks. Never had an accident.

[athomemom]

You all are giving me much to ponder. Thanks! :001_smile:

[caroljenn]

I forgot to post this, but I should also say, the poops and pees that you get on a puppy pad from a Shih-tzu are incredibly small and not nearly as gross as they would be in a bigger dog. Part of the reason I did the puppy pad thing for so long is that it wasn't a big deal to clean up!

[athomemom]

I forgot to post this, but I should also say, the poops and pees that you get on a puppy pad from a Shih-tzu are incredibly small and not nearly as gross as they would be in a bigger dog. Part of the reason I did the puppy pad thing for so long is that it wasn't a big deal to clean up!

 

I could soak a towel through with the GS pee...I was not a happy mama. :ack2:

[mom2jjka]

Yes - puppy pads are very manageable with a small dog. ;)

[Pawz4me]

One thing to keep in mind with Shih Tzus, Yorkies and similar long-haired dogs is grooming expenses. If you have it done by a groomer the cost can really add up over a year's time. The good news is it's fairly easy to groom a dog yourself. I do all our Shih Tzu's grooming. But there are initial start-up costs for the proper equipment. Either way, grooming costs are something to consider before making a decision.

[TravelingChris]

Yes, mini poodles and all poodles need grooming. How much it costs depends on part of the country. Over here, I only pay $40 each time and that is about every six weeks. I would rather do that then have another animal that sheds plus my poodles were all very quiet except when there was a real reason to bark. I couldn't tolerate a yappy dog. But neither could I get a dog really any bigger than 20 lbs. since soon I will be the only one to take such an animal to the vet and with my RA, I need to prepare.

[athomemom]

One thing to keep in mind with Shih Tzus, Yorkies and similar long-haired dogs is grooming expenses. If you have it done by a groomer the cost can really add up over a year's time. The good news is it's fairly easy to groom a dog yourself. I do all our Shih Tzu's grooming. But there are initial start-up costs for the proper equipment. Either way, grooming costs are something to consider before making a decision.

 

I don't mind having a dog groomed. After living with a GS for a month or so. I have never seen so much hair! My cream colored carpet turned brownish/black. Grooming sounds wonderful!:D

[Denisemomof4]

My rescue was harder to train for her age and took longer to train but since I had no idea what her life was like, whether or not she got any level of training, I just stayed on top of her until she was fully trained.

 

Little dogs take much longer to train. I would just set him/her up for success by leashing her to you and letting her out every couple of hours depending on the age. When she does go outside, praise the heck out of her and give her a treat.

[Murphy101]

Whether a dog can be well tried in general, or specifically house trained, has less to do with the size or breed than the temperament of the dog and it's living situation up to entering your home.

 

I love our miniature poodle, and I'm mostly a big dog person.

 

Every breed and every dog have different issues. Great Danes are awesome in just about every way to me. But they need homes that don't mind living with a small horse or drool.;)

 

We can be gone all day, 8-10 hours without a problem with our dog. However, that's likely because we rarely do it. It's not a question of potty, it's a question of he would become very depressed if we did it every day.

 

My general perspective is that if you want a dog trained to your needs, then train them from puppyhood.

 

I wouldn't care much about the breed.

[Murphy101]

I could soak a towel through with the GS pee...I was not a happy mama. :ack2:

 

:lol: yeah. I remember the first and last time our great Dane pooed in the hallway. It was memorable horrific to behold that first thing in the morning.

[athomemom]

:lol: yeah. I remember the first and last time our great Dane pooed in the hallway. It was memorable horrific to behold that first thing in the morning.

 

:ack2: I bet!

[Pamela H in Texas]

and she plays fetch, which a dog book said Shih-tzus "don't do".

 

Nobody ever told ours that. Another thing she (her name was Sophie) did was play soccer. I so wish I had had an iPhone back then to video it. She LOVED a soccer ball! She'd dribble that around like an expert. It was amazing. I've never seen anything like it especially considering the ball was about the same size as she was!

[somo_chickenlady]

We have a 4.5lb toy poodle/miniature pinscher mix, and he was actually pretty easy to train, and has been fully trained since about 4 months old. He is crated at night, when we leave the house, or any time we can't supervise him. He can hold it for what seems like forever in the crate, but when he is out with me during the day he asks to go out to potty every hour or two, typically. He trained himself to sit next to the door and stare at us when he has to go. LOL I didn't think I would like having a little dog, but I LOVE this thing to death. Even my husband loves him. lol He never makes noise, though, and is the perfect little gentleman. :)

[athomemom]

I have been actively looking at CL and Petfinder. I have found that folks at CL are price gouging and not really re-homing their pets for a small fee.

