My babys not training well, please help

[foxynikky69]

I have a 3 month old shih-tzu puppy, she is the most adorabel thing I have ever seen. The thing is she is doing not to well on her house training. Shes very good with not peeing in the house but she goes #2 quite alot. I was wondering if there are n e tricks to getting them to go outside. If you could post or email me at foxynikky69@hotmail.com (post would probably be better) that would be great. Thanks

[Babs]

You will find heaps of training info here. The key is not to expect results immediately. Each dog will learn at a different pace, with different reward incentives. For some dogs it will be treats, while others a good pat on the head is sufficient.

Find your dog's motivator... what gets it's full attention.

Dogs learn best by repetition and reward systems. You need to repeat the task, and reward it several times before it is burned into their memory.

Learning is associative for dogs. Meaning they learn by "When I do this, I get something good".

Eventually you won't have to give it treats every time it does something good, it instinctively knows that it is doing a good thing. But it never hurts to remind them. At 8 years of age, Loki still looks at me when she goes pee outside, and I still say "Goooood Girl!"

[GunnerX]

My shih tzu, Ariel, goes #2 before and after meals. Food and water goes through them quite quickly. So before feeding, take her out for a walk and wait for her to do her job and give her TONS of praise! After feeding, wait 10 minutes and take her out again, she'll definitely go. After that you should not have any problems.

For inside the house, I bought a litter box for dogs and dog litter made out of compressed paper made by Purina. The only place I found this was at PetSmart. I never really taught her to go #2 there, she just went on her own without any coaxing. I was quite surprised.

[glasslass]

Smart puppy! I had never heard of litter training a puppy before. I guess it's a real convenience up north where you have such frigid winters.
Timing , vigilance, and praise is really the key with a small puppy. Know when they will need to go and take them out regularly. Small puppies don't always know when they need to go and don't know how to hold it. As they get older, and with your assistance (training), they learn how to control it.

[shan]

TREATS!!! I have a shih-tzu cross, and EVERY time when she was just learning, she got a treat for going outside. I had treats in every pocket of every piece of clothing I own, and countless treats saw a sad death in the washing machine, but it sure worked. I dont give her a treat every time now (she is 6 months), but she very, very rarely has accidents inside. Just be sure, if you are using a large treat, to break it in small bits. You dont want them to be eating a ton of treats! Also, I took Annie out every hour for a potty break regardless of what I/she was doing (except at night).

[Spoiled]

3 months is a bit early to expect a puppy to know not to go #2 in the house. At certain times my dog always needed to go out. I built a scedual around that, and he learned really well. Don't try to change your dog's scedual because it doesn't work well if they are just puppies. Give lots of praise and lots of treats when he goes in the right place, to!

[EmmaJean]

Have you tried "tethering" her to you? Basically when she's in the house you keep a lead on her and attach it to your foot or wherever. The key is that she must be in your sight at all times.

Take her out a LOT for just a few minutes at a time. Completely ignore her unless she goes potty. Then throw a big party with lots of praise and yummy treats. Take her back in after five minutes, even if she doesn't go.

Is she crate-trained at all? If so- crate her for ten or so minutes, then try again. Keep doing it until she goes. When she goes she gets freedom, but with a lead and by your side.

If you catch her in the act, just keep it low key, but say, "Ah-Ah! and pick her up and take her out.

[somechick]

Keep her tethered to you. This way, you will learn what signals your pup gives before going. If you catch her in the act, give a quick eheh and take her right outside and give her the cue to go.
Do you have a signal word for her when you put her outside? Pups have no idea what is expected of them when they are just put outside. They sometimes just run around or sniff around. Give a cue such as, Go Potty, or I use "Hurry Up!" When she goes, I say, good hurry up call her over to me and pet her and love her all up.
Also, do not give your pup free run of the house until you are certain she is house broken. You have to realize, your pup is small, your home seems quite large to her, she might have a hard time knowing what is inside and what is outside.

[Spoiled]

With Bentley I use "do your buissness." Make sure it is a command you will not feel stupid using around other people, and that you are comfortable using yourself.