I have an 11 month old lhasa apso who keeps on toilting in my hall and i was hoping that someone will be able to give some advice on how to stop this horrible habit as i have young baby who is not far off crawling so i won't be able to have mess on the floor then it is also my making my house smell as you can imagine, no matter what i do or what i put down on the carpet. please help as if the problem continues i will have to consider rehoming him but this will break my heart.

Do you let him out in the back garden every few hours? Remember if he
goes to toilet outside to verbally praise him & possibly give a titbit.
Do you walk him at least twice a day on a lead?
Does he wet in your hall when your there or just if you go out?
Hope you can get over this problem and that he gets on well with your
baby when learning to crawl.

Pam

HI Pam
Yes i do let him out in the garden every few hours, in the hot weather my back door is always open so he can go whenever he wants to, and yes he does it when we are here he even done it in front of us in the front room the other day! and i walk him regularly so i am at a loss for what to do!

Thanks for your response

Tina

How old is your baby? And how do you react to your dog when he does it?

HI
Baby is 6 months, and i must admit i get cross and tell him sharply not too do it there, do it in the garden then put him out there and shut the door.

Tina what a horrid problem you have, one or two things spring to mind, don't clean the soiled areas with anything containing amonia as this will encourage your pup to cover it. try feeding in the hall where he goes. Is there any signs that he is jelous of the baby? Do speak to your vet about it before you despair. Sorry to say it may be his age and will grow out of it once his hormones settle down to adulthood, even if it is his age I know that is no help to you in this situation, perhaps you may have to consider keeping him outside except when you can watch him.

Hi Jackie

No there are no signs of jealousy as we bought him when baby was 6 wks old so she was already about when the dog was introduced to the family. I have tried cleaning the area with all sotrs of things from the pet shop but to no avail i have tried to avoid the vets so far as it tends to work out expensive as you can no doubt appreciate!

Hi Tina
If you had this puppy when your baby was 6 week and the pup is now 11 months, hang on a moment while my maths catches up with my fingers, think that makes puppy at least four months when you had him? And that may be the problem. I know vets are expensive but when you are at your wits end it may be worth it. But here is another idea ring your nearest APBC person and ask how much for a home visit, it will be in the region of £30 to £40 depending how far they have to travel. they will spend some time with you assessing your situation and advice you how to proceed, they will be on the end of a phone for you afterwards to offer help, suport and advice. They have a web site don't know the address off hand but if you serach for APBC I'm sure you will find it. All the best. Jackie

Someone told me to clean the area with some Biological Washing powder as it breaks down the enzymes and gets rid of the scent. I have tried it myself and have found that it works... it might me worth giving it a try.

Good luck.....and please don't give up on him!

You don't need a dog behaviourist. Instead of allowing the dog free access to come and go ( outside ) ....let him out, as you have been doing every couple of hours or so ( every hour if it's a puupy ) and give him a command ie " hurry up " , when he performs ( he may not do so for several hours or a day or so inyour prescence ) - no matter keep giving him the command " hurry up " even if nothing happens. The key is no free access, but get him dead keen on going to the door - when he is near the door ( no matter if he wants to go or not ) ...make a big game and croon " do you want to go out?!, ready .....steady......go " AND OPEN THE DOOR !!! ........... do this and within a week or two you'll stop the problem - any accidents inbetween do not scold - EVER - I know it's irritating but bite your lip, put the dog out and get out some washing powder to clean the spot.. Good luck...it'll be ok....

Welcome to the Forum Tina :-)

Before you start paying someone to advise you on this problem, have you considered contacting Rescue for advice? They don't just "rehome",they also have a wealth of information and are usually only to happy to pass on their knowledge free of charge. It might pay you to have a chat with them for some idea's first.

Try:
Mrs. Morant on 01362 694627.

Good Luck

Leigh

Hi,
Shih Tzu tend to pee by doors in halls etc too.

I found that if I gave total watchfulness I could tell when the pup was ready to go, they have a way of sniffing nose to the floor all the while, getting faster as they move, often circling or going over same ground.

Now is the time to quietly pick them up and take them outside and just wait. All this time say nothing. At first you may have to wait quite a while, as pup will want to go to his choice of place and try getting back to it. Say nothing, just keep him outside and wait till he cannot hold it and has to go, then praise and fuss like mad, and lead him back indoors. (if you aim to give a treat, give this outdoors too, as soon as he is done.

You need to commit to watching his every move for about three to four days, so you catch him unfailingly, before slackening up a little bit, and you should find he goes to the door himself by then.

Carole

Welcome to the forum Carole :-) Leigh

My arithmetic made the puppy over 6 months old when you got him. He may not have learnt correct housetraining at his previous home/breeder.

The advice given above is what one would do with a new baby puppy. You will have to start the housetraining from scratch!

Do not shut hom out on his own, as he will take this as a form of punishment. Use a word or phrase as he goes, and really go mad on the praise. I would suggest training him to stay in a crate for VERY SHORT PERIODS!! For example when you are changing babies nappy etc, and cannot watch him. This is the place you could feed him. this will also come into its own when the baby is crawling and cannot be supervised with the dog, say while you answer the phone. Small dogs can be hurt by a toddler, and vice versa, and this may make the dog defensive!

Also try excluding the dog from the Hall, if he cannot go there he will have to accept the new place to go! Only take him in the hall when you have his lead on for a walk. You may find a baby gate useful, for baby and dog. A lot depends on the layout of your house. My living room leads into kitchen, so unhousetrained pups stay behind the baby gate when I cannot concentrate on them. This way they are still able to see me, and be part of things.

MY PUPPY SAYS....

When I do a toilet and you yell at me, I think you are upset because I did a toilet. It does not click with me you are upset at where I did it.

So, cos youre cross that I did a toilet, I will soon try and hide it from you. After all, I just have to go pee or poo, I cant keep it in forever.

I will go when you dont look, or maybe in a place I think you wont find it. I go to all this trouble because I want to please you, and my peeing or pooing does not do that.

MY OWNER SAYS

thats why its best to say nothing when a mistake happens. If you are not reacting at all, pup will get your message sooner. But you still have to show him where to go. An earlier post tells you how.

Another house training method is to restrict pup to a crate or a small area of kitchen, and, because pups wont soil their bed unless they cannot wait any longer, he should hold it, till you take him out.

If you do this, be sure and take him out regular. After a nap or food, and about every hour for a tiny pup and two for older or bigger one.

Carole