Puppy Potty Training Advice?
So I am one of those modern women who work! I cannot be home all day like I would like to be… I have a 3 mo old shih tzu puppy and I am having a hard time figuring out how I want to potty train. Do I use the potty pads that I bought? Do I try and make him go outside? I would love for him to stop peeing all over his soft toys and every room in the house. But honestly, I am not home enough to make sure he pees every hour or so outside. I dont want to make him hold it until I get home, cause I am afraid that is cruel or that he wont be able to since he is still a baby. I guess I want to eliminate him going over someone elses house and peeing cause this is how he was trained at home. What do I do? He has his own room, and does well by himself, its just the peeing all on the carpet that is annoying. Its like he pees INCHES from the potty pad on purpose!
It’s definitely challenging to potty train a puppy when you have to be away from home during the day, but it is possible!
The very best thing to do is to use a crate to train your pup, but as he’s still young you will need to come home at lunch-time and let him out, or try to find a neighbor, friend, relative or even a dog-walker/pet sitter who could help you out. At 3 months of age your puppy can ‘hold it’ for maybe 3 – 4 hours, at 18 weeks this goes up to about 6 hrs. maximum.
By using the pee-pee pads he’s learning it’s okay to pee inside, which is counter-productive. Also he’s not trying to pee off the pad, puppies get confused, and often their front feet are on the pad but their little behind is perched above the carpet!
The more he pees etc. on your carpet, the more likely he is to do it again, as he smells himself and is attracted back to that area. I would suggest shampooing the carpet and using an enzymatic cleaner such as Nature’s Miracle to remove all traces of odor. The best thing to do is to remove all opportunity for him to make a mistake by peeing on the carpet. That means using the crate and constant supervision when he’s not in it. Puppies learn by repetition, and right now he’s learning to pee on your floor.
It takes time and patience, but if you’re consistent and loving in your potty training your little guy will ‘get it’, and by about 6 months old he should be fairly reliable.
you can find lots of info. on crate training, potty training, cleaning up urine smells etc. at the website below. Good luck with your puppy!
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