Dogs to Puppys

Shih Tzu - Housebreaking Techniques II

Author: Connie Limon

Doggie Doors are very convenient for older dogs. Young puppies still need to be housebroken before turning them loose to a doggie door. Your doggie door should connect to a fenced-in backyard or a small fenced-in area especially for this purpose.

Be careful of doggie doors with solid, slide-in fixtures. Ifyou let your dog out another way and he attempts to return through the doggie door that has been closed with a solid fixture, it is possible he could injure himself very badly, even break his neck with a quick jump back into a doggie door that has been closed off.

Also be aware that doggie doors provide an entrance for burglars.

Some very small female shih tzu can be trained to go in a box like a cat. This can be a very convenient option for many owners unable to take their shih tzu out to potty or to provide them with a doggie door out. First you will need to paper train your tiny female shih tzu. Then put the newspaper in the box. Cut out one side to allow her to be able to get in and out of the box easily. Later change the paper box to a plastic litter box like a cat would use.

Some shih tzu will not go out in the rain, cold, ice or snow. If this occurs, try using raincoats, sweaters and coats. Bundle up yourself and your shih tzu, then go outside and try to make it a happy and fun occasion. As with other housebreaking successes, always praise and reward your shih tzu when she completes the process successfully. If she still refuses to go out in adverse weather conditions, try putting her on a leash and leading her out all bundled up as you are. If all else fails, you might just get out the newspaper box and allow her to relieve herself in the box during these times. However, with consistency and patience on your part, you most likely can convince her to potty outside even in the rain, the cold, the ice and snow.

Any kind of change in routine upsets dogs. If your shih tzu backslides with housebreaking, try to trace back to any kind of changes in your household and routine. Was there a new baby added to the family? Or was there any kind of change in routine that you can trace back to when your shih tzu began to backslide. You will need to restart your housebreaking routine just as you did when you first received your puppy. If there has not been any kind of change in routine, you might check with your vet about a urinary infection. In any case, housebreaking must begin all over again until your shih tzu is back on a regular and appropriate schedule.

Any soiling in your house must be removed with an odor remover cleaner. This is an important task to accomplish to keep your shih tzu from marking places where the scent of his urine and feces will remain for him to return to use again. Every effort must be made to get these odors out for complete and successful housebreaking. If the urine stain is fresh, you can use a vinegar and water solution which is very inexpensive. Mix one part vinegar to three parts water. Keep the solution handy in a spray bottle. If urine has really saturated the carpet, you might need to soak the area with the vinegar and water mix, then soak it all up with a thick towel. After it completely dries, sniff the area for any urine smell that may remain. If there is still odor, you can use commercial products such as Simple Solution or any type of brand you find works for you. These can be purchased from any pet supply store, some vet clinics, over the internet or pet catalogs. There are dozens of products that can be used if your vinegar solution does not work adequately for you, and most of it leaves a nice fresh smell. HealthyPetNet has an excellent line of household cleaning products that are safe to use for you, your pets and your family.

Shih Tzu - Housebreaking Techniques

Author: Connie Limon

Paper training a puppy is an excellent method of housebreaking especially for owners who cannot be home enough to get a puppy outside as frequently as needed. Puppies need to urinate more often than older dogs.

How to paper train: Leave her in her space with baby gates and cover the entire floor with newspaper. After she is use to going on the paper, gradually reduce the area covered by the paper. She will probably find a specific area on the newspaper she will use consistently. Encourage her to go in one place. Leave a piece of newspaper with a urine stain on it, and if you can stand it, with a little smear of poop to mark the spot you want her to keep going at. Cover the dirty pieces of newspaper with clean pieces of newspaper. The odor will encourage her to go back to that particular spot of newspaper. Eventually you should only need a small section covered with newspaper. If she goes some place without newspaper, then increase the area again that you cover with newspaper, and gradually reduce it back down.

When a puppy comes to you paper-trained and you want to start outside training, plan to make the transition over the course of several days. Take her out often. First, however, take a piece of her soiled newspaper (with urine and feces) and put it outside where you want her to go. Keep her on a leash inside with you so she doesn't have a chance to wonder off and do it some place in the house. Once she is used to going outside, you can release her from the leash, and a lot of shih tzu will go to the door to let you know it is time to let them out to potty. If you need to go out and leave her alone for more than a few hours, you may want to put newspaper down in her space and remove it when you will be home to take her outside.

To use a crate to housebreak: As a general rule dogs don't like to urinate or defecate where they sleep. The theory behind this is if you keep your puppy in a crate when you are not around to supervise, and it is just big enough for her to sleep in, she won't go in the crate, nor will she will have the chance to go in your house because she will be crated. When using a crate to housebreak, puppies need to be taken out frequently just as if you were not using the crate. At first, this should be to go outside about every 2 hours. It is not fair to expect a puppy to hold it for more than a few hours. If you must keep the puppy in a crate for more than 2 or 3 hours at a time, buy a cage or crate large enough to provide a sleeping space at one end and a newspaper-covered "bathroom" area at the other end. Or, have someone come in to take your puppy out to potty. Leaving a puppy or dog crated for more than 2 or 3 hours can cause "separation anxiety" and frustration, which will lead to behavior problems. Be sure to attach a water bottle to the crate. Puppies and dogs should have access to water at all times.

Teach your puppy to recognize a word or phrase that means "to go outside to potty." Something like: "go potty," or "potty now" or "outside to potty," just whatever command you choose, use this over and over and do not change the wording or the command. Provide a biscuit or some other treat and lots of verbal praise when your puppy does it correctly. Watch for signs that your puppy or dog wants to go out, like pawing at the door he is acustomed to going out of.

One delightful way of teaching your dog or puppy to let you know when he wants to go out is by hanging a set of bells on the door that he can jingle or ring when he wants to go out. By taking your puppy out often and by never giving him the chance to go in the house, he will learn to do his business outside.