After months of marital debate and online research about HOW to get Paco, my 5-lb. Chihuahua, to stop peeing in the house, I reluctantly agreed to try crate training again. We tried this when he was a puppy. Followed all the instructions, to no avail. I love this little guy, but even I have to admit, he’s dumb as a sack of hammers. Seriously. You cannot teach this dog anything. ZERO attention span, and even shorter memory. He has peed in every room of our house, and shows no remorse, ever. I know Kenny would really like him gone, but I’m like a mother with an overly needy middle child…I love him. So here he stays, 6 years old and still peeing in the house. (Vet says it’s because Chihuahuas don’t like their butts to get cold so they instinctively prefer to go where it’s warm. Kenny says Paco is a DOG and doesn’t sit down to pee, so he’s not buying it.)
So yesterday I spent the afternoon at the local PetCo, in search of a crate and necessary items to suitably outfit Paco’s new dog cave. I was determined to build a place he likes so he wouldn’t feel punished or left out. (Breaks my heart to think of that face, all eyes and big ears, staring mournfully out from between the wires like “Why don’t you love me anymore, Mommy?”) I was thinking 2 stories, with a tiny hot tub and lap pool, a soft, poufy leopard-print bed and a 12″ stripper pole, with a little teacup Chihuahua named Lola to help him pass the time. When Kenny saw the bill, he immediately began wheezing into the empty Petco bag, and I didn’t have the heart to tell him we were going to have to unplug his garage beer fridge in order to heat Paco’s electric blanket. Kenny and Paco have been on thin ice for some time now. I thought it best to leave that discussion for tomorrow.
Got up this morning and ran down the hall to check on my guy, and found this note taped to the crate:
“Oversize crate to keep stupid dog from peeing all over the house: $145
Heated bed and other overpriced decor/toys so wife says he’ll feels comfy and loved: $298
Bark collar because he hates it anyway and barks ALL NIGHT LONG: $87
Doggie pee-pee pad & platform for times he outsmarts us and sneaks in a pee behind the wine rack: $56
Quote from vet on cost to have overgrown hamster put down: Priceless.”
Paco, baby, you’re going to have to start working with Mommy, or the next thing I’m buying you will be a set of tiny Louis Vuitton luggage for your long, long trip…
I have a yorkie and was told the breed is notoriously hard to house train. I did kennel train her but the kennel as well as her food/water bowls are all enclosed in a small gated area. It’s like her own mini condo. When she was a puppy I kept her in there whenever I went out but now, at 4, she has run of the house. She also rings little bells dangling at the door whenever she wants to go outside.
It took me 8 months of bringing her outside every hour and bribing her with a tiny morsel of boiled chicken to squat every time I said “pee”. She still absolutely HATES going outside when it’s cold or rainy which it is 8 months of the year here in Vancouver so I bought a patch of artificial grass and keep it on a rubber mat on the covered deck. She hasn’t had an accident since she was one years old. Small breeds are just really tough! Stick with it and you and Paco should live happily ever after.
Wendy Roberts recently posted..The Elephant in the Room (e-readers vs paperbacks)
Thanks, Wendy! Little Paco’s getting better, and I’m not pushing him (although he’s SIX…sigh
Thanks for stopping by!
Vikki Claflin recently posted..But He Said He Was Buying an iPod
HAHA Vikki, love that Paco’s bed, decor and toys cost more than his crate. We have a small terrier, Pixie, but she’s never peed in the house thankfully so I’m not much help here – just wanted to say hi and thanks for making me laugh
Good luck with Paco and his Condo Crate.
Weezafish recently posted..Huge Jungle Gyms: New House: Random Blah, Blah
Thanks, Louisa! Loved that you stopped by!
Vikki Claflin recently posted..But He Said He Was Buying an iPod