 

My hubby is afraid of getting a dog that potties in the house again. :sad: I understand completely.

 

I will certainly let ya'll know if we adopt/find a doggie.

[Elinor Everywhere]

Almost a year ago, we rescued a 10-week old small breed dog. Never had a small dog before, but because we travel a lot I wanted a dog small enough for easy plane travel this time around (previously we had Labs).

 

I LOVE this dog. She's a mutt -- dachshund, beagle, some sort of scruffy terrier, and who knows what else. She house-trained in about 3 weeks, which was longer than our Lab, but not too bad. And back then she was only 3 pounds, so the accidents were nothing. :D

 

She has the terrier stubbornness, which is a big change from our Lab. She knows how to do basic commands, but she looks for food before bothering to obey. Our Lab was praise-trained by us, and we figured on training this dog the same way. Ha! No. :lol:

 

BUT, she is a very sweet dog, who, as the runt, is always trying to please. She comes with me everywhere, sleeps in our bed (another first), and is always in a lap. Whenever she hears a scary noise she jumps in my lap and growls. We can't tell if she's trying to protect me or wants me to protect her. We suspect the latter. :tongue_smilie:

 

Oh, and we do crate her when we leave her home. She prefers it; the house is too scary for her to be alone. Her crate is a cat carrier, and she loves its small size. She uses the cat door to go outside for bathroom use. I don't know how often she goes, but I can tell you she can hold her pee a LONG time. One time on vacation she didn't want to pee anywhere but her own yard, so she held it for SEVENTEEN hours. My dh finally had to express her bladder. As she's grown up, she's getting more confident and is willing to pee elsewhere now. She's topping out at around 9-10 pounds.

[athomemom]

Almost a year ago, we rescued a 10-week old small breed dog. Never had a small dog before, but because we travel a lot I wanted a dog small enough for easy plane travel this time around (previously we had Labs).

 

I LOVE this dog. She's a mutt -- dachshund, beagle, some sort of scruffy terrier, and who knows what else. She house-trained in about 3 weeks, which was longer than our Lab, but not too bad. And back then she was only 3 pounds, so the accidents were nothing. :D

 

She has the terrier stubbornness, which is a big change from our Lab. She knows how to do basic commands, but she looks for food before bothering to obey. Our Lab was praise-trained by us, and we figured on training this dog the same way. Ha! No. :lol:

 

BUT, she is a very sweet dog, who, as the runt, is always trying to please. She comes with me everywhere, sleeps in our bed (another first), and is always in a lap. Whenever she hears a scary noise she jumps in my lap and growls. We can't tell if she's trying to protect me or wants me to protect her. We suspect the latter. :tongue_smilie:

 

Oh, and we do crate her when we leave her home. She prefers it; the house is too scary for her to be alone. Her crate is a cat carrier, and she loves its small size. She uses the cat door to go outside for bathroom use. I don't know how often she goes, but I can tell you she can hold her pee a LONG time. One time on vacation she didn't want to pee anywhere but her own yard, so she held it for SEVENTEEN hours. My dh finally had to express her bladder. As she's grown up, she's getting more confident and is willing to pee elsewhere now. She's topping out at around 9-10 pounds.

 

Thanks for this encouragement!

[somo_chickenlady]

Yes, mini poodles and all poodles need grooming. How much it costs depends on part of the country. Over here, I only pay $40 each time and that is about every six weeks. I would rather do that then have another animal that sheds plus my poodles were all very quiet except when there was a real reason to bark. I couldn't tolerate a yappy dog. But neither could I get a dog really any bigger than 20 lbs. since soon I will be the only one to take such an animal to the vet and with my RA, I need to prepare.

 

I groom my dog myself, and I just use the same clippers that I use for DH and DS's hair. lol Hey, it works, and I didn't have to buy anything. ;) I just use a #2 guard, and cut his whole body the same length, except I leave his the fur on his head long, so he looks like a lion. He has really thin human like hair that is about 2" long, so it isn't fluffy or anything (except right after his bath).

