How to potty train a Shih Tzu puppy in winter & when to spay?

I'm sorry you are having such troubles potty training Ginger! I will give you the method I regularly give to puppy owners, and hopefully it will help you get her house broken. Start by keeping Ginger on a regular feeding schedule, and taking away her food between meals. Take her out to potty first thing every morning, and once every 30 minutes to an hour. Always make sure she goes out after meals, first thing when she wakes up from a nap, last thing before bedtime at night, and right before you leave the house. Take her to the same spot each time to go potty. Her scent there will encourage her to go. Stay with her outside each time she goes to potty, at least until she is fully house trained. When she goes outside, praise her and give her a treat. You might want to consider crate training as part of her house training. It allows you to keep an eye on her for signs that she has to go potty, and will teach her to hold it until you put her outdoors. The crate needs to be big enough for her to stand up, turn around, and lie down, but it should not be big enough for her to go potty in. I hope this helps!

It will take several months to fully train Milo. Take him outside immediately after meals and first thing in the morning. Take him to an area that is specifically for potty and reward him with praise and a treat when he goes outside. You may want to consider using pee pads also inside during this cold time so he learns to go on them when it’s too cold rather than going wherever he wants in the house. Once it warms up and he’s older then you can be more strict about going outside. He’s a baby so don’t leave him outside alone and never for more than a few minutes at a time. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Milo.

Hi there. Potty training is very difficult. The key is crate training so he doesn't have full run of the house and so he learns to hold it. It has to be small enough to only allow him to stand, turn, and lay down. If it's too big, the go potty in it, then move away from it.

Congratulations on your new pet! It is not recommended to bathe a pup less than 3 monmths of age. You can use plain, unscented baby wipes or pet wipes to spot clean her as needed. Feed a good quality puppy food. Stay away from store or discount brands as these typically contain low quality ingredients and more fillers. The breeder may give you a bag of food to go home with. If Blush eats it, does well on it and it is easy for you to get then stick with it. If you need to change diets, do it gradually, over the course of 7-10 days, to prevent gastrointestinal upset. Try to avoid switching diets frequently to avoid creating a picky eater. She should not need vitamin supplementation if she is eating a quality puppy food. Dogs have similar tolerances for temperature that we do. If it is too cold fo ryou inside, it is too cold for her. Air conditioning should be tolerable for her. You can start crate training her or wee wee pad trainign her as soon as you get home. If you use a crate, it should be just big enough for her to stand, turn around and lay down. Start a schedule for bathroom breaks. She should go out first thing in the morning, after naps, about 20-30 minutes after eating or playing and just before bedtime. She will likely need to go out one or two times during the night as well. Choose one spot in your yard and allow her to use it. She can go outside in your yard. She should not be exposed to dogs of unknown vaccine statuse until about 2 weeks after she receives her last vaccine.

I would recommend crate training Bear. I would keep Bear in the crate when you cannot keep 100% watch on him. When he comes out of the crate I would then walk him or put him on the pee pad (depending on where you want him to go). If he goes then I would play with him and once you have to turn your back he goes back in the crate. If he does not go to the bathroom when you take him out of the crate I would put him back in for 20 minutes and try again. Remember he is only 3 1/2 months old so he will still have accidents. If you catch him going to the bathroom tell him no and take him and put him where you want him to go and praise him for going. If you just see the accident then clean it up and do not say anything to him. Bear should only be crated for 3 hours right now at a time. How ever many months he is plus 1 is the number of hours you can leave him in at a time. A crate should be big enough for him to stand up, sit down and turn around. If you do not want to use a crate do the same idea with the bathroom. The crate is a very safe option and dogs end up loving their crates, it's their safe house. I hope this helps and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

It can be confusing to train a puppy to go in the house (which is what using a pee pad really is) and also to do her business outside. She can certainly be out long enough to go in all types of weather. You can hold an umbrella over her if necessary.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Zhuri. She is adorable! It is fine to start teaching her to go potty outdoors. Pick a consistent place and use the same command you have been in the house. Dogs are situational learners so it will take a bit for her to make the connection to go outdoors. Since she is not fully vaccinated, you want to avoid areas frequented by other dogs such as communal areas in apartment complexes or dog parks. I hope this information helps!