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I have a 71/2 wk old male Shih-tzu (Sam). We are potty...

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Answer by Tigerlily
Submitted on 10/10/2003
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Hi there This question brings back memories!!!! Our 6 year old, Shih Tzu, Male named Bates was very hard to toilet train also! I hate to say but I believe some of these dogs are hard to train by nature. Lets face it they are bossy little fellows who know better than us! We live in a house with section in NZ and even with all that land he still preferred to 'go' inside, preferably on the carpet!! You just have to persevere. I used to take him outside and say 'Go toilet'... over and over again, and when he did go I made a big fuss of what a good dog he was. It did take months but he eventually got the picture and now he goes on command! So its worth the effort. Best of luck.

Answer by Bella
Submitted on 6/3/2004
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I have a 4 month female Shih Tzu and I too am getting frustrated with the potty training.. After reading everyone's email I feel a little better and to be persistent. She goes when I do take her out, but she is still peeing and pooping in the house. Sometimes right in front of us.I am even bringing a treat with me whenever we go outside and sometimes I am out there for 20 minutes and all she wants to do is play. She doesn't know how to let me know she wants to go also our door to go outside is downstairs she has to go down the stairs to go to the front door. She knows how to walk down the stairs but does not know to let me know she has to go. I hope and pray she will eventually walk down the stairs herself and bark by the front door to let me know she has to go outside.. Everyone is correct that Shh Tzu'sare very stubborn. But she is worth it.. I have a friend who also has a Shih Tzu and he is 5 months old and even at that age he is not completely potty trained. Anymore advice or tips anyone can give would be greatly appreciated. Irene

Answer by Lance
Submitted on 6/29/2004
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I have a 7 wk old Female Shih-tzu and to be completely honest have had good luck with potty training "Sophie". I spent the first week after her arrival, at home with her, and provided a TUN of praise with a treat (just a piece of her moistened food) every time she would go potty on the provided puppy pads. We purchased Puppy pads (which are supposed to be scented to attract puppies to them) from Wal-Mart and they have worked wonders. Already I am noticing that she will go to her puppy pads to eliminate without hesitation and has only had 1 accident in the past 5 days (have only had her for 11.... and really very few from the beginning.... I just used alot of praising.... alot of patience... and I didn't leave her alot of options for eliminating during the first few days... Her crate is actually a Cat carrier, which doesn't have a whole lot of room, so she will not eliminate in there....As soon as she wakes up in the crate, I take her to a puppy pad and say Potty over and over until she potties, and praise her to death... :)

Answer by lance
Submitted on 7/14/2004
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Hi Rita C, Not that I have alot of experience with this, but what I have read and heard is this: If they are eliminating in their crate they probably have too much room. Dogs (not just shih-tzus) do not want to eliminate where they sleep, but if they have to, they will eliminate in one corner of the crate (or other confined area) and will sleep or play in another. They should have enough room to turn around with hitting the sides of the crate. I have heard different ideas on the appropriate size of the crate, but our puppy only has enough room to turn around on each side, and enough room to lay blankets down, and place her water disk in front. Therefore if she eliminated, she would be forced to pretty much lay in it. You may want to keep the crate in your bedroom if you are not, to make sure that you hear a cry at night so you can let her out.

Answer by Amanda
Submitted on 7/18/2004
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I Have a 5 month old Shih tzu who I just rescued. He was kept in a crate all the time and that is where he learned to use the bathroom and it was never cleaned up. He was stained yellow from all the pee that he laid in for I guess the past 5 months. Although I have only had him for 2 days, I have noticed that he does not make any noise at all. No bark, No cry, No growl. I can't tell if something is wrong with him or if he is just scared. He used the bathroom in his crate last night and I had to give him another bath. How do I know if something is wrong with his voice and how do I retrain him not to use the bathroom where he sleeps. When we go outside, he just lays there. Oh, and he also walks right between my feet when I try to walk. I have fallen 2 times. How can I teach him to walk on his feet not mine.. Ha!

Answer by Lenny
Submitted on 8/6/2004
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Hi Amanda I know a good way to teach your dog not to walk between your legs. Just keep him in a thin chain leash with you all the time, including inside the house. First make sure he is used to the leash by making sure he is walking with you and every time he walks in between the leash just pull him out and to beside you keep doing this for as long as it takes, but it shouldn't take that long. Use a chain leash because dogs don't like to bight these. If he does not walk beside you and just sits there just give him a slight tug and call his name, keep giving him encouraging words like "good boy!" frequently. This technique has worked with both my babies and i hope it works for you.

Answer by Drea
Submitted on 9/2/2004
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Wow. Nice to know I am not alone. Although, we have only had our 3-month-old for 3days, she definitely is showing signs of stubborness. Ditto all the crate training advice. I have read many articles, and the overall consensus is that they should spend a lot of time in the crate. At first, I saw this as mean, but after slacking off one day, and her having two accidents, I went back to keeping her in her crate whenever I cannot completely watch her. The goal is to teach them to control their bladder, and if they wander around freely, they will just go when they feel like it. I also take her out every 1-2 hours, and keep a chart on when she went last. This helps a lot. We still play with her often, and I have heard that crate training is successful if it is stuck to. Good luck to all.

