Feeding and a 1 and a 2

Your puppy is outside for a good twenty minutes and them runs back in your house only to poop or pee on your carpet. Don't know why they will pick the carpet when an easy to clean tiled area is only a few steps away.  It must be a puppy rule.

Simple steps you can do to avoid this. It takes some effort on your part. Don't assume your puppy knows why he is outside. Puppies have short attention spans and are easily distracted.  I live in an apartment so my puppy was always on a leash when outside and I made sure he peed while outside. Use key words words when your puppy relives himself. Or give cues like, "go potty" remember dogs have very limited vocabularies. Keep them short and try not be a broken record saying it ten times in a row which  will only confuse the dog.

Accidents happen. Don't rub your dog's nose in the pee. Use a low growl command, " no" and take the puppy to a designated pee spot as soon as possible. Clean the stain with an enzyme pet cleaner. This will help discourage your pet from using the spot.

My puppy was very regular, within 5 minutes of eating he would poop on my carpet. I quickly learned to be prepared to take him out right after I feed him. While training, feed your puppy three times a day. Dividing his total food intake into three portions. Put the food down give him a set time limit (15 to 20 minutes) and then take the food away. Don't leave food in the crate. Only feed in the crate to entice your puppy to like the crate or get over their fear of the crate.

Crate Training

While housebreaking any puppy can be difficult, Shih Tzu's can be especially daunting but don't lose hope. The first problem, as with any small breed, is they are so close to the ground you can't tell when they are sitting and when they are peeing. Many times I have run with paper towels screaming like a maniac at my puppy only to look into his bemused face as he sits down.

Cute and sweet as they are Shih Tzu's are not known for being the smartest pups in the pound. Unfortunately, who you are really training is yourself.  Crate training can be your friend. Crate training is not cruel or unusual punishment and when used correctly simulates the dogs natural environment. Crate training will help you be in control of your dog's natural urges. Please do not use the crate as a punishment as this will not create the homey environment you are trying to simulate.  Use treats to reward and entice your new puppy into the crate.  I fed my puppy in the crate for the first few days, with the door open. You don't have to buy the fancy pads to make a nice place for your pet. Use towels, blankets or pads for comfort. Be careful not to choose things that your pet will destroy and possible eat, like foam filled blankets.
Our first two Shih Tzus destroyed a laundry room and a bath room before we wised up and crated them. They destroyed the molding around the door and damaged the dry wall. Crates are also for the puppies own safety. Princess our first Shih Tzu would chew on foreign objects everything from push pins to fingernail clippers, so when we left them alone we wanted to make sure they were safe.

Bandit, my two year old Shih tzu  will crate himself now, he reads my body language and knows when  I am leaving( it's really freaky the way he just knows). When I don't crate him he gets nervous and barks. Try to limit crate time to 2 or 3 hours at first. Then build up from their.