posted 02-14-2004 10:38 PM         

Congrats on your puppies!!!

About shih-tzus and potty training:

A) Not ALL shih-tzus are easy to housebreak. Some catch on very quickly, while others take more time; each dog is different.

B) Not all accidents are preventable, but A LOT are! The basic rule of thumb is, if you can't keep a VERY close on your pup and watch his every move, he/she needs to be confined. (Note: It doesn't have to be a kennel/cage, I used our kitchen which worked wonderfully!) A puppy simply should not have free run of the house, that is just asking for accidents!!!

One of the most important keys in housebreaking is correcting the dog WHEN the accident happens, which is why you ALWAYS want to keep an eye on them. Each time you catch your dog in the act, you have moved a step closer to a housebroken dog. On the other hand, every time a pup eliminates in the house, and it is not seen and corrected by someone, the negative behavior (eliminating in the house) has just been reinforced, which is precisely what you want to avoid!

While keeping a close eye on your pup, you want to pay very close attention to those notorious signs that signal to you that your pup needs to go, or is about to go! Very helpful in preventing the accidents!!!

As far as your shih-tzu not wanting to eliminate outside, I would not cater to his desires. If you want him to strictly use the outdoors as his place to eliminate, that is where he will HAVE to go, no exceptions! The point here is really not to let the dog control YOU! When your pup needs to go, bring him outside and just wait for it to happen. If he doesn't go within a reasonable amount of time, bring him inside, keep him VERY close to you, then take him out a short time later. Continue this process until the elimination does occur outside; just remember, he will HAVE to go sooner or later! You will want to keep him very close to you if you have just come in from outside and he didn't eliminate while you were out there. Most dogs do not like to eliminate near their owner/family, they will go off to the side to eliminate, which is precisely why you want to keep him VERY close! When he does go, give a little treat and LOTS of positive praise! Also, when you do take him outside, DO NOT let him run around, keep him in one small area (which you may need to put him on a leash for). Letting a pup run around outside when he is out there to eliminate makes it more confusing and distracting. He needs to know that he is out there to eliminate and that is it!

One other point to mention is that some dogs get very confused when their owner tries to train him/her to go inside on paper or in a litter box. A quote I found best describes why,

"Remember, paper training is essentially giving a puppy the OK to eliminate in the house. It may be difficult for you to outdoor train the pup later."
Derived from: www.anitcruelty.org

C) Instead of typing out some other pointers, I am going to just copy and paste some things I have said on other posts in regards to housebreaking and the like:

"When you are home, DO NOT let him out of your sight! This way you are able to correct him when he does eliminate in the wrong area. Do note that disciplining a dog when you find an "accident" in the house is utterly worthless. On the other hand, when you do catch your dog eliminating in the house a firm NO along with a clap of the hands (to get his attention) and immediately bringing him outside (if you have a certain word for outside such as out, outside, whatever it might be, use this when you are taking him out) is the best bet. When he does eliminate outside, immediately give him lots of positive verbal praise and a small treat to reward his behavior.

Also, when you do find the "accidents" use a quality deodorizer to help eliminate the scent so he is not attracted to the same spot because he smells the "remains" from his previous "accident.""

"The keys to remember here are:
1)VERY close supervision when you are home. Never let him out of your sight. This isn't easy, but it is so essential!
2)LIMITED access to the house. Even when you are home, only let him in the room(s) that you are in so you can keep an eye on him.
3)CORRECTION when (and only when you catch him) he eliminates in the house. And, lots of verbal praise with a little treat when he does eliminate outside.
4)PATIENCE & PERSISTENCE

Once he proves to you that he can be trusted, which may be long time, GRADUALLY allow him access to more parts of the house. If the problem begins again, take away the access."

"House training: Toy/Small breed dogs are, in most cases, a little more difficult to housebreak than the large breed dogs, simply due to a *much* smaller bladder. But, that is not to say that it can not be done, because it can!
A few tips: 1)take the puppies out soon after finishing a meal (10-30 mins. after) 2) after they have been playing for a while 3) after naps (and immediately upon waking up in the morning).
Signs that the puppy may need to eliminate: 1)A sudden stop in what they were doing, and walking away (this is usually a sign that he/she is looking for a place to eliminate) and 2)Circling. A vast majority of the time the previous two behaviors are accompanied by sniffing. Over time you will begin to recognize your dogs signs that he or she needs to eliminate. (Just a note: I was once told, "When in doubt, take them out," if you are unsure as to whether or not your puppy needs to go out.) Upon seeing any of these signs, quickly pick him/her up and bring them to one spot outside to eliminate. Choosing one spot for your dog to eliminate is helpful, because the scent of previous eliminations will be there, which will help remind the dog why they are out there at that spot. When they do go in the proper place, LOTS and LOTS of positive verbal praise, and a little treat, are a great idea.
If in the event of your puppy eliminating in the house, which will happen as I am sure you already know , a high quality deodorizer is quite important! This gets rid of the scent so the dog is not enticed to eliminate in the same spot again. Scolding a puppy when he/she has had an "accident" is not necessary. If you do catch them in the act, a clap of the hands and a quick no (not in a mean tone of voice), then immediately picking him/her up and taking them out, has worked best in my experience. Major point though is not to get angry or punish the dog for having an accident, it does more harm than good!!!"

Hopefully some of that info. will help you out a bit!!! Do remember that your pup is still very young, and has a very small bladder (therefore can not hold it for long periods of time), so don't expect too much too quickly! There really is no guarantee on how long it will take your pup before he is housebroken, but with patience, persistence, and VERY close supervision, you WILL succeed!!!

Wishing you luck,
Kristi

[This message has been edited by MyBabyShihPoo (edited 02-14-2004).]

posted 02-16-2004 01:20 PM         

My wife and I recently brought home a 7 week old Maltese/Shih-Tzu mix. She is absolutely adorable. We are in the thick of the housebreaking routine ourselves. I would have to agree with the previous posting where MyBabyShihPoo talks about keeping a close eye on your pup.

We have Maddie in the kitchen and a small room off it. We are watching her 99% of the time. For the times that we are unable to keep a very close eye on her, we put her in her crate.

While we have only had about 2 accidents in the past 2 weeks, it is due to the fact that we were seeing if she would "let us know" once she had to eliminate. We were probably expecting a little too much from her in such a short amount of time.

As for getting your puppy outside, we were forced to carry Maddie outside. She weighed in at 1.9 pounds at her 9 week check up and, as you can imagine, she was not confident enough to do the stairs. We ended up just carrying her outside to the same area every hour or so, and she would go potty. We would also say "go potty" each time she did. We would give her a small treat and praise her as much as we could.

Enough of my rambling, but I would start by getting your dog outside so that he gets used to be outside. After time, he will begin to eliminate outdoors, and then it is all about repitition.

Good luck!!