Answer by shih tzu mommy
Submitted on 9/7/2004
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First of of all, puppies are not really housebroken until around 8 months of age- for most breeds. I have never had problems potty training my shih tzus. My pups stay in a carrier when I cannot supervise them. They sleep in the carrier. Why the carrier? The dogs like having their own place and they will not mess in their sleeping area. This the first thing the pup learns. Then, I literally take the pup out to the bathroom every hour during the day- giving it small treats here and there when the pup does his thing. Lots of praise too. I never let a puppy just run around the house free- it will pee and poop. The pup stays in a roomy, but confined space at all times. After all that, my shih tzus started standing at the door to go out at around 7 months of age- they had made the connection. It takes patience, knowledge and routine to properly train a dog. Just like a human baby, a pup needs lots of guidance and love to learn.

Answer by Bethann
Submitted on 9/12/2004
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Help! I have two Shih Tzus, one Male, one Female. The Male is 6 months, the female is 5 months. The male seems to be pretty much trained, but the female is frustrating me soooooooo bad. We will take her out and she will pee and poop, then we will go inside and she will pee without asking to go out. She pees literally a few minutes after we come back in. She doesn't run around and sniff like she has to go or anything, she just squats and goes, even right in front of us. I am concerned enough that I have made an appointment at the vet to see if she has any infections going on. I have recently considered selling her, but am very concerned because they are together all the time. They are attached at the hips (not literally). We have a kennel/Crate that is large enough to hold both of them and they sleep there together. Someone told me that the crate is to big (a reason why she and he sometimes make messes in it). I am going to buy two cat carriers and start separating them, but that doesn't really answer my problem of messing inside. I have tried those "way to go" pads, but they would rather shred them then pee on them. Help-I'm about to loose one of my babies and I truly love her (but my husband just can't stand it any more).

Answer by iamsodamcute
Submitted on 9/28/2004
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Hi i have a 5 week old shih tzu and it is a male. yes i would love to get it to walk in front of me , i have almost stepped on him a few times, and the potty training, well i think its going good but want him to go outside not in the house later, i am using the pads and he has only had two accidents off the pads in the week we have had him. He actually goes to the pad without me telling him and we say potty and he does. i think this breed loves praise of any kind every time i talk to him hes like a baby taking every thing in he seems to understand it, the only thing is when do they really learn their names sometimes he comes to us when we call him and others well he does his own his own thing, the other thing is i bought a crate and so far for 4 days he has been gated off will i have a hard time trying to use the crate for when I'm out or at night since i have had him gated off?

Answer by Marcello'sMommy in NY
Submitted on 10/21/2004
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I have a 3 1/2 month old male Shih Tzu that has a fantastic temperament. He has successfully learned his name, come here, sit, lay down, and jump up. He is about 95% accurate with using wee-wee pads. However, if not supervised 100% of the time, he will defecate on the living room rug. During the night he sleeps in the kitchen gated. He has a crate which I leave open so that he can access the wee-wee pad and food. He is excellent about sleeping the night through now, and relieving himself on his wee-wee pad when necessary. The problem occurs during the day. I work from home, and he cries if I keep him confined to the kitchen when he can hear me moving about the house. So, I let him out and he generally stays with me in my home office. He uses his wee-wee pad there and sleeps on his doggy bed, or goes into his carrier. Then the phone will ring, or I'll go to answer the door. He immediately runs into the living room to poopy on the rug. He's done it at least 7-8 times in the past 6 weeks. Am I expecting too much from him at his age, or is there something else that I can do? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Answer by Trey
Submitted on 12/28/2004
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I just received a 6 week old male puppy for Chirstmas. His name is Louis V. He is so fun and perky, but I am a bit frustrated with him going potty on the carpets in my apartment. I have bought the puppy pads, and he does use them every once in while (it is usually when I put him on the pad right after he wakes me up at 4 AM because he wants to play). He refuses to go potty outside, but the minute we get back into the house, he goes potty there. A couple of times I have caught him doing the pee-pee wiggle and have picked him up and put him on the pad and he has gone there, but that is not often. When he has gone on the pad, I of course praise him and play with him but I have had to purchase a carpet cleaner (steam cleaner) for my place so it does not start to smell like urine and poo. Anyone have any good potty training tips??? P.S. I have purchased a crate for him (size is for a medium dog), but all he does is wine, cry and bark when he is in there. I have bought a bed for the crate as well, which covers the entire bottom of the crate so he will not go pee-pee or poo in there. It works! Now I just need to get him to sleep in it all night... lol

Answer by Puppy Love
Submitted on 1/1/2005
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I just got a new Shih Tzu for Christmas. He is 11 weeks old. I am a stay at home mom and he is begining to remind me of my children! LOL! We are having an especially hard time potty training. He does not let me know when he has to go, when he goes outside sometimes he will go pee, but never poop, and he nearly always goes again 5 minutes after he comes in the house. He wants to be a good dog and he does mind very well, but can't catch onto the potty training. I have had people tell me he goes out too much, but when I don't take him out he has several accidents instead just a few. He is on a schedule for the most part, but can't get the potty training for some reason. PLEASE HELP!

