New dog...need advice?

I just adopted a 2 year old long haired chihuahua. I looked up all of the information I needed to know on this breed, potty training tips and so on. He was abused and neglected by his last family (kids tortured him), he is extremely timid and he is more than obviously clingy. He will not let me out of his site even if I'm just going to grab something from the kitchen. He loves to be cuddled but you can't grab him quickly or put him on his back or he runs and hides. When I go to take a shower he pee's and poo's on the floor and whines. It was really hard to leave for work today because I had to put him in his kennel.





I believe he has separation anxiety based on the way he acts.





How do you train a dog to not act out when you have to leave? How can you train a dog to not be so skittish? What would be the best way to potty train him with the way that he is?





Sorry if this is confusing. I'm confused myself. Any tips would be greatly appreciated.New dog...need advice?
Step1


Consult your veterinarian to get a correct diagnosis of separation anxiety. Your veterinarian will help you with treatment or refer you to an animal behaviorist who can prescribe effective drug therapies to alleviate your dog's anxieties.





Step2


Practice leaving your dog alone for short periods of time. Pick up your keys and leave for 1 minute.





Step3


Gradually increase the amount of time you stay away. This will accustom your dog to your absence.





Step4


Avoid overly emotional good-byes and greetings. Instead, pat your dog on the head and offer a quick good-bye or hello.





Step5


Keep your dog confined in a safe area while you are away. Be sure to leave a bowl of water and plenty of chew toys.





Step6


Exercise your dog for an hour each day in places other than your yard or home. This helps your dog feel comfortable in other locations and lets her blow off steam.





Step7


Praise your dog often to build self-confidence, rather than punishing her for exhibiting frightened behaviors. Punishment only increases anxiety and makes the situation worse.New dog...need advice?
He is still settling in. Chihuahuas are by nature very clingy. It will take a time of adjustment because of his past. Just love him and give him as much attention as you can. You should probably crate him when you are not at home or able to watch him, at least until he is more settled with you. Thanks for adopting this little guy. He will reward you with so much love and devotion!
Here is a link that will help you out:


http://dogbreedinfo.com/separationanxiet…





He most likely does have it. But since he's rescued of course he's going to have such behavioral issues. Keep an eye out for any other problems so you can fix them immediately before they get worse!





Good luck!
Wow, well I would crate him when you shower, or use an x-pen if that is less traumatic. I think you need to crate or whatever method you are going to use until he can behave in your house. I think chi's are a clingy breed, so that sounds normal to me. We practiced leaving one day with our dogs. We just kept pretending to leave, and when they barked we popped back in the house and told them to ';settle down'; and when they did we praised them. We did this over and over one day until ';leaving'; became no big deal to our dogs, because they knew we would come back. Lots of toys and bones and a radio or tv often help. I think I would stick with any noticeable potty training method in place. I don't know if they used a pee pad, or litter box, or just took him outside. I would start potty training back at the beginning, until he can behave in your house. I am just not sure if I would use a crate or x-pen. I am wondering if he has been taught it is o.k. to potty in the crate. Since you mentioned you can't grab him too quick that might be abuse, or vision issues. Separation anxiety would be normal for any rescue dog since they will fear being abandoned again. You need time and lots of hard work. Here are some tips, use what helps. I use a crate* to potty train with, but only for potty training and then I break it down and store it. I put blankets and a small food and water dish in the crate. Dogs don't potty where they eat and sleep. When they are first little, I only expect them to hold their potty for 4 hours, and then 6 hours, then 8 hours and so on. So when they are first little, I set a timer or alarm clock to wake myself up at night to take them *out. I only allow my puppy in the bedroom* or the living room, only one room at a time. They have to graduate to more space. If I allow them to have full run of the house, it will overwhelm them. I take them out the same door each time. I tie a dinner bell to the door handle. Do not use a jingle bell as they could get their toe caught in it. So when they are little, I ring the bell for them, and then open the door to go *outside to potty. When they get bigger, I take their paw and whack the bell and open the door to go potty. Eventually getting to the place where the puppy will ring the bell and let me know when they need to go potty. Dogs want to please you, so it is your job to let them know what behaviors please you and what doesn't. So when my puppy goes potty, I give her a treat*, and clap, and make a fuss and praise her. So she learns that going potty outside makes me happy. If she has an accident, make a disgust sound like “tsst” and take her out right away. I never yell* or spank* my puppies. Take them out when they first wake up, after they eat or drink, before nap, finish romping, when their activities change, or when they are sniffing around. Some puppies go pee right away, but may not go poop until 10 minutes later, so wait for the poop. I have a little play time here, because sometimes I think they are done, and they are not. Puppies train at their own pace. While I may have a puppy that hasn't had an accident in several weeks, I don't let my guard down. I don't expect my puppies to be ';fully potty trained'; until one-year-old. If they have a setback, shake it off, and start over. I only have my puppies in the crate when I am not watching them. When I am sleeping, cooking, ironing, doing chores, basically when I am not watching her. All other times, she is out of the crate practicing being a ';big girl.'; This is the time I train her how to behave in the house. So we are practicing ';no barking';, 'no biting';, ';no jumping';, and ';don't eat the furniture.'; I also have to practice ';playing inside'; so she doesn't knock over things. You must keep the puppy in sight when they are little because they don’t know the difference between newspaper and carpet, and you don’t want them sneaking off and getting into trouble. Some puppies can sleep through the night around 3-months-old, but their bladder is grown around 6-months-old.





