We've got a poopy puppy

Well, we finally found our shihpoo....had to drive 2 1/2 hours to Cincinatti to get him but we didn't mind. He's great other than the fact that he poops at least four times a day, and one or two of those times is always in the house!

He's almost four months now and has done fairly well with potty training. I'm home all day and I take him out constantly. However, there are times that even if he's just gone poop outside and I let him have run of the house, within minutes he'll poop again inside the house!
The vet advised cutting back on his food (I was definitely overfeeding him) and right now I'm gradually switching him from Nutro natural choice puppy to Nutro Natural choice Ultra in the hopes of cutting down the number of poops. I'm also starting to leash him inside the house so he can't run off and poop. I just don't understand why after two months of consistent house training and crate training he isn't letting us know that he needs to go so we can take him outside. I always go out the same door, got to the same spot outside, use a leash and give him a treat after he goes (a lick of peanut butter). He also occasionally pees on the couch without giving us any signals. I do use an enzyme cleaner when he does that so the smell is gone. Any suggestions??

 

The food can make a big difference in the amount of times they poop. Has a stool sample been tested? Sounds as though your doing about as much as you can unless you want to crate him, (I dont know if you already do) if not this should help, just make sure the crate is the appropriate size, majority of dogs wont use their 'sleeping quarters' as a bathroom, some dogs take a little time to learn this. How soon after feeding do he go outside? He should go out as soon as he's finished, just while he's 'learning the rules'. Giving him a treat and keeping the leash on indoors is a great idea but it shouldnt be necessary for too long. Once he's switched over completely to the new food see how he does after the following 48 hours.
Good luck.

 

We just saw the vet last Thursday and his stool was negative for anything. He is crated too. I usually wait about 15 minutes after he eats to take him out as it seems like he won't go immediately after eating. He eats in his crate and I keep him in there until I take him outside to do his duty. I really hope the new food does the trick...

 

Maybe it will, keep us posted, there are always diffrent ways to accomplish the same goal, sometimes we just need to get a little creative.

 

Part of the problem may be that he hasn't figured out how to ask to go out. You can help him out a little by hanging a small bell by the door. Ask him if he has to go out, take him to the door and encourage him to touch the bell with his nose, making it jingle. Praise him and then take him out.

 

I understand your frustration!!! My yorkie is now 9 months old and still doesn't know how to tell me she need to go out. I have decided that it's up to me. It took awhile to get used to her "schedule" of when she needed to poop. We got her when she was 5 months old and it took us about 2months to get used to when she needed to go. And it took that long for her to figure out that she WILL be taken out and we've been accident free for about a month now.
One of the things that worked well for me was to keep her on a leash and on the floor in the house AT ALL TIMES!!!! Either I was holding the leash or she was attached to something and couldn't get out of our sight. We caught her in the act a number of times and by stopping her and taking her out right away she understood where she was to go. It was just about 2 weeks ago that i started letting her off the leash in the house.
You sound like great parents and it will all come together soon.
best wishes!!!

 

I 2nd the bell idea.....

Our Molly, is a Shih Tzu/Bichon mix, and the bell hung on the door worked great for us.
We would take her to the door on her leash, and either take her paw and ring the bell, or ring it with our foot, saying "Outside, go potty" Then take her outside until she went potty, and reward her, saying "Good go potty outside!"

It took her a couple weeks to get the hang of it, but it worked great. Now tho, we have a doggy door system, and she goes out on her own when she has to go.

I remember the first 2-3 months of potty training was constant work, tho. Standing out in the rain, and snow...going out in the middle of the night, etc.

The key is consistancy tho....stick with it, and good luck!

 

I put a bell up yesterday and I have him ring it before I take him out. He's had a few more accidents the last coupe of days but hopefully we're on the right track. Thanks so much for all your help!! This is a great board.