Answer by jenn6478
Submitted on 1/7/2005
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the best way to help your puppies along with house breaking is to crate/cage train your puppy..if done properly this is the easiest and fastest way...for one your new puppy should be sleeping in a crate/cage. it should not be allowed to wander around in the middle of the night unsupervised...dogs will not use the bathroom where they sleep...your puppy should stay in its cage anytime you are not directly interacting with them..the first thing you should do when you open the cage is pick him up and take him straight outside..dont even sit him down for a minute or this will give him the chance to pee in the floor..take him out for 5-10 min depending on how he is acting..when you bring him back in you can let him down to play as long as you are going to stay right with him for a little bit..i usually take mine out once again before i put her back in the cage...while they are free in the house watch their behavior, if they start smelling the floor at all take them back out for a few minutes...stay with them at all times when they are free even when they are eating...if you dont give them the chance to go in the house they wont learn that bad habit..it is time consuming and requires alot of patients..don't spank you puppy when it does have an accident..you should not have givin it the chance..good luck

Answer by glory_2004
Submitted on 2/17/2005
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For all with potty training issues, there are several things you can do. First only feed your dog 2 times a day and just enough to cover the bottom of the bowl. It may seem like you are not feeding them enough, but trust me you are. Second, you need to have a crate to teach them where you want them to go. I know after mine is done eating, I put him in the crate until he barks. As soon as he barks he goes out side and we tell him to "potty." However do not get up in the middle of the night, or they will get spoiled to you taking them out in the middle of the night. My Shih tzu has learned very quickly with this method. He still has some accidents, but he is still a puppy. If under 6 months remember that your shih tzu may not be able to hold it yet and that they will have accidents. Also if they still go #2 in the house cut the feeding down to one time a day usually mid - afternoon, until you have them trained and it should help, but remember to provide plenty of water.

Answer by T.
Submitted on 8/29/2005
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Amanda, your dog is a case of abuse. the first thing you need to understand is that he has learned to go bathroom in the crate as that is where he was left most of the time. He is probably scared to be out of the crate and that is why he is under your feet. It has only been 2 days and it will take some time before he is confident enough to start over. I would say the best thing you could do is ELIMINATE the crate! Start fresh and teach him to go outside, or on newspaper (or in a littler box with wood pellets. You most likely will not stop him from going in the crate since that is a learned behavior. Good luck to you, I have rescued many animals and they are a lot of work at first but in the end they are the most appriciative. T.

Answer by Jessica
Submitted on 11/10/2005
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I have a 3 year old male Shih Tzu and he was incredibly easy to train! It was my first dog so I had no prior experience. For starters, just about any new puppy will NOT like to be walked on a leash. He/she will either just stop and you find yourself having to pull to keep walking, or the puppy will try and jump up on your legs or walk around your legs as opposed to staying in a straight line. What you need to keep in mind is that puppies are like babies and they do not know what they are supposed to do...you have to TEACH them what to do. Most of the time, if you're having problems training the puppy, it's the "trainer" who is at fault. I know it doesn't seem like it, but you're either forgetting to do something, waiting too long to take the puppy outside or not being consistent with the training and rewards. ALWAYS ALWAYS bring treats outside with you when training your puppy. Bil Jac makes a perfect liver treat that dogs LOOOOVE! You you should reward with a lot of praise and a treat IMMEDIATELY after your puppy makes (#1 or #2) outside. If you ARE consistent with this behavior, you will get very quick results. If your dog is outside for more than 10-15 minutes and will not make, take him/her back inside and put him back into the crate. Dogs will typically NOT wee-wee or poop where they sleep which is why the crate should only be large enough for the dog to stand and turn around. Make it comfy cozy for the dog so he doesn't see the crate as a punishment. After about 10 minutes, take the dog outside again. Keep repeating this until he/she makes outside. If you live in a large apartment building and it takes a bit longer to get to the outside area, and if If you know the dog won't make it before getting outside, then CARRY your dog until you get outside. Just think, if you know a baby can't hold it, you wouldn'ttake the diaper off for more than a minute or 2 without expecting an accident, right? Also, if you don't catch your dog IN THE ACT of having an accident, you can't punish him/her. If you punish AFTER the fact, the dog has no clue what he's getting in trouble for and will become fearful that he can never make you happy. All I know is that I stopped having to crate my puppy at 5 months old. Sure, we had periodic accidents, but they were my fault. I didn't take him outside fast enough. As a rule of thumb: A puppy can "hold it" for as many hours as it is months old. ie: 2 months old = 2 hours, 4 months old = 4 hours, etc. It's just a guide, not concrete. Remember, dogs are loyal and want to make you happy. If you keep in mind that they do not understand English and need to learn specific 1 syllable sounds as commands, you'll have a perfectly trained puppy that you will find never has accidents and hardly has to be leashed! Good luck!

Answer by jmg
Submitted on 11/17/2005
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We found that with our 4 month (we got her two weeks ago) shih tzu that praise is the best thing. When we are home we take her out hourly, and she has even started to go to the door occasionally to let us know that she needs to go out (no barking, though, just standing by the door). Our biggest challenge is her wetting her "bed" in her crate at night. Because she makes no noise, unless I hear her stir (my husband is a heavy sleeper and never hears her) we miss it. Any ideas on that - she is in a small crate, but we could put a divider up and make is even smaller. I've also thought about removing everything from the crate but this seems like that last resort since it is getting cooler here, and the plastic floor in her crate can get fairly chilly.

