How to Train Your Dog to Not Pee in the House

Hello, For the barking, I recommend teaching Place and practicing having pup stay on Place while you are home, working up to pup staying on place while you go into another room for a few minutes, to build their independence and confidence while away from you. Second, I would set up a camera so you can spy on pup in real time. If you have two smart phones or tablets, you can use something like skype with pup's end on mute, to watch pup from your phone. Go outside and spy on pup. Whenever pup pauses the barking for even a couple of seconds, return back inside while they are quiet and sprinkle a couple of treats on the floor then leave again. Gradually increase how long you stay gone for based on how long pup can stay quiet for, rewarding pup not just for stopping the barking but keeping the barking stopped as pup improves at this exercise. At first you are looking for just a couple of seconds of quiet to reward. Very gradually increase how long you wait to reward as pup improves, adding just a couple seconds, then a few seconds, then a minute, then two minutes, then five minutes, then eight minutes, then ten, fifteen, twenty, thirty, ect...building upon pup;s training. I also recommend stuffing something like a hollow kong with really yummy treats that are safe to leave pup unsupervised with to encourage pup to focus on that toy instead of your absence. Another option is something like autotrainer or pet tutor. A device that will automatically release a treat for pup if you purchase a model that can be programed to detect when pup is quiet, and release the treat after pup is quiet for a certain amount of time, to encourage pup to stay quiet also. For the accidents, you will likely need to thoroughly clean the floor with a cleaner that's safe for your flooring type and has enzymes. Only enzymes will fully break down the pee or poop smells that are remaining, and might be encouraging your pup to also potty there to mark. Additionally, give pup a refresher on potty training and treat them like a puppy again for about a month until things improve. The easiest way to do this for quicker results is to crate pup at night and when you are away and to keep pup tethered to yourself with a hands free leash when they are not crated or outside, so you can prevent pup from sneaking away to go potty and interrupt any signs of needing to go - like circling, sniffing, or squatting, and quickly get pup outside. Be sure to reward pup with a treat and ample praise when they do go potty outside, to help pup understand where to go potty and not go potty in the new home. The stricter you can be upfront about managing pup's freedom, schedule, and cleanliness, the less likely pup is to have lingering issues with accidents that persist for longer. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden

Jan. 17, 2023

Hello, Good for you on being proactive! It is completely normal at this age though, so you aren't behind at all. For the chewing of objects, check out this article on chewing: https://www.petful.com/behaviors/train-dog-not-to-chew/ For the people biting, check out the article linked below. Starting today, use the "Bite Inhibition" method. BUT at the same time, begin teaching "Leave It" from the "Leave It" method. As soon as pup is good as the Leave It game, start telling pup to "Leave It" when she attempts to bite or is tempted to bite. Reward pup if she makes a good choice. If she disobeys your leave it command, use the Out command from the second article linked below to make her leave the area as a consequence. The order or all of this is very important - the Bite Inhibition method can be used for the next couple of weeks while pup is learning leave it, but leave it will teach pup to stop the biting entirely. The Out method teaches pup that you mean what you say without being overly harsh - but because you have taught pup to leave it first, pup clearly understands that you are not just playing (which is what pup probably thinks most of the time right now), so it is more effective. https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-shih-tzu-puppy-to-not-bite Out - which means leave the area, is also a good command for you to use if pup bites the kids. Check out the section on Using Out to Deal with Pushy Behavior for how to calmly enforce that command once it's taught. https://www.petful.com/behaviors/how-to-teach-a-dog-the-out-command/ Another important part of this is puppy learning bite inhibition. Puppies have to learn while young how to control the pressure of their mouths - this is typically done through play with other puppies. See if there is a puppy class in your area that comes well recommended and has time for moderated off-leash puppy play. If you can't join a class, look for a free puppy play group, or recruit some friends with puppies to come over if you can and create your own group. You are looking for puppies under 6 months of age - since young puppies play differently than adult dogs. Right now, an outside class may be best in a fenced area, or letting friends' pups play in someone's fence outside. Moderate the puppies' play and whenever one pup seems overwhelmed or they are all getting too excited, interrupt their play, let everyone calm down, then let the most timid pup go first to see if they still want to play - if they do, then you can let the other puppies go too when they are waiting for permission. Finding a good puppy class - no class will be ideal but here's what to shoot for: https://www.petful.com/behaviors/puppy-classes-when-to-start/ When pup gets especially wound up, she probably needs a nap too. At this age puppies will sometimes get really hyper when they are overtired or haven't had any mental stimulation through something like training. When you spot that and think pup could be tired, place pup in their crate or an exercise pen with a food stuffed Kong for a bit to help her calm down and rest. Practicing regular obedience commands or having pup earn what they get by performing commands like Sit and Down before feeding, petting, tossing a toy, opening the door for a walk, ect... can also help stimulate pup mentally to increase calmness and wear them out. Know that mouthiness at this age is completely normal. It's not fun but it is normal for it to take some time for a puppy to learn self-control well enough to stop. Try not to get discouraged if you don't see instant progress, any progress and moving in the right direction in this area is good, so keep working at it. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden

Nov. 4, 2022