While little dog breeds can be more temperamental and high-strung than their larger counterparts, their diminutive size provides an advantage during house-training. Tethering a dog to your side or quickly urging him to an appropriate elimination area is easier and more efficient when he weighs 5 pounds rather than 75.

Get on a Schedule

Housebreaking is just as much about training yourself as it is about training your dog. Get into a regular routine of taking your dog to his appropriate elimination spot. Potty training generally begins to be effective after 6 weeks of age — no eariler. You can expect your pup to “hold it” for about one hour per month of age, plus one hour — so an 8-week-old pup should go out for potty breaks, at minimum, every two to three hours or within 10 or 15 minutes of eating, drinking or chewing. It’s tempting to pick up a tiny dog and take him outside when it’s time to go potty, but it’s better to train the dog to go under his own volition when you command. A common strategy for training is to use a key word, such as, “Outside,” regularly. Use a leash, and go out the same door every time to encourage good outside bathroom habits.

Tether Your Pup

While it’s tough to attach a big dog to your side via leash all afternoon as a way to watch for potty indicators, it’s much easier to take this approach with a small dog. If your pup is sneaking off to do his business in an inappropriate location or has regular accidents, keep his leash on him when you’re at home and tie the leash to your belt or wrist. Keeping your dog under constant supervision will help you recognize signs that it’s time to “go.” Take your pup to his designated spot, praise him for going to the bathroom and reward him with a treat.

Make Bathroom Places Safe

Individual dogs of smaller breeds can be intimidated by the great outdoors, so make sure your designated outdoor bathroom area feels like a safe place so your puppy will be comfortable doing his business without fear. If possible, avoid high-traffic areas, thick woods, tall grasses or areas that larger animals frequent. If your small dog gets frightened when it’s bathroom time, it can inhibit your housebreaking efforts. Opt for a secluded, and perhaps even fenced, area for your pup to do his business in solitude.

Clean Up Accidents

Little dogs have little accidents, sometimes so small that you won’t even notice them until the smell starts to accumulate. Keep an eye out for accidents, and clean them thoroughly with an enzymatic cleaner to remove all traces of odor and prevent remarking. Invest in a black-light pee detector, and use it regularly during the housebreaking process to ensure accidents don’t go unnoticed and untreated.

Indoor Potty Options

You can successfully housebreak some small breeds to pee pads or an indoor potty, which can be especially beneficial if you live in an apartment or condo, or if you’re housebound. Follow the same outdoor housebreaking guidelines using a designated spot in your home, preferably in a low-traffic area that’s out of the way, like a bathroom or a laundry room — a room without carpet serves best.

Though your pup may be happy, he may not be able to control his weepy ways. There are different reasons a dog may have weepy eyes, and a few breeds are a little more prone to eye discharge. Any dog can have tear stains; washing Buddy’s face regularly will wipe those stains away. Have a question? Get an answer from a Vet now!

Epiphora

There’s a name for all those those tears Buddy’s been shedding: epiphora. Formally referred to as “watery ocular discharge,” excess tears is a common issue for pet owners. If your pooch has excess tears running down his face, over time, they’ll stain his fur to a reddish-brown color. Sometimes it’s hard to notice the stains on a dog with a dark face, but dark-colored dogs experience epiphora as often as their fair relatives. Over time, chronic excess tearing can lead to skin irritation, odor and infection.

Weepy Breeds

Brachycephalic is not a word you see or hear much, but if you break it down to its Greek roots, you’ll understand: “brachy” means short and “cephalic” means head. If Buddy’s a pooch with a short or pushed in face, he’s vulnerable to epiphora. Breeds in this class include shih tzu, Pekingese, boxer, pug, Boston terrier and bulldog. These dogs have shallow eye sockets or hair growth in the skin folds around their eyes, which makes tear drainage a problem. Bichon frise, Maltese and poodles have the same issues, and poodles and cocker spaniels are more prone to blocked tear ducts than other breeds.

Why The Tears

Buddy doesn’t have to be of a breed that’s vulnerable to weepy eyes to have them. There are two reasons a dog may have weepy eyes: irritation and poor tear drainage. Allergies, stray hairs or objects, environmental irritants such as smog or dust, and ingrown hairs all can cause irritation leading to epiphora. If that’s Buddy’s problem, the vet should be able to address the issue and put an end to the crying and the stains. However, sometimes the tears don’t drain properly. In a healthy eye, when a dog’s eye tears up, the tears will go through small “drain holes” in his eyes to his nasal passage down to his throat. Conditions interrupting this process include shallow eye sockets, eyelids that are turned inward, blocked tear drainage holes and hair growth around the eye, which redirects tears onto the face.

Controlling Tears

In some cases, surgery can help dry up those excess tears. A blocked duct can be flushed out and some eyelid problems can be corrected surgically to eliminate the irritation. If the irritation is due to something in the environment, minimizing Buddy’s exposure to it will help. There’s nothing to do for a dog with shallow eye sockets; after all, it’s the way he’s made. Your best option is to keep on top of his tear stains by gently washing around his eyes with a wet, warm paper towel. Your vet can recommend appropriate wipes to safely keep his face clean and tear-stain free.