I HAVE A QUESTION FOR YOU. I HAVE MY PUPPY IN A CRATE DURRING THE DAY. AT NIGHT, I ALLOW HER TO SLEEP WITH MY SON IN HIS ROOM.I HAD STARTED THE CRATE AT NIGHT BUT WE LIVE IN A APARTMENT. HER CRYING WAS WAKING UP THE NEIGHBORS. EVEN THOUGH WE LIMITED EATING AND DRINKING DURING LATE HOURS, SHE STILL URINATES AND POOPS ON THE FLOOR. I HAVE PUT HER CRATE BLANKET THAT SHE'S WITH DURRING THE DAY ON THE BEDROOM FLOOR. I GOT DESPERATE. DO YOU HAVE ANY SUGGESTIONS?? SHE'S 4 MONTHS OLD NOW. I AM TRYING TO BREAK ANY NEGATIVE HABITS NOW BEFORE THEY GET WORSE.

Hi,
I'll need some information about your situation . . .

How does your puppy behave when she is in her crate during the day?

Does she have accidents in the house during the day (in or out of the crate)?

How often (or how much time) is she out of the crate during the day?

How often do you take her outside during the day and night?

If you could give me some more info, I think I'll be able to help you more

drphilvegasvet

HELLO. MY PUPPY IS IN A CRATE DURING THE WEEK AROUND TEN HOURS A DAY. SHE GOES INTO IT WITH NO PROBLEM. SHE DOES STILL HAVE A LOT OF ACCIDENTS IN THERE. PEE AND POOP.THIS I EXPECT FOR HER BEING IN THERE FOR SO LONG. WE FEED HER IN THE MORING AND THEN IN THE AFTERNOON.WHEN WE GET HOME WE FEED HER AND THEN TAKE HER OUT ATLEAST THREE MORE TIMES BEFORE BED.THE TIME FRAME BETWEEN GETTING HOME AND GOING TO BED IS AROUND THREE HOURS. SHE THEN SPENDS THE NIGHT IN MY SONS ROOM.SO SHE HAS AROUND 9 HOURS IN MY SONS ROOM BEFORE WE WAKE UP.THAT'S WHERE MY PROBLEM LIES. ON THE WEEKEND SHE DOESN'T GO IN HER CRATE IF WE CAN HELP IT. WE TRY TO TAKE HER WITH US. BUT IF I WAS HOME WE TAKE HER OUT ABOUT EVERY OTHER HOUR. THEN WE STILL WATCH HER. I HOPE THIS HELP'S SOME.

Hi,
There are a couple of problems here that must be sorted out . . .

First, I would strongly encourage you to find someone to come and visit your puppy during the day. Ten hours in a crate is no fun for a small puppy and it's no wonder that she still has accidents in there. That's like putting a two year old child in a pen for the whole day and expecting not to change the diaper.

Next, you must give your puppy as much exercise as possible. A tired puppy isn't going to be crying at night or thinking about going to the bathroom every hour. Are you taking her for a brisk walk when you get home? Are you trying to burn off all that energy that she has been storing all day? Shih Tzus can be remarkably energetic dogs and love to play.

Once you have fixed those two problems, you must address the toilet training issues. Make sure that you reward her when she goes potty and if you ever catch her "in the act", then you must use discipline. By discipline, I don't mean any hitting or shouting, of course. A firm no followed by taking her outside is usually sufficient. If you find stool or urine even a couple of minutes after she has done it, there is no point reprimanding her. It's already too late.

If she is going potty in your son's room at night, then I would use the crate at night. HOWEVER, I would only do this if you can take her outside during the day (during that ten hour stretch) and possibly during the night. (Yup, that's the fun and joy of owning a puppy). Make sure that you only take her out of the crate when she is being good. If you take her out when she is crying, then you are teaching her that she can get her way when she is being bad. Be careful what lessons you are teaching her.

Good luck with all of this,
drphilvegasvet

THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. I WILL WORK ON ALL OF THIS.