REVISIONS:


*I use a CRATE to train with. It is the method I prefer, compared to other methods I have tried. I noticed that if they are in the crate, while I am doing chores, they are o.k., because the crate allows them to see me and be re-assured. The crate can also be a comfort when stored in the basement for dogs who live in areas where thunderstorms and tornados are an issue. . However, use the method that works best for you.....a laundry basket, a cardboard box, a woof-woof house, x-pen, child gates, whatever works for you.


*OUTSIDE, pee pad, litter box, whichever method you are using. When the puppy is first little, keep the pee pad, litter box near the food and water dish, so the puppy can eat and drink, and then go potty. You can move it away as they get older. The pee pad has a scent that smells and initiates potty. Sometimes a pee pad makes a sound that scares some puppies, so you might want to use a litter box if that happens. The pee pad allows a puppy to walk around, but a litter box keeps the puppy in one place.


*BEDROOMS, I use the bedroom and living room for training, because it works for me. Choose rooms that work for you, but watch for rooms that are damp, or drafty. While my puppies sleep in the bedroom during training, once they are trained, I let them sleep where they want to. They don't have to sleep in the bedroom forever.


*TREATS. While I use treats for training, you don't have to. I like Charlee Bears for training (a little cracker for a little mouth,) I use them for training, but once they are trained, I cut back on them.


*SOME PUPPIES will go potty in the same spot each time. Some puppies have to be told to go potty. A command like ';go out'; for pee, or ';go finish'; for poop, might work for you, keep saying “go finish” until the puppy poops. This is a good thing to train if you travel with your dogs. By using commands, the puppy won't get confused when you are visiting someone, on vacation with you, or when you get to a new home. The command will tell them what you want them to do in an unfamiliar place. You might also want to use a leash method, so the puppy doesn’t sneak off, or for strange places.


*YELLING. It is not a good idea to ';yell'; or ';spank'; your puppy and then take them outside when they have an accident. They may get confused and think that going outside is punishment. While you want to correct them, if you are extreme, they may not want to go outside again. Shake it off, and resume your schedule. You have to keep it real. Puppies train at their own pace, but a puppy can only hold their potty for a few hours. A guide would be 1 hour for each month of age, plus 1 hour, so a three-month-old puppy should only be expected to hold their potty for 4 hours at most.


SOURCE: These tips, tricks, and ideas were contributed from many brilliant minds. Thanks for your help!
since the dog got neglected and your taking care of the dog. he just wants to protect you because you protect him. and potty training the dog. just take the dog out for a walk 3 times a day so the dog can get use to peeing on trees and meeting other dogs when you go for a walk. also when your in the shower and the dog poops and pees when your not there. put him some where he cant do that or just put him the kennel..