Edited November 1, 2012 by somo_chickenlady

[somo_chickenlady]

Oh, and we do crate her when we leave her home. She prefers it; the house is too scary for her to be alone. Her crate is a cat carrier, and she loves its small size. She uses the cat door to go outside for bathroom use. I don't know how often she goes, but I can tell you she can hold her pee a LONG time. One time on vacation she didn't want to pee anywhere but her own yard, so she held it for SEVENTEEN hours. My dh finally had to express her bladder. As she's grown up, she's getting more confident and is willing to pee elsewhere now. She's topping out at around 9-10 pounds.

 

To the bolded - That is what we use as a crate for our 4lb dog. He prefers it, and is also too scared to be left out. He does sleep in bed with us on occasion, and he can hold it all night. I'm also not sure how long he can hold it, but we can be gone all day shopping and he never has an accident in his crate. Sometimes I'm surprised at how long he can hold it! LOL

[athomemom]

I really want a dog, it's just seemingly impossible to find the right one. I'd love a little pooch to snuggle with. :D

[Elinor Everywhere]

I really want a dog, it's just seemingly impossible to find the right one. I'd love a little pooch to snuggle with. :D

 

Well, I went to PetSmart to buy a fish, and it was Adoption day, and there she was.... :D

 

In my area, PetSmart has adoptions almost every weekend. These are rescue dogs and cats, and include puppies and kittens. The animals are fostered, so they are with a family during the week, and brought in on weekends for adoption.

 

In my dog's case, the mother & five puppies were found abandoned out in the desert. Fortunately they were found by a passing driver relatively quickly, and they brought them to the city for foster/adoption. I was originally planning on getting a dog about 1-3 years of age, but when I saw my pup I knew without a doubt she was the one for us. My dh, on the other hand, didn't have my crystal clear vision. :tongue_smilie: But he now admits she is perfect for our family, and he snuggles her and talks to her when no one's looking. :D

[athomemom]

Well, I went to PetSmart to buy a fish, and it was Adoption day, and there she was.... :D

 

In my area, PetSmart has adoptions almost every weekend. These are rescue dogs and cats, and include puppies and kittens. The animals are fostered, so they are with a family during the week, and brought in on weekends for adoption.

 

In my dog's case, the mother & five puppies were found abandoned out in the desert. Fortunately they were found by a passing driver relatively quickly, and they brought them to the city for foster/adoption. I was originally planning on getting a dog about 1-3 years of age, but when I saw my pup I knew without a doubt she was the one for us. My dh, on the other hand, didn't have my crystal clear vision. :tongue_smilie: But he now admits she is perfect for our family, and he snuggles her and talks to her when no one's looking. :D

 

Your pooch sounds so sweet! I hope we have as much luck finding a small dog. We are all still in shock from the GS.

[AngieW in Texas]

People on Craig's List kept telling us a much higher price when we called than what they had posted online. We were looking for a puppy (dh insisted that we get a puppy <3mo) and we were seeing the prices listed at $100-150 online, but they would tell us anywhere from $200-300 when we called.

 

We ended up getting our puppy from a local shelter for $25. It took a full week to housetrain her. The first three days, she ONLY went inside and we never got her outside in time. We could stay outside with her for as long as 3 hours, but as soon as her feet hit the carpet, she would pee. We finally got her a few times on the 4th day. The 5th day, she figured out how to work the bells at the back door. Aside from an excited submission tinkle occasionally when dh has come home from out of town and one time when she rang the bells, but I was in teh bathroom myself and didn't get out there for her in time, she has consistently used the bathroom outside since day 9 (about 12 weeks old).

[astrid]

People who sell puppies on Craig's List and the Internet are puppy millers. They are. And if you buy a puppy that way, you will almost certainly be in for big issues.

 

astrid

[Nakia]

We have a one year old Yorkie named Diesel. He weighs 4 lbs, if that. He is adorable, sweet, so cute, and my baby puppy love. Can you tell I adore him??

 

It has taken us one full year to feel like he is really house trained. That said, he will still, very occasionally, have an accident. We now feel comfortable letting him run around the house without being tethered to us. We do shut all the bedroom doors when he's free, mostly because he's so tiny, and I don't want him to be stuck or lost somewhere. He will go to the door if he needs to go out. If he needs to go, he'll "tell" us, and we have to get him out quickly. He sleeps in his crate and stays in there when we have to leave the house. I don't know that I'll ever trust him out and about while we're gone. We've left him crated for up to 6 hours, and he's always handled it well. He did pee in the crate once, but that was months ago.

