Puppy potty training issues, help!?
So my sister just sent me her little shih tzu puppy for a few months so that I can help potty train it for her. (she shouldn’t have a puppy in the first place if she doesn’t have time to potty train it, I know.) The puppy is about 4 and a half months and she has no idea that she is supposed to go to the bathroom outside. I have been taking her outside about every hour in hopes that she will use the bathroom outside so I can positively reinforce her with treats and praise, but she just won’t use the bathroom outside, she doesn’t even want to go on the grass. I can’t start crate training her yet because she just uses the bathroom in her crate. (She lived in a pet store until she was 4 months so she is used to just peeing and pooping where she lives.) I sat outside with her for about an hour this morning and she just doesn’t get it, about a minute after bringing her inside she peed on the floor. how do I get her to potty outside?
Tags: 4 months, crate training, google, grass, pet store, script type, shih tzu, shih tzu puppy, text javascript
Potty training a puppy | Estella | 
July 19, 2010 7:43 pm
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By Bruce J, July 19, 2010 @ 7:43 pm
First, if her crate is very much bigger than she is, partition it off. Make it so that it is only big enough for her to curl up and sleep in. That should give her some motivation to ‘hold’ it. Next, if she has a favorite place or two in the house that she likes to pee, put paper over them. When the dog pees in the house, hopefully it will hit the paper , at least some of the time. When it does, don’t scold it. Praise the dog. Then, take the paper outside and put fresh paper down. The next time you take the dog outside, put the paper that it peed on in the grass. Put the dog on the paper. It will start to make the connection that it is supposed to pee on newspaper. When it has made this connection, you can slowly start removing the newspaper from the house, and working down the size of the paper as well. Within a couple of weeks, it should learn that peeing outside, anywhere outside, gets praise. If it should go on the news paper inside the house, don’t praise, but don’t scold. Just wait till it’s done, and take the paper outside with the dog. Also, when it pees outside, don’t yell "GOOD DOG!" in a loud voice. Many people do this, it scares the dog half to death. Just wait until it finishes, and tell it in a calm voice that it’s a good dog, pet it, etc.
Good luck.
By karby26, July 19, 2010 @ 7:43 pm
you have to talk sternly to her and tell her "no maam" when she pees/poops inside, then immediatly take them outside.
also- watch her closely, see what her signals are and as soon as you see her turning circles (or whatever her signal is that she needs to go) pick her up and take her outside, put her in the grass and tell her to "go potty". then praise her when she does it right. you need to come up with definate words to communicate with this puppy, cause right now she’s confused in trying to break bad habits and build good ones. she really does want to please you, she just needs the consistantcy of your words.
By bbiessener, July 19, 2010 @ 7:43 pm
Crate training is your friend, look it up.
By Miss Teacher, July 19, 2010 @ 7:43 pm
Crate training works the best because by instinct, dogs will not use the bathroom where they sleep. The problem is, your sister’s puppy has lost that instinct by being forced to eliminate where she sleeps. Now you have a behavioral problem. Just another reason not to buy puppies from a pet store….not to mention the fact that they most come from puppy mills and irresponsible breeders who inbreed the dogs, and let them live in filth only worrying about making a profit and not about the health of the mother dogs or the health/personalities of the puppies.
Look up puppy mils on yahoo or google. You’ll never buy a dog from a pet store again.
Good luck with the housetraining though…
By tarheeljosh, July 19, 2010 @ 7:43 pm
Begin with paper training. Spread out newspaper several layers thick in a specific place (preferably tile floor if you have one available). MAKE SURE YOU PUT THE PAPER IN THE SAME PLACE EVERY DAY!!! Keep a close eye on the pup and when you see it "prep" to use the bathroom on the floor, grab in and carry it to the newspaper to go. When it’s finished, throw away the dirty newspaper and replace it with clean paper. Yes, it takes patience and you will have to clean up doggy pee occasionally, but eventually the dog will figure out that it is supposed to go on the paper. Once it has gotten in the habit of going to the newspaper to use the bathroom regularly (let it go there for a couple of weeks) begin the transition to the yard. Keep an eye on the newspaper. When the dog goes to the newspaper to use the bathroom, pick it up and take it outside to use the restroom. The important thing is to stay patient, but stern. Let the puppy know that it’s not acceptable to go on the floor, but be very encouraging when it goes where you want it to. It will take time, but the pup will learn!
By txgalnca, July 19, 2010 @ 7:43 pm
You should crate train now! It will save you your sanity. Yes, you will have to clean up a few messes, but they will become nonexistent eventually.
Dogs do not like to soil their own den and they learn very quickly to go where their owner desires them to go.
You might try taking the dog for a walk and letting it get used to being on the grass and if she does do her business then reward her. Some dogs will never go on the grass. My big lab refuses to poop on grass, so we just live with the fact that he will poop in the street. It is really no big deal if you clean it up.
Also, give her a command when she does go outside. We gave the command "do business" when he was a puppy and now we can give him the command anywhere. It is a life saver when you are in a hurry.
By krystelida, July 19, 2010 @ 7:43 pm
Well…. ppl always say that if you hit your puppy every time it pees in your house he will learn. DONT EVER HIT HIM!!! IT WILL HURT HIM AND HE WONT BE POTTY TRAINED, HE WILL BE SCARED OF U!! here is some tips: dont hit him, and if u see him going in circles ready to pee take him outside and when he pees outside praise him and say good girl/boy!!!
By pitbull man, July 19, 2010 @ 7:43 pm
First thing you have to do with a dog is us the same dry food. Dry food is the best because it cleans there teeth and it is not full of water. Until house broke, the dog should only be feed once a day at the same time every day. Walk the dog after you feed it. And I mean walk do not just stand there. Then walk him again a half hour after that. You should walk him as many times a day as you can until house broke. Walking helps it pass the food. Walk it in the same place every day. When they smell there own potty it makes them have to go. When the dog goes in the house, clean it up with vinegar. This does 2 things kills the smell+vinegar has a urine bass smell and the dog thinks you r marking this as your turf. When the dog goes in the house put the potty outside where you want it to go. Remember smelling his potty makes him want to go. So no potty smell in the house but lots of potty smell outside. You should have a pin or create just big enough for him to lie down. Most dog will not potty where they lay. Do not put anything in the pin that will soak up pee. When you are not watching your dog, he should be in the pin. If he goes in the house, you should catch him in the act and grab him and yell no then take him outside. Clean it up and take the potty outside. So to rap this up. Walk him as much as you can tell him good boy when he goes outside. When your not watching him keep him it the pin. When he goes inside tell him bad boy and take him outside..
By smurf, July 19, 2010 @ 7:43 pm
If the crate is properly sized for the pup it won’t go inside it. For potty training you need to put the dog in a harness and put a leash on it…tie leash to end of your belt. Whenever the dog is in the house and not crated you’re in this setup so the second you see the dog start to signal (sniff/scratch/circle/squat) it has to go you run her outside and praise, reward, use command word consistently. Most of the time when people have potty training issues it is because they are letting the dog roam around and thewy’re not watching it carefully.