Answer by Cheryl
Submitted on 11/22/2005
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Amanda, (1) play barking games with your pup on the floor with him. if he was ignored to the point he was stained, he was probably yelled at for barking. A vet can tell you if he's permanently damaged, though. (2) Because of the neglect, crate training may not work with your dog, you may have to try the paper method. (3) if your dog doesn't toilet within the first 10 minutes of being outside (and you should be using a "toilet" trigger word when you take him out, both before and after "go potty, good potty" etc.) take him back inside, to crate or whatever, then try again 10-15 minutes later. When you're going outside to play, use "play" so they know the difference. (4) leash train your pup by tying a leash to your belt while you're moving around the house. he'll learn to heel, but not walk in between your feet. he's doing this because he's used to being confined, and is scared. Your concern and affection will bring him 'round. Best wishes.

Answer by Ddurham
Submitted on 12/11/2005
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I just got my Shih Tzu 2 days ago and she is 6 weeks old. She has been great about going to the potty outside so far. She has had 3 accidents, but one was due to me not hearing her cry. This is my first time potty training and so far what I have done is put her in her "bed" for two hours and then when she wakes up I immediately take her outside and we are there for about 10 minutes and she urinates. Then she eats and goes back out after 20 minutes to potty and gets to stay out of her Bed for 1 hour where she plays and then goes back in her bed for another 2. So far it has worked. She can get out of the bed, but she stays in and just cries when she is ready to get out and go to the potty outside. I am very surprised, but so far she is doing great! I plan to add an hour each week to the time she has to stay in her bed or go without potting. Right now she is going about 2 times every two hours before and after her meal. She only eats 3-4 times a day and the other times she only goes once. I also wake up during the night with her.

Answer by lulabelle
Submitted on 3/5/2006
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Hi everyone! i have a 18 week old shih tzu and she is almost completly potty trained now unless she is excited, but believe me in the beging i was almost tearing my hair out. i am lucky i live in an apartment with a garden, but i had so many problems with her that i had never had with any dogs in the past.i almost considered giving her away, she was that difficult. i do think that when you have just one dog in the home it is harder to potty train, as when you have other's the new puppy can copy them. i got my shih tzu at 7 weeks old. i had already bought puppy pads and had one on the floor in every room that she would be in. they are good, but you have to make sure you put fresh ones down otherwise the puppy will pee next to it and not on it. i gradually took one at a time away untill there was just one left in the apartment. i then gradually moved it closer and closer to the door. i finally moved it outside into the garden, and then after three days took it away completly. however all this didn't work. she started to pee on anything that was on the floor...a t-shirt etc...so at 3 months i started again and this time i didn't use the puppy pads. i put her on a lead and tied it to my belt. i am at home all day, and so as i would go about and do the cleaning etc...she was with me on her lead. this ment she could not sneak off to do it when i wasn't looking. you can not give them the opertunity. i took her out exactly every two hours. not more or less, as she had to learn to hold it. there were accidents to begin with. but i did not yell at her and tell her off. i simply scooped her up and put her outside for a min or two. then i cleaned the mess very well so there was no chance of her picking up the scent. you can get special cleaning solutions from a pet shop. whe she did do it outside i praised her sooooo much and repeated a "potty" word over and over so she would associate the word with doing her buisness. at night she went into a crate. they hate to have to pee where they sleep. i would put her in at eleven pm and i would go to bed. i would then take her out at four am. i picked her up and put her outside and repeated the potty word, and then praise her and put her back in her crate. i then would get up at eight am and imediatly take her outside. puppies have to have a routine. i also found that not giving her any food after 6pm really helped and limiting her water intake after 6pm too. but always clean your floors and carpets well, or the puppy will smell his/her buisness stain from before and just presume it is the toilett. my puppy also would come in from a long walk and then do it when she got home. so i used to walk her until she did her potty, even if it ment i was out for hours. once she realised it was ok she soon started doing it more often. hang in there! i was crying some nights...she also used to bark very loudly for hours. i do think some pups are more difficult than others but you have to dedicate the time now for a lifetime of no future accidents, you can do it! my puppy also used to walk in between my feet. i kept her on a short lead and kept pulling her gently away from my feet. they get better in time as their confidence grows. once they learn that unfortunatly they can get stepped on on mistake they get the picture. small puppies tend to stay by your feet for security, unlike larger breeds who like to run around more and get into trouble. as they get older they will soon start drifting further and further away from you and sniffing more things. mine sleeps on my feet when i watch t.v it hurt their head to look up at you the whole time so your feet are their focus point. they see your feet before anything else.

Answer by rod
Submitted on 4/3/2006
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I have a three month old shih tzu and he is very playful(Bustar).So when i go outside to let him do what he gotta do he just walks around the yard.But one day I got some advice and I have to tell you it was best advice ever!! Alright,first you have to housetrain your dogs before they get used to doing business outside,in order to housetrain your dogs lay tons of newspaper in a empty room and they will automatically do their business in the vacant room.But when that you think that it is time for them to go potty outside all you have to do is lay a piece of newspaper outside and the will realize that that's where they have to go potty and keep following the process until they get to the point that they have to go potty outside.

