Dog Health Questions: Dog won't stop using the bathroom in the house.?

My 8 month old Chihuahua won't stop using the bathroom in the house. He even goes in his crate despite being taken out up to every half hour. Sometimes I will take him out and he will go, but then he will come back in and "sprinkle" in the house 5 minutes later. I've had him 6 months and have tried everything that I have read online and in dog training books and nothing is working. I know he is still fairly young, but most dogs I know learned fairly quickly with good training. Any serious advice would be greatly appreciated.

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If he's going in his crate, then his crate is too big. If his crate truly isn't too big then there's something medically wrong with him. But he should have enough room to move around in a circle in his crate but when he lays down there shouldn't be too much unused space.

In saying that, continue with the crate training. Take him outside immediately before going in his crate, immediately after he comes out of his crate. He should be going outside immediately after he eats or plays. If you catch him in the act, firmly say NO!! and immediately bring him outside, even if he's finished going. Anytime he goes outside praise him. If you find an accident simply clean it up. Don't scold him for it because he will not know why he's getting in trouble. Anytime there's a mess be sure to clean it up well. Resolve on the carpet and an all purpose cleaner on the floor. Clean it well. If the scent is still there he's going to think that's a spot to go.

He shouldn't be going to the bathroom every half hour. If there's nothing medically wrong with him, start increasing the time in between his potty breaks. His body is beginning to get used to going out every 30 minutes.

The most important potty training lesson is to BE CONSISTENT!! Stay patient and consistent. If you change techniques over and over you're just confusing him and going to be starting from square one everytime.

The best way a dog learns is honestly being caught in the act. Don't have frustration and yell at him, but be firm enough that it startles and scares him. Make sure you're following through and getting him outside. Praise him when he goes outside every single time. My dog is 2 years old and I still tell him good boy when he goes outside.

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• Sprinkle meaning marking territory? He thinks he's dominant and wants to mark his territory. Have you gotten him neutered? Most neutered dogs don't do this, especially if they are neutered at a young age.


• The first thing I would do is take him to a vet and see if there is an underlying UTI (Urinary Tract Infection) of some kind going on. You can collect a small sample and take it into the vet's office usually, and they can do an analysis.
  
  If this is negative, I'd go to Petco or Petsmart and pick up a bottle of Nature's Miracle. This is a spray that you use after cleaning up an accident that will deter your dog from going in that area again. In theory, you should be able to eventually stop this.


• If you haven't neutered him yet, it might help, but since it's a learned behavior, it might not.
  
  Just to clarify, if he's just going a small amount, then he's marking, and it's a totally different issue than housebreaking


• get him fixed


• I was going to say the same a James. Make sure the crate is not too big. If not, vet visit is in order.


• I agree with most of what I see here. The key thing is consistancy. Dogs need schedules. So you need to do the very best you can to take him out at the same times every day (even on the weekends). Also it helps to take them to the same spot everytime. This way they learn that this is the potty spot. Of course a treat when he goes outside is always a good way to use positive reinforcement.
  
  Just like human children, not all dogs potty train in the same time frame. Some kids take a lot longer to potty train and get out of diapers, than other kids. So your dog might just need a little more time to get this down.
  
  Also a Chihuahua is a small breed dog. So I would make sure that you are tainking him out multiple times a day to start with. It may be that his bladder is just not capable of holding it for the periods of time that you are giving him in between potty breaks. Also consider his water intake. Now do not in any way give him too little water, but maybe try cutting his water off at a certain time at night, or before he is going to be left alone.
  
  Lastly, I had an easy time with my Pug, so I know I was luckier than most. He trained right away. However about 7 months after he was trianed (and had not had any accidents in the house) he stared having little sprinkles come out. And in one case he was alseep on my lap and actually peed right on me in his sleep. None of this was intentional (no leg hiking or any of that). So I realized that his frequent need to pee and the fact that he had been trained for 7 months and now all of a sudden he was having accidents, that he must have a UTI (Urinary Tract Infection). So I took him to the vet, and he got some meds, and was all better. So you may want to consider that as an option.
  
  Good luck.