# 4mo old Shih Tzu pees in his crate



## Caitlin323 (Jan 11, 2012)

Hi! I have a 4 month old shih tzu who I have had since he was 8.5 weeks old. Since day one he has peed in his crate. I sectioned it off so he only has enough room to lay down and turn around and just have the plastic in the bottom. I take him outside to potty right before I put him in the crate before bed or if I have to take a shower, go out, whatever. Even if he is in there for 15 minutes he pees in his crate. A lot of times during the night he never cries to go outside he just sits in his pee and doesn't mind. I didn't get him from a pet store (Apparently pet store pups have a habit of this). He doesn't have a UTI or anything. Also, when will he start going to the door to let me know he has to go outside??? Since I have had him I take him out every 45mins-1hr because i'm so paranoid he will have an accident in the apartment. I lure him to the door with a treat and say "outside!" but he still doesn't get it yet. Is this normal? Will he get it eventually? I need some reassurance and maybe some advice because I feel like I'm making no progress at all! Thanks!!!


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## Gigit (Dec 30, 2011)

4 months is still very young, keep being consistent and give it time.


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## YoMoe (Oct 7, 2011)

I love our doggy bell. It hangs from the door so the dog can let you know when they need to go out. 1st week I rang it and said outside. Second week I picked up her paw and had her ring it, by the end of that week I would point to it and say outside and she would ring it. After another few days she would ring it herself every time she needed to go out. It probably took about 3 weeks. She has not had an accident since then. When we first got her 8wks, she would pee in her crate. I put the crate in an ex pen with a pad outside it. She would go out and use the pad - she did that until about 11 weeks. Then she got the hang of going outside. We got rid of the pads with no problem, no confusion. I've heard it is harder to train small dogs so it may take more time. Good luck.


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## Abbylynn (Jul 7, 2011)

At your puppies age it is normal to have accidents. At the age of 6 months he will begin to be able to know how to hold his bladder more. Taking a pup outside to potty every hour is petty normal. They need to go out after they eat, drink, nap, play ...... get excited ..... Just be persistent in your training, keep a good consistent schedule and never scold or punish the pup. It will make him afraid to pee in front of you and he will find places to hide and do it in the house. Also taking him out in the middle of the night is normal. Being such a small pup I would just carry him to the door and take him out. I did this with all my small breed pups.  Some dogs will tell you when they need to go out ... and some will never tell you. It is an individual dog thing. 

Be sure to clean the plastic crate tray with an enzyme cleaner to remove the urine smell or he will think it is ok to go there. Pups automatically think the ground anywhere is fair game as a potty ground! 

Good luck!  It just takes time and patience.


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## lisahi (Jun 19, 2011)

My 10 month old still doesn't tell me when she has to go out, and she may never tell me. I just have to watch the clock, remember when she last ate/drank, and do the math myself. She goes about every 3 to 6 hours, depending on her activity level, and can last the whole night if I take her out right before she goes to bed. She developed the ability to "hold it" around the age of 6 months, but only learned that she *should* hold it while in the house around the age of 9 months. It takes time. Your dog may not have sufficient bladder control to hold it when he's in the crate. Also, some dogs don't empty their bladders all at once. So you may take him out, he pees, you put him in the crate, and he pees 15 minutes later. It's because his bladder wasn't empty and he couldn't hold it anymore. I would suggest walking him instead of just taking him out to the yard. By walking your dog, you're giving him different spots where he can empty his bladder. He could be showing early signs of marking. My female dog marks, and she'll often pee in several different places on our walks.


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## doxiemommy (Dec 18, 2009)

Each dog is different, not every dog, even adult dogs, let their owners know they need to go by standing by the door. One of my dogs will come up to me and bounce about a bit, the other will just stop dead still, wherever she happens to be, middle of the living room, kitchen, wherever, and just stand absolutely still, and stare at me.

Very young puppies don't even get signals from their bodies that they need to go. Sometimes (to them) it seems to happen out of nowhere. As they age, they start getting those signs, but don't know what to do. Eventually, everything starts to come together, they get the signs, they know what it means, they know what to do. THEN, the problem is, that up til 6 months of age, they don't have full physical control of their bladder. So, as much as they may KNOW what to do, sometimes it's out of their control.

At 4 months, accidents are very normal. Your job is preventing them. If she only has accidents in her crate, then I'd only let her in the crate when you KNOW she has just peed and pooped and is "empty" so to speak. Otherwise, for some reason, she has decided the crate is an acceptable place to pee. So, don't let her go in unless you know she doesn't have to pee.


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## Caitlin323 (Jan 11, 2012)

thanks for the tips guys!!! He doesn't seem to like to leave the yard either..he has no problem walking around the yard but when i try to get him to go for a walk he pulls back. I will just be persistent and consistent and hopefully everything falls into place!!


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## spotted nikes (Feb 7, 2008)

Using tiny pieces of cut up hot dogs can help "lure" them out of the yard. So will having a friendly doggy buddy to go on the walk with you.

Make sure you are using a verbal cue to tell him to go potty when you get outside. When he goes, praise him, and reward him with a high value treat. Ask the dog "Do you need to go out?" in a cheery voice, when you think he needs to go. Getting a little excited, might encourage him to run to the door.


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