Answer by Angie
Submitted on 4/27/2006
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I have heard great things about crating, however I am getting ready to adopt a 7mo. old shih-tzu male that is not doing well with the pottytraining. If he hasn't been crate trained so far, will he adapt to a crate? And i have another dog that is 110% housetrained, so we leave him in the house without a crate and he does just fine. So, is that mean to put the 7mo old in the crate and not my other dog? And did everyone's dogs cry when they were first introduced to the crate? And does the crying stop after a while? My husband wants me to use the crate we already have, which is built for a lab (my other dog), so it would give him room to pee. Should I go get a smaller one? Thanks a bunch!

Answer by Jessica
Submitted on 7/12/2006
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Rita C. I have a 9-week old Shih Tzu male that I am working on potting training. Like everyone else here I have had up'sand downs. At night I use the crate. So far it has been the only successful part of the trainning. The first night I had him he soiled in his crate. Then my vet gave me a tip to take away all food and water 2-3 hours before bed time and not to put water in his crate. I felt bad about this, but I do take away food and water 2 1/2 hours before bed time. I must admit I do give him a little drink after he relieves himself just before bed time. I keep the crate in my room so I can hear him if he sounds dehydrated or is crying. We have gone two weeks without him soiling in his crate and he sleeps through the night just fine. Sometimes I hear him playing with his toys in his crate, but there is no crying or barking. We still have a lot of accidents during the day. I struggle with him letting me know when he needs to go outside. I still have pick him up to put him in the yard when he wakes up and after he eats. But like all good things it just takes time. I know in the end some day patience will pay off.

Answer by Question by Betty
Submitted on 7/24/2006
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I have two Shih tzu, they are 8 and 9 months old. I need help with potty training, I tried all the above and seemed the nothing works, the boy pees on anything that has legs and the girl pees and poop on the pavers. They both don't want to go on the grass, don't understand why. I take them for a walk everyday and sometimes they eliminated on the grass and other on the sidewalk. Especially the girl, she doesn't know the difference. she thinks it is OK anywhere. Especially if I tell Molly (girl) not to pee on the pavers, the more she does, at this point I try to ignore it, but it bothers me. Any advice for them, PLEASE HELP ME! I am going crazy with the constant cleaning.

Answer by Lisab
Submitted on 2/23/2007
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Hi, We just got a female Shih Tzu (Chloe)16 wks tomorrow, 2 weeks ago. She is learning the potty thing. She will now walk on leash and goes when outside (pee) but prefers to poop indoors and then eat it..YUCK! We are giving her Deter but she still eats it when she can get to it. When outside, I snap her leash and sternly say 'Leave it'. She also has a fondness for my office room rug, which I've now rolled up and have in the car to get cleaned. She too will defecate in her crate in the middle of the night.. I believe it is because we got her from a pet store. I have noticed that if she is in the larger of our crates, that is when we have an issue...in the tiny crate she has barely room to turn and won't go but cries to be let out around 3 am... when will she sleep through the night though?

Answer by Katie C.
Submitted on 3/8/2007
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I have a 11 month old shih tzu puppy, she is SO cute and has black spots with a white " Background " im 11 years old and still live with my parents... DUH!! Anyway im trying to train he and she keeps going potty on our rugs and carpet, we dont beleve in crateing or hitting animals so were trying to make cammands, it doesn't seem to work but were getting closer, ( i sudjest saying GO POTTY GO POTTY GO POTTY and keep saying it over and over again in a nice voice , say it as if they aren't in toruble but pretend like there a human and say: if you go potty i give you treat! want a treat!? go potty! and point to the grass... if you have grass.. its working for me ! good luck! )

Answer by Shane S'raan
Submitted on 4/25/2007
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Hi everyone... we just got our shih tzu yesterday and she's 9 weeks old.. she's the most gorgeous lil thing.. we gave her a bath as she had some dirt on her from the pet shop and unlike the other dogs I had in the past she didn't cry or show any dislike and that made me so happY!.. she's still getting trained and I've got some questions if someone can help me : I noticed she had poo-ed a lil and it is still stuck to her fur and is so hard to get it out.. whats the best way to fix this? also.. we're using those potty pads and she has pee-ed once on them.. should this pads stay in one corner of the apartment or can it be moved around? thanks heaps for you help! p/s amanda.. mine is quiet too! and she loves our feet! I might get a bell today and put it on her collar so we will knw where she is ;)

Answer by PJ
Submitted on 5/7/2007
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I have an 8 month old Shih Tzu and for the first 3 months I never heard a peep out of him. They just don't seem to make a lot of noise.Even now the most noise he makes is when he's playing and sleeping (he snores). Shih Tzu love being with people so I can only imagine the emotional trauma it caused him to be locked up like that. When walking him use a short leash (only enough room between your hand and his collar so he doesn't get choked) and do not allow him to walk where ever he wants.Just hold firm on the leash and he will get the picture. Keep him going but without dragging him. When you want him to do his business , don't allow him to lie down until he has done so. I kept saying to mine "go potty" when ever I would take him out and now that's all I have to do.Just keep walking him around until he goes, then you can let him bask in the sun for a while if he wants . ( I had EXACTLY the same problems with mine,minus the trauma of being locked up)Good luck , I hope this helps a bit.:)

