Dog Health Questions: Dog training questions?

I have an adopted 2 1/2 year old male chihuahua who used to go to the bathroom all over the house and still sometimes poops in the house. I know its impossible to potty train small male dogs 100% but what can I do about this. He is walked right before we go to bed but we still wake up and find suprises sometimes. Also, I have spoiled him to the point where he needs to sleep with my boyfriend and I at night which doesn't bother me. I am going to start to crate train him and teach him to come to me when I call him. He does sometimes, but when he doesn't feel like it he runs away. I am going to try the crate training first or should I try the teaching him to come first and to listen and are there any websites I can check out? Thanks so much!

Basic Dog Training Commands - Improve Your Dog's Behavior

Recommended Answer:
It's not impossible to train small dogs, but it does require consistency and follow through.

You're already on the right track. Crating is the best solution.
Occasionally, one of my rat terriers will have an accident. When this happens, we sometimes have to be crated.

Crate your chi, then consider obedience classes. Also, make crating less stressful on yourself, but more importantly the dog. Use kong toys filled peanut butter or some other good treat to put in the crate. When you call him over to get into his crate each time, if you have a fun toy, or a treat, he won't associate crate time as a time for panic.

You want to try to turn the experience into something sort of positive while you iron out the kinks.

Dog Training: 7 Reasons Why You Should Do It Yourself

• It is NOT impossible to train small male dogs 100%. It simply requires patience and persistance on the part of the owner.
  
  You need to consider leashing the dog to you for a period of time. This will enable you to remember to watch the dog at all times when he is not crated. Watching the dog at all times will greatly aid in housetraining the dog. It will also disallow his ability to run off from you, thus enabling you to reward him consistantly for coming when you ask him to.
  
  You may want to consider obedience classes or hiring a trainer to assist you.


• I don't know that it's possible to train any animal for 100% results. I have a female chihuahua that still sometimes does her business indoors, but I think that's just because she doesn't want to bother with asking to go out (she's a little sneaky sometimes).
  
  I've trained my three dogs (2 females, 1 male) to go to the door. If we're not in the room where the door is, they'll usually come to where we are and sit and stare or bark (they just figured that worked). I think they've learned how to do this because I don't keep water down in the house. They can only get it outside. Since they definitely want water, they ask to go out. They learned how to ask to go out when they really want something, and that just kind of worked over to knowing they should do their business outside, and not indoors (because they really don't like my wild ranting when I find a present on my floor).
  
  There's also a self-help program you can check out at the link below that my help with more troublesome four-legged friends.