Allowing non-housebroken dog to move in

DownTheAvenue wrote:
Any dog at any age can learn a new behavior. However, some dogs are more likely to respond to learning than others. In this case, I suspect you will have quite a challenge, as you have three issues working against you. One is the breed- Chihuahuas can be stubborn and not very bright. Two is the accepted behavior that is now unacceptable has been ingrained into the dog its whole life, and you are asking for a change not just to learn something new. And thirdly, you need absolute consistency- everyone must be on board into managing the dog to go outside, and I doubt your mother will cooperate.

Confining the dog to a very small area or crate and taking it out hourly, after eating, after waking from a nap, and any activity helps. Restricting water intake later in the evening helps over the night.

I agree with all of this - and suspect crating will be difficult because the dog will "cry" and Mom will let it out.

A couple years ago, my daughter needed to move in with us after selling her house, and she would watch our home while we were in FL. Her Shi-Tzu Bailey had been raised in our house; but had learned some really bad habits after moving out, like lifting his leg wherever he wanted. I had JUST replaced the carpet, so wasn't keen on having him back in my home, so I insisted that my daughter put diapers on him. She did, and it worked. After 5 months of him being unsupervised, I did a check with an ultraviolet light, and my house was indeed pee-free.