New Shih-Tzu Puppy

Munster_Gal

I'm after getting an 8 week old Shih-Tzu. He's gorgeous and I love him but he cries all night long. I understand that he's lonely for his mother and the rest of his litter but can anyone give me any advice on what I can do to make this transition easier for him. I've tried and hot water bottle and he preferred to play with it rather than sleep with it. I gave him a blanket that I usually wrap myself in while I'm on the couch so that he would have a familiar smell and that didn't work. I tried a clock but he used that as a toy too.......I feel so sorry for the poor thing. He's great during the day and really playful but at night he's just not settling.

I also wondered if anyone can give any advice on housetraining him. He's going to be an indoor dog and I'm not always there during the day so training him to go out doors to do his business isn't really an option. I've read that I shouldn't try to train him until he's 12 weeks but at that stage I'll have him just over a month and i would imagine it'll be hard to get him to change his ways by then.

lostinnappies

no start training him straight away. If he begins doing his business in the house to begin with then he will be very confused later when he is expected not to. It will take longer.

Crying at night. If you can contact the breeder and ask for a piece of bedding that was used by his mother/litter mates and leave it with him during the night the sent will hopfully help settle him. Also leave an item of your clothing. I know it sound like over doing it but sometimes a cuddely toy (dog) will simulate his litter mates and make the transition easier.

Munster_Gal

Thanks for that Lostinappies.
Any ideas on the best way to potty train him. I read that you shouldn't put their noses in it ... Apparently the type of dog that they are, the can lose trust in you by doin that?

lostinnappies

no id never put their noses in it .... i mean how would you like it. best thing is to bring them out every hour for the first few days and get a treat every time he does his business out side. If you're not there all day perhaps you could leave him with someone who is, or get someone to call in... just during the potty training.

If he widdles on the floor dont shout and rant at him because it will serve no purpose other then to make him nervous and more likly to pee indoors. Simply make a naughty noise like i do with my kids lol. eah, normally does it, short sharp and loud enough so he can hear you. The only purpose of this is to stop him in his tracks. A loud noise will make him clamp up. Then lift him from his spot and put him outside. Dont walk him because then the association of "im still peeing" is gone. Over time he will get used to it, but have patients cos it will take along time.

Beth

You can also try him in his crate by the side of your bed while he's crying. He's in a new place without all the craziness of the litter as well so he will cry. If he cries during the night you can just dangle your hand by the side of the crate. Then you can start moving him away from you bit by bit and down into where he will end up sleeping for his life.

On the toilet training, if you cant supervise him, crate him.
You can tie him to you using a lead if you're leaving him out of the crate while you're there, so that he wont wander off and piddle. but get him into a routine of going out after play, food and sleep.

You can create a little pen like in the picture with his crate in there, his water bowl and somewhere to go to the loo for when you're out. The guy in the picture has a tuft of grass, but you can use training pads (which you will have to bring closer to the door when he learns what he is supposed to do, and eventually put the pad outside the door to get him to go outside), he has his water and he has his crate. He's also playing with a kong, so you can make the pen a great place to be with safe toys and chew things. This provides all he needs physically until you get home each day. If you can make it home for lunch, please do, just to break up his day, and check on him, clean up etc.

Crate training usually helps them learn faster.
Paper training then usually prolongs the learning.

But if you're not going to be there all day, then a combination of the two can help.

Rubbing any dogs nose in their business, not just one or two breeds - ANY dog, can make them fear you and fear going to the toilet. They just associate business with getting their noses shoved into it so think its the action that is wrong, not the place. This can make them try sneak off and do their business behind a sofa, chair etc and doesn't help them at all.

Unless you catch him in the act, you cant correct him. If he has an accident, then you werent supervising him closely enough. Correcting him afterwards means nothing to them. People sometimes say "look, he knows he done wrong" but they dont - they only know something is wrong from the owners body language and tone of voice. So if he has an accident, just clean it up without fuss and supervise him closely or tie him to you with his lead so he cant get away from you.

Munster_Gal

Hey guys,
Still having trouble with my Shih-Tzu and the training. He's stopped crying and he's absolutley adorable but he's just randomly going to the toilet around the kitchen. I have tried newspaper and also tried puppy training pads but he just sniffs around them and then goes to another area of the kitchen to do his business.... Any tips?

littlemisspiggy

He sniffs round to find out where he went before. So you should get some odour neutraliser from a pet shop or use bicarb of soda mixed with water to clean the floor if he goes on it. Dogs have a great sense of smell and he will still know where he went even if you use bleach on that bit of floor. What can also help is when he next goes on the floor, get a bit of the pee on a tissue before you clean the floor with the neutraliser. then put that tissue on the place that you do want him to go - he'll smell it and then know that he can go to the toilet there.

Edited to say - if you catch him going in the right place always praise him and give him a treat. I've my dog two years nearly and if I'm around when she goes outside I always praise her and then give her a treat after (and she never ever goes inside anymore - she can even last 12 hours overnight at the weekends if I sleep in.)

Munster_Gal

Thanks littlemisspiggy. I think it would have been easier to have a baby at the rate he's going ha ha! easier to change dirty nappies than to clean the floor every 5 mins

Beth

Don't use anything with bleach or ammonia's in it to clean the floor. Good aul bio washing powder will do the trick of removing the smells he can smell but you cant. The enzymes in the washing powder will do the job.

Other than that, go back to taking him out on the hour, and after play, sleep and food. Anytime he goes outside, treat and praise, and you can also give him a small play session so he sees "Mom's pleased" , though its recommended that for now you keep the outside for business only until he's trained, and play in the kitchen or a different "outside" (front garden maybe)

Tired

Hey Munstergal, was in the same predicament as you only we had started training our pup to go out the back (which he does no bother) but while we werent there or at night he would pee or poo anywhere, eventually kept at him to go p&p on paper while in the house, he would sometimes and then he wouldnt. I swear it got to me after a while, but then after lots of hard work and a few weeks of training he started going on the paper while in the house and out the back when we were there. Now all of a sudden, and we only have him over a month, he has started holding his p&p at night until i get up 7am to let him out. I shouldnt talk too soon as he is only doing this in the last few days, going down to a very dry floor which is great but as i was saying to my bf, he could go and do the complete opposite tomorrow. It can be frustrating but just keep at your pup and praise them to high heavens when they do something right. We stopped giving him treats after a day or two of him doing what he should do because otherwise you would be spending a fortune. Best of Luck and keep the chin-up, it will all fall into place for your dog and yourself soon enough...

lostinnappies

Depending on how open your dog is to potty training they can be anywhere from 3 to 6 months of age before the finally "get it". It takes a long time so take a deep breath and carry on lol.