funny you should ask. DD#1 just got one that is a shih tzu and maltese cross. This is the cutest thing I've ever seen. They are crating it and that seems to help. We' ve always crated our dogs til they were old enough to not be a problem. This puppy is having a lot of accidents, so I don't have any advice. He'd also like to chew on you. They got all their food and "stuff" at Petsmart. I know it's easier to housebreak a puppy if you can devote several days to nothing but that, b/c I've done it before. Just like potty training a baby. I've been of no help!!!!

Crating is a must! It serves many purposes. 1) keeps her out of the things in the house while you are away. 2) keeps her safe while you are away. 3) keeps your floors clean and allows you to potty train her on your schedule 4) It's a safe retreat for her as she grows from other critters in the house. There are many other reasons. ~I believe in a pet having a space of their own. We crated ours until she was about 4 yrs old. Now she has a pillow in the living room that is her bed, and the crate is her "safe" place on the deck in the back yard.

Her allergies could be stemmed by the food she's stealing from the other pets too. Once she can't get to it, and isn't eating it. That too may solve her sniffles.
I feed my dog Good Life Recipe Chicken and brown rice. But your little one requires a different kind of food I'm sure. My dog is 55lbs. :o)

Here is a link that might be useful: Get this book!

I was wondering what is crating? I could mean different things to different people. As a short term ( couple of hours) home while a person is away. Maybe a night time sleep area. That's what crating is to me.
It would be cruel to crate up a dog or cat all day, everyone knows that but how to you crate a puppy learning to potty outside? I've heard of too many dogs going potty in their crates that have been left in to long. That's not a good owner either. Several of my friends use the crate as I stated above. I hope they have never forced a dog to hold it for the sake of a clean floor. I know I have to go when I have to go. A few hours of holding pee is not healthy nor would it make me happy, so I can't see it would be good for my pet either.
Limiting water consumption in the evening might be beneficial. Of course going to the bathroom right before bed. Puppies can't seem to hold it well at night and if they wait in their crate to long, well that can't be healthy. I used to get up, about 4 am and let the pups out to go. Like a new parent, it was hard to keep up!

I've had big and little dogs and the littlest ones were always the hardest to potty train and feed. Currently I have two smaller dogs inside and the smallest can only eat regular dry dog food or she throws up or worse. In tiny amounts she can eat turkey, beef, veggies and rice/pasta. Now on the other hand my mom will make her tiny dog, food and keep it in the fridge until she needs it. Works for them but I do think the dry dog food is better for teeth.

I think your going to have to find out how your dogs works and go with that. Every dog breed has its quirks, as every dog does too. Teach her ques and repeat your commands so she will quickly know what your asking of her. It doesn't take long to learn her name but the potty command, that always takes longer than we want. :)

Trin said she or hubby could come home at lunch..That's perfect to split the day up. A small puppy can't be shut in a crate for 6-8 hours at a time. That is cruel. But 3-4 hours at a time won't hurt anything. And at this age a puppy needs to potty between the hours of 10pm and 6am..which requires someone to get up. But as she gets older, that potty break can be removed.
Again, the book I referenced to above, is a wonderful guide for new training or retraining older dogs or puppies.

People in this area do the crating. It is not a cruel thing but does help with the discipline. Also when my DIL's dog wanted some time out, he just went into the crate and the kids are taught not to touch. A quick nap and the world is ok again. But as a new puppy spending all the time in a crate would defeat the purpose as her dog never peed in the area. I would isolate him/her in a single room and not let him run all over the house .

I have two shih-tzu and crated them both. Second one house broke in three weeks. Took them out at night before crating and then once during the night. They both knew they were going to be crated at night and would sometime go in before it was even time. eating cat food will always give them the runs so keep that away. The snorting is not from allergies it because the nostrils don't always open right. there is a small surgery to correct this but if several times a day you would rub her nostrils like your trying to stretch them out it may work also. Vet told us to do that with second puppy. It seemed to work and as she grew she it went away. These two i have were very easy to house break and they love to learn knew tricks. They go everywhere with us. Put them in our bicycle baskets for a ride everyday, they get there long walks too.

Crating is a good thing for dogs IMO.
The crate becomes their home; a bed if you will and a source of security. Dog's rarely soil their crate after they become comfortable.

Puppies need to poop and pee after eating, playing and sleeping. When they are small they have to go out side many many times a day. But, puppies grow fast and get control of their bladder and bowels quickly.

When I'm training a puppy I give her food and water only when I'm there to put her outside immediately when she's finished.
I put her outside when she wakes up.
I put her outside when she's done playing.
It's important to do this IMMEDIATELY to enforce the 'we go outside to do our business' concept. The earlier you teach your puppy this the better.

Crate her while you are gone.
Make sure she has eaten and done her business before you leave. It would be great if one of you could take an early lunch and the other a later lunch to break up her crate time for the first week or two.

Cat food isn't good for puppies so she should never had any access to it. Ever. Keep all food from your puppy until she has control of herself. Put the food down while the puppy is in her crate. Put it up before she is turned loose.

Consistency is the key to housetraining a puppy.
If you are consistence the training will only take a few weeks. If you aren't? You may never have a do you can trust.

We were Holly's third owners and she had never been trained properly. After a year she is much much better but I don't trust her in the house for more than a few hours at a time. She goes in the crate or is tied up outside if I have to leave for very long.

Lori

Thanks for all the great tips. We have been taking staggered lunches during the week, so 3 hours is the most amount of time left alone.
Our other dog is a shih tzu, and we are hoping alot for the " mondey see, monkey do" school of learning.
It has helped.
Would it be fair to have one crated and the other dog and cat not? I just dont want to cause any issues that can't be mended.
Where do you suggest to go for a crate, and how big should I get? What do they cost?
I get her outside a ton of times a day, but she seems more interested in laying in the grass or chasing leaves.
I give big kuddos for a job well done, but I will then turn around and catch her going potty again right after she comes inside.
She was born on aug 5th, so she is still a baby, and getting better with her daily routines, which is helpful.
Yesterday was really a good day, as her and the other dog spent a lot of time in the sun out back.
DH is home today, which will help, but he can't get her outside by himself. Just an extra set of eyes on her is great.
I wonder if there is anyway to feed the cat, but not have the dog able to get into it. I dont want the cat on the counters or table, and she is unable to balance herself on a stool or small chair due to her size, age and lack of tail or stub. Zero balance.
I can say, prior to getting this baby, we knew that the last of our carpets were coming up this year, so figured it would not hurt having a accidents during training.
Keep the help coming, I have taken a bit of something from each and every post.
Trin