Housetraining a puppy or adult does not have to be difficult. While Chihuahuas have an unfortunate reputation for being notoriously difficult to housetrain, this is largely unfair. The reasons that a Chi might take longer to housetrain (or never really be 100 percent reliable) could be due to a couple of factors.

First, the Chi is a toy breed, which means these dogs inherently require a bit more flexibility when it comes to figuring out an effective approach to housetraining. The second factor is that most owners expect too much from their puppies and untrained adults far too soon, which virtually sets up a Chi to fail.

What Is It About Toys?

As a Chi owner, you need to recognize that your Chihuahua cannot be expected to hold it as long as the bigger dogs and will require more frequent opportunities to relieve herself. Four hours is the maximum time you should expect a healthy adult dog to hold if she's on a regular schedule of meals and exercise and has just relieved herself.

Additionally as the smallest of toy breeds, it follows that when a Chihuahua urinates, the resulting spot is very small — sometimes not much more than a tablespoon of liquid. Accidents often go unnoticed, particularly if they are on carpet or another absorbent flooring, until the spots dry and begin to smell or discolor the carpet. By this time, the Chihuahua is accustomed to using the rug or carpet as her bathroom, and the owner is saddled with retraining his dog.

One Variable At a Time

With housetraining, it is important that you start small and don't move too quickly. You will want to increase only one variable at a time. With housetraining, your two variables are time (the number of minutes/hours the dog is capable of holding) and area (the parts of your home in which the dog can be trusted). If your puppy can hold reliably for two hours in her crate, you might consider increasing her time to two and a half hours or keeping her at two hours but increasing her space to include a small playpen encircling her crate.