Housebreaking tips needed!

Pups~

Hi all!

Okay, so here we are with our very first adorable puppy, a shih-tzu named Buttons, and I have a couple questions on some housebreaking issues.
First, we've had him for over a couple days now (he's eleven weeks old) and when we took him to our vet we asked if we would be able to train him to use a cat litter box with a "chuck" inside. We were looking into that since it gets very cold here in the winter and also can get lots of snow, so it would work a little easier for him since he's pretty small.

Now he's never soiled his crate at night and will go potty outside, but I'm needing some help with how to show him to use the box and not just go on the carpet. After eating and waking up I'll watch him for signs of about to go on the carpet and try to quickly pick him up and put him in the box to finish the job there. So far I've been too slow and I really dont think he understands what I'm trying to have him do.

Any ideas or tips would be most appreciated since this is our very first puppy; we have cats and I understand them very well but am still having a little trouble understanding puppy language and behaviour...
Thanks for any advice!

briteday

It's not natural for a dog to go inside. And remember, if you choose to do this you must stick with it. Trying to re-train the dog to the outside would be very confusing.

If it were me I would make a small area with the litter box inside it by using an ex-pen (available at pet stores ~ $60). I would put the pup into the potty area right after eating, immediately upon waking up....

Housebreaking 101 to follow (it's a "canned" respnse from past inquiries so just replace "take the dog out" with "take to potty area")...

You just took this baby away from the only environment he has ever known. Training a puppy takes time and patience. It will not happen overnight.

Crate the dog at night, when you are not home, and whenever you can not directly supervise the dog completely. If you want the dog out of the crate when you are home some people find it helpful to tether the dog to themselves with a leash so it cannot wander out of sight an make a mess or get into any trouble. Supervising the dog is your responsibility. Just as you wouldn't leave a 2-year old child running unsupervised in your home.

Feed the dog the kibble that the breeder was feeding (you can change in a month or two but keep things the same for now) at three regular times each day. Pick up the bowl after 15-20 minutes if dog is finished eating. Do not leave food out all day. And most pups will drink a fair amount of water with meals so be sure the bowl is full.

Pick up the water bowl two hours before bedtime.

Dog muscles (including the bladder) do not really mature until around 6 months of age. So until then you are gambling with how much the bladder can hold for a certain length of time. And a scheduled intake = scheduled elimination. So feed at regular times and you will see a pattern develop with elimination too.

My rule of thumb is...hours a dog can wait = age in months, so 2 months old = 2 hours AT THE MOST

And never wait for the dog to signal you. You must take the dog out on a regular schedule.

Keep the food rewards for potty success (these are special small bits that you don't give at any other time) in your pocket or near the door where you go outside. You MUST have them handy immediately. Take the dog outside, give a command ("go potty", "hurry up", ...) and wait. While the dog is squatting get the food reward ready. As soon as the dog stands up from the squat praise like he just pee'd $100 bills and give the food reward immediately.

Typical puppy schedule...

*out as soon as the puppy wakes in the morning
*breakfast in crate or gated area, get ready for work or whatever while puppy is eating
*out 5-30 minutes after eating
*out 2 hours later (for 2 month old dog)
*feed noon meal
*out 5-30 minutes after eating
*out 2 hours later
*out again in 2 hours
*feed dinner meal
*out 5-30 minutes after eating
*out 2 hours later
*out just before bed
*crate the dog and set alarm for every two hours

...Night time outings should not be stimulating. This is not a time to play. Try to leave the lights off, pick up the dog out of the crate, take the treats on the way out the door, outside for business, quiet but happy verbal praise/food reward, back to bed, re-set alarm. As each week goes by you can try increasing the night time alarm by 15-20 minutes. But as soon as you wake up to a messed crate then you need to take a step back.

...Remember to tether during the day if the dog is loose in the house with you. Any signs of circling or sniffing should signal an immediate trip outside, evn if the dog was just outside.

Buy a good supply of enzyme cleaner from the pet store. Don't try to clean up indoor messes with anything else. Bleach will do the job but can't be used on rugs or fabric. The enzyme cleaner will kill any bacteria attracted to the urine or feces remnants that tend to attract the dog back to the same spots.

And never punish the dog for an indoor mess. It is your fault, not the dog's. You failed to supervise or let it go too long. Take the dog outside and then clean up the mess without anything said.

If your dog is crying at night in the crate you can try keeping the crate in your room where the dog can see you. Try putting a worn, but not washed, t-shirt of yours in the crate as dogs are very scent oriented. I also keep a big supply of used bath towels (try a thrift store) for the bottom of the crate. Both of the above are easy enough to throw in the wash as needed. If you have a wire crate some pups like to have it covered with a light blanket for privacy. And remember to block off parts of a large crate (adjusting as the pup grows) so that the pup only has enough room to stand, turn, and lay down.

PeppersPop

To encourage going in the box, you can "season" the chuck with a little bit of urine or poop... dogs have powerful noses so you don't need a lot.

If Buttons is having accidents in the same spot or area, it might help to put the litter box in that area. Once he's going in the box, you can move it to wherever you want.

Also, any accidents he has need to be thoroughly cleaned with an enzyme cleaner (they're made specially for dog/animal urine).

You need to watch him like a hawk... every accident he has outside the box will make it that much harder to get him to go in the box. If you can't supervise him directly, put him in his crate. You can also attach him to you using a leash while in the house.

When he goes in the box (even if you've picked him up and carried him there to finish), reward him like crazy... treats, praise, petting, whatever.

It'd be a lot easier to buy the dog a sweater...

Good luck,
Sid

Pups~

Thanks for the advice, it looks like I'm doing everything correctly in this area.


I'm rethinking having him use a litter box, he does go outside to potty (most of the time) and doesn't have a mess in his crate at night so we're half way there. He's on a schedual with his food, water, and doesn't seem to miss his mother as much, but I still keep a toy with his mothers scent on it with him in his crate at night.

Also, he's beginning to wake up in the middle of the night wanting to play, so any advice on how to put him back to sleep would be appreciated. We try to ignore it but he does get loud sometimes.

Thanks for the tips.....

GregE

Thanks for the detail info. We get Allie next week and she will be 9 weeks old so this helps alot. Looks like I will be tired for a while.

PeppersPop

Are you taking him out in the middle of the night to the bathroom? If so, do it quietly, calmly, you want it to be all business... pee and back to bed.

If you aren't taking him out, the best I can tell you is to ignore it. Put him in another room or buy some earplugs.