How to House Train a Toy Dog

Toy dogs are wonderful companions, but they can be difficult to house train.

Toy dogs are small dogs that do not generally get to be more than about 10 pounds. They are generally bred as lap dogs and can be difficult to train because they are notoriously finicky eaters and may not be particularly food-motivated. When you are house training a toy dog, you must be very vigilant in order to make sure that your training is consistent.

Things You'll Need

• Dog treats (if your toy dog likes any)
• Leash
• Training pads (optional)

Instructions

1. 

   Block off a common area of the house where your toy dog will be allowed to "roam." At first, you should not let your toy dog have the run of the house. Not only will it make it very hard to catch your dog making messes, it is not safe for your tiny puppy. Use a baby gate or other method to wall off a portion of the house where you or your family like to spend time. This will help your dog spend time with you and will help keep them under constant supervision.

2. 

   Place training pads in a part of this area. Make sure that you place some training pads in this area. Training pads are soft paper pads with plastic bottoms that puppies can use to go to the bathroom when they cannot go outside. With small dogs that cannot "hold it" for very long, these pads can help them while you are at work. Some people swear by training pads, especially if you are going to need to litter train your toy dog anyway. However, other trainers insist that they just make your puppy confused about where it is okay to go.

3. Take your dog out immediately in the morning and when you return home. Small dogs are not good at waiting, especially not when they are puppies. You will need to take your toy dog out right away when they--not you--get up in the morning and again every time you return home.

4. Wait no more than ten minutes after your dog eats to take him outside. This may not be enough time for all the food to get through him, but it will likely be about the time that he needs to urinate after getting a big drink with dinner.

5. Reward your dog immediately whenever she "goes" where you want her to. You should definitely reward your dog with praise, but you can also use dog treats. However, as we discussed earlier, many toy breeds are not particularly responsive to dog treats and prefer lots of love and attention..

6. Keep a close eye on your pet at all times. Because toy dogs are so small, it is easy for them to get away with going to the bathroom in the house. Often they may make only a few drops, which you will likely never see. However, they will think that what they did was okay if you do not catch them, so make sure that your toy puppy stays under a close watch during training.