 

He has been the very best puppy we've ever had. He's NEVER chewed up a thing. Well, I take that back. He tore up a cotton ball yesterday, lol! We have been completely neurotic about keeping him close by hooking his lease up to us or to the table while we're schooling or keeping him crated. He loves to cuddle. :D

 

Grooming is no biggie really. We took him more often over the summer to keep his hair short. I really need to take him now, just to get his face, ears, and genital area trimmed up and his nails clipped.

 

Our middle dd is allergic to dogs, and his hair has never bothered her.

 

The ONLY complaint I have about him is that he is slightly bossy. He tries to boss the cats around, but they ignore him. One of the cats loves Diesel, and they wrestle a lot. It's cute. Diesel also tries to boss my 6 year old around. We are working on training both of them. Diesel loves everyone and any dog he meets.

 

Wanna see a picture?? P.S. He doesn't love sweaters. :D

 

[athomemom]

We have a one year old Yorkie named Diesel. He weighs 4 lbs, if that. He is adorable, sweet, so cute, and my baby puppy love. Can you tell I adore him??

 

It has taken us one full year to feel like he is really house trained. That said, he will still, very occasionally, have an accident. We now feel comfortable letting him run around the house without being tethered to us. We do shut all the bedroom doors when he's free, mostly because he's so tiny, and I don't want him to be stuck or lost somewhere. He will go to the door if he needs to go out. If he needs to go, he'll "tell" us, and we have to get him out quickly. He sleeps in his crate and stays in there when we have to leave the house. I don't know that I'll ever trust him out and about while we're gone. We've left him crated for up to 6 hours, and he's always handled it well. He did pee in the crate once, but that was months ago.

 

He has been the very best puppy we've ever had. He's NEVER chewed up a thing. Well, I take that back. He tore up a cotton ball yesterday, lol! We have been completely neurotic about keeping him close by hooking his lease up to us or to the table while we're schooling or keeping him crated. He loves to cuddle. :D

 

Grooming is no biggie really. We took him more often over the summer to keep his hair short. I really need to take him now, just to get his face, ears, and genital area trimmed up and his nails clipped.

 

Our middle dd is allergic to dogs, and his hair has never bothered her.

 

The ONLY complaint I have about him is that he is slightly bossy. He tries to boss the cats around, but they ignore him. One of the cats loves Diesel, and they wrestle a lot. It's cute. Diesel also tries to boss my 6 year old around. We are working on training both of them. Diesel loves everyone and any dog he meets.

 

Wanna see a picture?? P.S. He doesn't love sweaters. :D

 

[ATTACH]10829[/ATTACH]

 

OH.MY.WORD. He is precious! No wonder you are in love! That's what I want a furbaby. :D

[Jenny in Florida]

I found my beloved Matilda through Petfinder.com. It took some patience, because I had specific criteria.

 

We rent, and the landlord gave the okay for a dog up to about 12 pounds, full grown. We wanted a puppy, hoping to maximize the chances the dog would learn to get along with the two cats we already had. I wanted a female, just because I did. And, on a purely superficial level, I wanted something with a fluffy coat.

 

I found that small, fluffy, young dogs were a hot commodity on Petfinder, and I made lots of inquiries that went nowhere, because someone else had already adopted or spoken for the dog. After several weeks, I found a litter of three Pomeranian/poodle/who-knows-what-else puppies being fostered in a home-based rescue not too far off the path I used to take to drive my daughter to college. The two males had already been claimed, but the female, the one I wanted, anyway, was still available.

 

Mama dog had been dumped at the local pound because, as the erstwhile owner said, "She kept getting pregnant." The rescue lady brought home the pregnant-again dog and saw her through delivering the puppies. Sadly, the adult dog was ill (maybe heartworm?) by the time she went to the rescue. She was put to sleep around the time her puppies went to their new homes.

 

They were just four weeks old when they were listed, and I had to wait until they were eight weeks to bring home my baby.

 

By that time, she'd had her basic shots and vet care. She had not been spayed, because she was still too little. I paid the $65 adoption fee, had her plopped into my arms and fell immediately in love.

 

She's got some personality quirks, no doubt. And she got bigger than anyone expected, about 18 pounds. But, we've moved to a different rental, anyway. And we figured we made a good faith effort to comply with the original restriction.

