Today I received a very difficult to get approval from my dad that I may have a shih tzu puppy my boyfriend is taking from his friend for free who cannot keep him since he's having a baby with his wife. The puppy is 3 months old. He hasn't been fully potty trained and he doesn't stay outside. I will be getting him in about 3 weeks while I get the house ready. I want to know everyone's experience with their puppies, tips on potty training, is the petco/petsmart training effective? (have you tried it) Right now I am in summer break, until late august. I attend school Full time at my local college, I will be gone part of the day and so I plan on using a crate. How exactly does it work, what if the puppy has to potty while I am gone? And of course I welcome any additional information anyone may want to add:] Tips;] ;]
Thank you EVERYONE!!!!!
PS: My dad is literally "mr. clean" we have no kids around so the house is extra clean. He expects me to have the pup ready for the house. The house is all carpet. :/ Help me:]
Ah a new pup. yay! =]
Here's a website with everything you need to know about crate training:
http://www.inch.com/~dogs/cratetraining.html
I do NOT recommend the petco/petsmart training. I have not tried it, nor will I ever. It is better to get recommendations through your vet's office.
Here's what you need to do before you bring home your pup:
http://www.canismajor.com/dog/bring01.html
And here's some helpful sites about new puppies:
http://www.canismajor.com/dog/tpuppy.html
http://www.k9web.com/dog-faqs/new-puppy.html
http://www.workingdogs.com/30puptipsg.htm
And here's some more info on Shih Tzu's:
http://www.canismajor.com/dog/shihtzu.html
http://www.yourpurebredpuppy.com/dogbreeds/shihtzu.html
http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/shihtzu.htm
http://www.yourpurebredpuppy.com/reviews/shihtzu.html
The most helpful tip I can give you, is stick to a schedule and have patience!!
Good Luck!
If the dog is already housebroken, that's a major bonus for you!
If you leave the puppy crated while you're gone, you'll need to either go home at lunch to let it out, or have a neighbor/friend/relative go to your house. A young puppy can't stay crated all day without going outside. The rule of thumb to use for them holding it is # of Months +1, so at 3 months, he'll be able to hold it 4 hours.
References :
Ah a new pup. yay! =]
Here's a website with everything you need to know about crate training:
http://www.inch.com/~dogs/cratetraining.html
I do NOT recommend the petco/petsmart training. I have not tried it, nor will I ever. It is better to get recommendations through your vet's office.
Here's what you need to do before you bring home your pup:
http://www.canismajor.com/dog/bring01.html
And here's some helpful sites about new puppies:
http://www.canismajor.com/dog/tpuppy.html
http://www.k9web.com/dog-faqs/new-puppy.html
http://www.workingdogs.com/30puptipsg.htm
And here's some more info on Shih Tzu's:
http://www.canismajor.com/dog/shihtzu.html
http://www.yourpurebredpuppy.com/dogbreeds/shihtzu.html
http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/shihtzu.htm
http://www.yourpurebredpuppy.com/reviews/shihtzu.html
The most helpful tip I can give you, is stick to a schedule and have patience!!
Good Luck!
References :
Hi
Given everything you have written regarding the puppy, your dad, and your schedule, I would "Double Crate Train". It works great. We use it for training our pups before going to new "Forever" homes. If you send me a message, I'll send you a picture and an explanation of how it works.
Best of luck.
References :
Hobby Breeder