The day we got the puppy, the outdoors high was close to 60 degrees. Cool for a new baby, but warm enough to go out for a couple of minutes to learn to use a Puppy Piddle Pad outdoors, not just indoors. Like with Bailey, Bella, and Chile when they first got here, we set up an X-pen on our front porch with a Piddle Pad. Although needing to go out every 90 minutes, the new puppy was doing extremely well and only piddling outdoors on the piddle pad. Outdoors house breaking looked like it was going to be extremely easy with this baby. She understood that as soon as she was put outside, she needed immediately make a piddle. And that's the only place she did it.

But then, the weather changed. The nighttime tempts dropped into the 20's with windchills in the low teens. Oh well. At least, we got one day of outdoors house breaking training. The cold is now here to stay. And the pup is too tiny to go out (even with a sweater on) in subfreezing weather. Larger Breed owners may not understand this. But a 23 ounce 9 week old Chihuahua is not cold hearty. Adult Chihuahuas (even tiny ones) can tolerate short periods of very cold weather, but a baby Chi can't... Too cold of temperatures would kill a young pup.

So now, it seems like we'll be Piddle Pad potty training indoors (which the pup already knows well) for the Winter. Or at least, until she's a bit older. Not something I want. I've never done this before. Unfortunately, the situation seems to come with adding a baby Chihuahua to the family at this time of year. Bailey, Bella, and Chile all joined the family in warm weather & learned to go ONLY outdoors.

From the above photo, you can see just how tiny the new puppy is. The x-pen is only 24" high and is folded in half. The puppy pad is there, but out of camera view. She only pees about a thimble full at a time. But she needs to go frequently. Luckily, she properly uses the Piddle Pads (indoors or out) and doesn't seem to have any accidents. As she matures, so will her bladder. And she'll adapt to a routine in which she won't need as many potty breaks.

Meanwhile, puppies are a lot of work for pet parents. Just like any new baby is for any parent.