Why can't I house train my Shih tzu!!!!?

Question

I just got a 6 mo shih tzu, and i'm having a horrible time house training it.

I am attempting to litter box train since I live in an apartment I don't have access to a nearby outside area. However, the dog will not go to the bathroom in the litter box. I've tried everything.

Yesterday, after he spent 7 hours in his kennel I put him in the box to go to the bathroom. I sat with him for 3 and a half hours waiting for him to go. The entire time I could tell he was struggling to hold it. Finally I put him back in his kennel so I could take a break...and he went to the bathroom in his kennel! I thought dogs don't like to go to the bathroom where they sleep =/

Today, I sat with the dog for another 4 hours..watching him struggle to hold it. Finally he sprinted past me and ran to the door. Once at the door he went to the bathroom.
I know his old owner trained him to go outside..but there is no way I can take him the 15 min walk to the park everytime he needs to go!
Advice please!

Answer 1

This is going to be a tough one as your puppy is obviously already trained to go outside. Since he was willing to do it on the floor in front of the door, you may need to start with puppy pads and work your way into a box. Puppy pads, unlike newspaper, protect your floor from the mess. Put them in front of your door and train him to go there. Once you have the puppy pads down, begin to move them each day closer to the spot you intend the box to be. Be sure to praise your pup for going where you want him to go. Lots and lots of praise and patience are going to be required here.

Sadly, if a dog will go in their crate, this can often be a sign that they were bred in a puppy mill, tho I so hope that's not the case for your pup.

Answer 2

I have a 9 week old shih tzu and i'm currently house training her too. I bought this spray which has a special scent to make her urinate on the spot that you spray it. Here's what i do (may be of some help to you): Before bed, when she wakes in the morning or after a sleep i take her outside and let her go to the toilet outside. When she has done i praise her lots, but if she does it in the house i don't praise her. With her being so young it will be hard and it will take time. You could try taking her out every hour and keep a note of when she urinates so that you know what times etc. It will be hard but you'll get there don't worry.

Answer 3

Melon had it right. The dog was trained to go outside so if you do what she instructed you should be able to train her. You can't use the kennel and throw her into a situation she in unfamiliar with. A dog will do everything it can not to void in it's kennel, but when you leave her no choice and she can't hold it any longer she will. What does a person do when they can't hold it anymore, they piss their pants. Even if you have a small patch of grass near by she can go on, you can clean up the feces if you can't get her to use your litter box.

Answer 4

Is there not even a tree or small patch of grass right outside your apartment you could let your dog relieve itself on? I mean, he's trained for outdoors - you're golden. I had my bichon paper trained inside, in the bathroom, but she 'missed' a lot, and since I work, I'd come home to a foul-smelling home (I live in a tiny basement suite).

You do have to be a lot more patient with the smaller breeds. It took two weeks for her to figure out what the newspaper was in the bathroom for, and another two weeks for her to do it on the papers, not the floor. And sadly, some breeds never get it at all. That's why I think it's better for you (and your home) and your dog to just let him relieve himself outside. :)

Answer 5

Hi, I have two shih-tzu's and I love them both...My little boy is turning 2 in Jan and my little girl will be 1 in March...

He was easy to train, finished at 5 1/2 months without any furture accidents...then she came along...lordy I never thought I would even get this far with her...

she will soon be 8 months and we still have the time to time accidents...I paper trained her...she will pee and poo on newspaper and go outside when I say outside which is every 3 hrs...I'. a stay at home mom so this works for me...

she will have 2 accidents a week at night and maybe the same during the week during the day...now, if I put her butt in her crate she poops every time...this does not bother her she hates the crate and makes me hate it even more....!!!

she is slowly coming around and it takes patience on both parts...i would call a pet store or your vet and get ideas for your particular situation...and I wish you the best of luck, they are worth all the paper towels and windex ....ha ha...tiff

Answer 6

If he's already outside trained, take him outside! If he can't hold it anymore, he'll go anywhere he can! If he held it for four hours, he'll hold it long enough for the 15 minute drive to the park. Walk him to the park or find the nearest bush or tree.

Don't reinvent the wheel with him. Find a way to get him to do what he was trained to do.

Answer 7

So..
You should definitely attend a dog training course if you want to stop these unwanted behaviours. A good one I found online is http://www.goobypls.com/r/rd.asp?gid=572

It's really well made (it has a lot of videos), simple and effective. I recommend it.
Regards

Answer 8

I honestly think those dogs CANNOT be trained I've had 2 thinking the first 1 was just stupid , but same thing happened with the 2nd 1 , sooo short of talking to your vet or obedience trainer of somekind I don't know . I think they are adorable but dumb lil buggars GL!!!!!!!!!!

Answer 9

hold him down, point said in a firm tone ''NO'' each time he relieved at the wrong place. immediately dap some of his urine or poo, place it at the litter box, and bring him over to the litter box and give command like ''pee here''. they'll slowly pick up.

Answer 10

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