Answer by Lacey
Submitted on 5/8/2007
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To Amanda with the 5 month old rescue Shiddie, To make sure his voice is okay, pick him up by the scruff of the neck or otherwise pinch him- he'll yelp. If not, go to the Vet. He walks in between your feet because he is scared. Give it time, they eventually heel. Try using a short lead and directing him to your right side. Hold your arm out so that he cannot get any further than a few inches from your leg- he'll learn. To re-train him not to go in the crate, I'd suggest getting a new (smaller) crate or putting puppy pads in the crate to at least absorb the pee so you don't always have to rewash. Or, crate train for 2 hours at a time so that he doesn't have the chance to pee on the inside.

Answer by sarahe
Submitted on 7/9/2007
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I just got a 5 month old shih tzu and was having a hard time training him. Its only been a week and i feel like i am getting somewhere. I started by putting him in a crate when its time for bed. At fisrt he did not like this because the other dog sleeps on the bed. BUt he would make till like 2 am and start whimpering. At this time i would take him out and then he would be good till 8 when it was time to get up. I try to look at it like he is a baby. I mean really dont babies pee and poop all the time!!!! well thats what they they are little babies. it helps. Well after a week of making him sleep in the the crate now when i leave to go to work i keep him in the kitchen with a gate. It gives him a little more room. Its kinda like a reward for not going in his crate. and i plan on slowley letting him roam this apt with the other dog. but now i have a question that needs answered. when the two dogs are playing with thier toys the older one wants whatever toy the puppy has. When he gets it the puppy will go get a different toy and then the older one will go after it again! Now how much sence does that make. PLease help!!!!

Answer by T-Dot
Submitted on 7/11/2007
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My 10 week old Shih tzu male still isn't fully potty trained (and after only 2 weeks with him, I'll give him some slack) but I've noticed amazing results even in the 2 weeks I've had him. Before we got him, we planned out the layout of which rooms he'd use for different functions. As much as possible, I tried to intentionally space his needs as far from each other as possible to reduce confusion when we try to interpret what he wants. Our logic is that we might be able to train him to understand certain rooms have specific meaning, and it's working: (Picture our house as a square for simplicity.) KITCHEN: Our kitchen has the side door attached. We always take him through this door to do his business. Although he sometimes has an accident in the house, 90% of the time it's in the kitchen when myself or my wife lost sight of him. Shame on us. LIVING ROOM: This is his play area with toys. He will spend time with us in here and only ever leaves to the kitchen or to my office, where we keep his food. There's another door here, but we do not use it for him except when we take him for a walk. (This way, we can try to separate his need to pee with his need for exercise. He still hates the leash, so this isn't a popular spot for him yet.) OFFICE: This is where we keep his food and water. We do not allow him free access to these, as it's more difficult to monitor his water intake (and thus how frequently he might need to go out.) I will provide him with unlimited food/water 2-3 times a day, and a smaller amount of both for him to consume during the day if I'm away at work. He knows precisely which door this is behind and occasionally we can see him scratching at the door frantically just before bedtime. (We usually try to deny him access to food and water after 9pm since he falls asleep around 9:30pm and neither myself or my wife want to get up at 2am to let him out. He's less restless if he hasn't eaten before bed.) BEDROOM: Our puppy sleeps beside the bed as he's still not in a regular routine where he can last until I get up in the morning. If he whines and tries to get out of his crib and takes more than a few seconds to calm down, he's not lonely, HE'S GOT TO PEE! (I've observed this to be a puppy rule: If I make noise and can't be silenced, I've got to go!) I try to keep an extra pair of sweatpants and a shirt beside his crib so I can frantically put on something decent before running outside in the middle of the night. (And since a recent storm, I also keep an umbrella handy.) I hope that this has been useful to assist in any toilet training for your puppy. Patience is the key, and so long as you have a puppy, you are on THEIR schedule until you can get them into enough of a groove that their schedule fits yours. Tyler hadmacker@gmail.com I would love to talk about my Nipper. :)

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Question by Katie
Submitted on 10/1/2003
Related FAQ: rec.pets.dogs: Shih Tzus Breed-FAQ
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I have a 71/2 wk old male Shih-tzu (Sam). We are potty training and having a difficult time. I am using the puppy potty pads. I live in an apartment. Does anyone have any advice for me.

Answer by Cesar
Submitted on 10/8/2003
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Please let me know when you get an answer because I am having the same problem! kscah05@hotmail.com

Answer by Dayle
Submitted on 10/13/2003
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I just got a 3 1/2 month old puppy two weeks ago and I'm beginning to despair of ever getting him housebroken! I'm about ready to give him up! I'm home with him allll day and I only feed him 3 times a day and take him right out but all he wants to do is flop down and chew on the grass! I take him out but he never lets ME know when he wants to go. I don't know what to do...