 

Housetraining was a process. I think it was about a year, to be honest, before I felt fairly secure about letting her run around the house unsupervised. And, even now, she has an occasional accident. To be fair, this happens only when I'm not paying attention, because she's really good about letting me know when she needs to go outside. She stands up, looks at me intently and wags her tail until I get up and follow her to the door. As long as I take her when she asks, we almost never have a problem.

 

She's my best friend and my youngest child. I adore this dog. I take her with me much of the time I'm out and about in the car with the kids, and she made lots of Florida-to-Virginia-and-back road trips with me during my daughter's last couple of years of college.

 

I crate her next to our bed at night, mostly because the cats were already in the habit of sleeping on our bed before we took in the dog. And my husband was adamant that he didn't want to worry about one more animal while he slept. We used to crate her when we left her in the house, too, but I stopped shortly after we moved to this house. It was obvious she really hated the crate, and she seemed to have more accidents in there than when we let her stay out of it. I don't know why, because we'd never had a problem at the previous house. But we did the experiment and found she did better out of the crate. So, we went with it.

 

I did two sets of training/lessons through PetCo, which were helpful but not miraculous. She's still afraid of other dogs (and bicycles and strollers and plastic bags blowing in the wind . . . ). I find that she gets better and calmer when we are in the habit of taking longer walks to parks and places that are frequented by other dogs. When I get lazy and just do the quick, around-the-block morning walk, she regresses and we have to start all over again.

 

I don't really care, though. At this point, I can't (and don't want to) imagine my life without her. I was just telling my daughter this evening that nothing can really bother me as long as I have this dog who loves me. She's such a wriggly, fluffy, wagging, adorable bundle of optimism and warmth, that she just makes everything better.

 

It took me seven years to talk my husband into getting a dog. And he still grumbles a bit when we have to adjust our lives to accomodate her. But then I have to leave her home while I go out, and I'll come home and find him stretched out on the couch with the dog at his feet, and he has to admit he really does like her, too.

 

Edit: I forgot to say that we leave our dog home alone, uncrated, for several hours at a time when needed. We don't do it often, because she's extremely attached to us, especially me, and is so frantically glad to see us when we get back that I feel guilty about having left her. However, up to six or seven hours, she's really good about "holding it" and waiting to go out when we get home.

Edited November 2, 2012 by Jenny in Florida

[Pamela H in Texas]

I got Josie for free from someone on CL (Richmond, VA). They had originally asked $100 which is a reasonable adoption fee, for sure.

It keeps the snake people at bay, at least. We didn't take the first dog we met either. But Josie was definitely THE ONE :)

 

Anyway, on our CL, there are lots of dogs being rehomed. Of course, it isn't really rehoming if you're talking about a 9 week old puppy though.

That is just someone selling their puppy mill dog or "accidental litter."

 

BTW, my mom got a dog (shih tzu) dumped in her yard on the 4th of July a couple years ago. It was a very young dog, under a year.

My mom spent thousands of dollars on that dog. Additionally, my mother has NEVER had a dog she couldn't potty train until this one.

She was the most expensive free dog ever.

Edited November 2, 2012 by 2J5M9K

[mchel210]

I got my dog from a lady that was rehoming her. She was 5 months old. She said she was housebroken but she wasnt. she is a shihtzu mix. I read a lot of information online from shihtzu forum and they had amazing information for small doggies.

 

I had to crate her all day and night and only take her out in small time frames when we could stay with her. We spent all the time with her when she was out of the crate. Food was fed to her on the floor of her crate. She was very good within a week after WE became consistent. She never barks to go out...I have to watch her as she just walks over to the door. But I leave her home all day with no issues. I usually let he out at 5 am or so and she wont ask to go out till 1 or 2 pm. Im sure she would last a full work day but I'm home so I let her out throughout the day most times. My doggie is super easy and never in the way.

[Gentlemommy]

The little chihuahua dog that found us (9lbs) is pretty close to house trained. He's about 1-1.5 years old, but we've only had him for ten days... We are generally only gone 3-4 hours at a time, and we take him out a lot when we are home. He's has a few accidents, usually overnight, which I completely understand. He gets cold, (really, he shivers in FL!!!) in the mornings, so I have to put a sweater on him to go out lol. I've never been a fan of little dogs, but this one is perfect. :D