Answer by I WILL HELP
Submitted on 10/16/2003
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what you do is walk slowly give him a veeeeeery long lead.If that dose not work try walking on the grass hope it works

Answer by kel
Submitted on 10/17/2003
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First of all make sure you have a crate. For Shih Tzu this is about the size of a cat carrier. It looks cruel, but, believe me it works. Take your puppy outside, if he does his business praise him to no end and let him/her free in the house. If he/she does not do their business don't say anything, but, put him in the crate wait a few minutes and then repeat until he/she goes outside. This is somewhat time consuming at first, but, believe me it works. Also, yes Shih Tzu can be stubborn, but want to be with you mine picked up on the routine pretty quick. Crates are also great because when you are not home they cannot get into trouble.

Answer by Ashley
Submitted on 10/23/2003
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I agree 100% with Kel's comments! I have crate trained all my dogs and not only do they hate not being with you, they don't like to "go" where they sleep. I would like to add another tip that I have used with every dog I've ever had (8 so far) when/if they 'go #2' in the house, pick it up and take it outside. Put them next to it and praise them outside.

Answer by nana
Submitted on 3/31/2004
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I have a 6 m old shih tzu who is very stubborn and I feel like she iskind of getting the potty outside thing, yet she will come in and go inside 5 minutes later. I feel mean keeping her in the crate constantly.

Answer by valerie collazo
Submitted on 5/30/2004
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I have a 3 month old male shih tzu he has a problem!!!!! He uses the bathroom inside what sould i do??? i tryed my best to teach he to go potty outside but he just dosen't. i need help???????????????????????

Answer by Scooter
Submitted on 6/4/2004
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I have a two year old shih tzu who is half potty trained, but still pees on the newpaper, and then it gets on the floor, how can I get my dog to go outside once and for all?

Answer by ryan
Submitted on 6/14/2004
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i have a 6 week old shih tzu and all he does is sleep. when i call him all he does is sit there like I'm not even talking to him. someone please help.

Answer by Rita C
Submitted on 7/11/2004
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I have a 9-week old Shih Tzu, and while she is very good about letting us know when she needs to go to the bathroom outside (she cries), she still eliminates in her crate at night...and tries to eat it! I thought that Shih Tzus did not like to go to the bathroom where they sleep...? In any case, whenever she does go to the bathroom outside, we praise her and give her a small treat, but each morning we find that she has defecated in her crate. PLEASE HELP!

Answer by sandy
Submitted on 8/23/2004
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my 8 1/2 week old shih tzu puppy is doing quite well using his potty pads to use the bathroom. he still has a few accidents but i just spank him to let him know that it is wrong. hes very smart and learns fast :D but when he poo poos he eats it!?! why is this?? is this normal? im worried...

Answer by lere
Submitted on 9/14/2004
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WE HAVE HAD OUR MALE SHIH TZU FOR 8 DAYS. HE HAS PICKED ONE SPOT TO DO #2.. WE GOT A CHILDS GATE TO KEEP HIM CONFINED TO THE ROOM WE ARE IN ,AT ALL TIMES.. HE HATES HIS CRATE BUT I'M DETERMINDED TO HOLD OUT... HE SLEPTS WITH US AND CAUSES NO PROBLEMS..I EVEN HAVE TO WAKE HIM, TO TAKE HIM OUT.. THIS IS MY FIRST DOG AND I'M RETIRED.. I THINK I MIGHT BE OUT OF MY MIND(:)

Answer by sta
Submitted on 10/3/2004
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Should I let My Shih-tzu puppy sleep alot

Answer by IAMSODAMCUTE
Submitted on 10/26/2004
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my 9 week shiu tzu is doing pretty well he finally barked at hte door to go out and when we are not home he goes by the door on a potty paper what we have truoble with is teething and biting us...

Answer by tony b
Submitted on 10/30/2004
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i have a shih tzu puppy that is 12 wks old..his problem is that he does go outside when i do take him but he still pees on the newspaper. should i eliminate the paper all together or still leave it there just in case ?

Answer by Elyse
Submitted on 11/23/2004
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I just purchased a shih tzu a couple of days ago. he (Jackson) is only 71/2 weeks old. I am finding it very difficult to potty train him because if he does go pee in the house it is too hard to tell. I have a big house and when he pees it is only a few drops. How am i supposed to discipline him if i can't catch him in the act. Also, just today i have noticed a strange bump right above his "manhood" on his belly if anyone has some advice please write.

Answer by Karacam
Submitted on 11/30/2004
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I have an 11 weeks shih-tzu. I' got it last week and he is doing well so far with potty training. I feed him twice a day--once in the morning once in the evening. I take him outside right after he eats. He does his business outside so far. We come back inside and play with him a little and put him back in his kennel. I keep him mostly inside his kennel that way he learns to hold his toilet needs. it's working for me so far. Good luck

Answer by Luv'n my pup
Submitted on 12/23/2004
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We just got a male baby shih tzu. We've had him for 5 days and he is about 7 1/2 weeks old. He's so fun. We've decided to puppy potty pad train him, but we've noticed that every single time he poops, he tries to eat his poop. Does anyone know why or how to fix this?

Answer by 1guy2pups
Submitted on 1/4/2005
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Potty training at 8 weeks is not possible. Your dog has to develop the muscles and nerve responses to control elimination. Shih Tzu'sare a tough breed to potty train. With luck they will train by 6 months. Once they get to adulthood, around 2 years, they should be solidly housebroken. Some dogs have bladders of steel while others need extra care. Don't despair -- be very patient and maintain a consistent bladder training schedule.

Answer by Rach
Submitted on 1/29/2005
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I have a 6 week old Shih Tzu, bought from a Market in Bangkok (I know we're crazy). But she is absolutely adorable, lovely nature. Has now learnt to pee on newspaper (we live in an apartment). Problem is now getting her to also poop on newspaper, she prefers the hardwood floor. Any suggestions?

Answer by lizzy
Submitted on 2/8/2005
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if your dog crate is too big, just pop in a cardboard box it make it smaller. Now the crate can grow with your dog.

Answer by Shoma
Submitted on 2/10/2005
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Ryan, Why do you have a 6 week old shih tzu? Do reputable breeder should have ever let a shih tzu leave before 9 or 10 weeks (8 weeks at the least). Puppies at 6 weeks should not be expected to do anything but sleep.

Answer by Pat
Submitted on 2/18/2005
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I have a year old Shih Tzu and he is almost fully potty trained. Once in a while he will poop under the dining room table ... he knows he's done wrong because he will look and us and run off. They are a hard breed to potty trained so I'm told. We just have to try to be consistent. Mine has also taken up chewing the walls! So far he hasn't done it since I caught him at it and told him he was bad and locked him up in his carrier for about 10 minutes(he's usually given free reign in the house). Hope the info help.

Answer by Zack
Submitted on 3/9/2005
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I have a 10 Week old Shih Tzu. When I fist got him a week ago, he was really good about going potty outside and he never wen't while he is was inside the house, now he just goes everywhere, I don't know what to do, and I don't know why, we take him out about every two hours, and we will be outside for about 30 minutes, and he won't go, but as soon as we come in, he will pee on the floor. When we take him outside, about 50% of the time he goes but most of the time he just plays, Please help.

Answer by New Shih mom
Submitted on 3/13/2005
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My new puppy (9 weeks) will be here next week. I am so nervous. I bought the puppy pads, toys, all the necessities I need. But my question is, what kind of treats do I reward my puppy with? What treats and puppy food would you recommend? Help please...thx

Answer by Becca Bart
Submitted on 3/20/2005
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i was told that if u put the puppy pads by the door they will go to it so they will b used to want to go outside to deposit their items!hope it works:)

Answer by numie
Submitted on 3/27/2005
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I am so relieved to see that other people are experiencing the problem that I am! I just paid $400.00 for a puppy pooping machine!! I am seeing a pun in the name Shih Tzu! I have a crate but avoided using it. Who wants to wash poop off of a mini-werewolf every morning? Well, if it saves my Berber carpet, I will stock up on puppy shampoo! Any suggestions? numielouie@hotmail.com

Answer by cookie
Submitted on 4/27/2005
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I have an 8 week old female, Bunny. She is doing well with potty training. Crate training is the answer. I had a 15 yr old eskimo whom I crate trained and had great luck with him as well. Just remember, they are babies at 8, 10, 15, 24 etc. weeks. Don't expect miracles. Just be persistant and consistant.

Answer by michelle
Submitted on 4/29/2005
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i just got an almost 3 month old male Shih-tzu. He's SOOOOO sweet. Is very calm..an d has not barked yet!!! The problem is i can not tell when he is pee peeing..b/c he just stands there, and it drips on out. I have been taking him out as soon as he wakes up/after eating/after playing..and he will go.. but still does it in house.

Answer by hardcocky
Submitted on 6/10/2005
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my pup pees on my leg and when i let him outside to pee he holds it in what should I do?

Answer by Isis
Submitted on 6/19/2005
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I just got a shih tzu two weeks ago and she is a little darling except the more she is here the more aggressive she us getting. She barks at me, nips at me, and when we go for walks and I pick her up to prevent her from going through water or mud she growls at me. I also have a Bichon Frise and he never was that aggressive or is this aggressive behaviour or just puppy behaviour and how can I get it to stop. I thought of putting water in a mist spray bottle and misting her face when she gets aggressive with me. What do you think?????? Help, I have grandchildren and she certainly would hurt them if she went after them like she goes after me.

Answer by Kid
Submitted on 6/28/2005
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At what time does a puppy start walking? My puppies are 11days old

Answer by Molly T.
Submitted on 7/18/2005
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My dog is also a shih tzu named Sam. He only has 3 legs. He is already 2 and isn't potty trained we got him from the s.p.c.a so i believe his other owner must have used him as an outdoor dog. Sam is so used to being inside i couldn't make such a change. He pee's on a walk about 10 times and i let him out on the deck millions of times in a day but still as soon as i turn my back he pee's on the carpet it's impossible to train him!!one time while i was out he pee'd on my bed!our whole house stinks.What should we do??

Answer by Amber
Submitted on 7/28/2005
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Hey I have a 8 week old shih tzu And all he does is sleep I don't know if he is all right.Help me please