pad training

Question
QUESTION: i have a three year old shi-tzu and a seven year old yorkie they both are not housebrocken b/c nothing works i am gone from 7:30 to 4:00. i do not like them outside without me b/c of dog nappers. i would like to pad train them if possible. PLEASE HELP!

ANSWER: I'd get an xpen set up (if you need to, get a scrap of flooring to go under it to save floors and carpets. I'd use a litter box rather than pads for a number of reasons. The main one being that the litter "feels" more like outside - and you can easily start taking a little used litter out in the yard to encourage them to go there. It also doesn't look or feel to the dogs like carpet, rugs, newspapers and other things that sometime end up on the floor in a house the way pads do. The litter has an attractant in it to encourage them to use it, and as long as you limit their options by not allowing them free access to the rest of the house, they should adjust to using it pretty quickly. I had 5 week old puppies who would run for the litter as soon as they woke up, and I did not have to train them to do that. When your dogs are out of their xpen with you, be sure to supervise carefully, using baby gates and shutting doors so they are always in your sight. Even tether them to you if necessary so you see where they are and what they are doing. At the FIRST sign of sniffing, they should be immediately transported outside or to their litter box. Clean all soiled areas thoroughly with an enzymatic cleaner. You didn't mention the sex of the dogs. If they are male, you may have a marking problem, in which case, I'd use belly bands in conjunction with your supervision and training. Sandy Case BFA MEd CPDT www.positivelycanine.com

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QUESTION: the shi-tzu is a boy and the yorkie is a girl. what are xpens and what kind of liter should i buy and last what do i do with the shi tzu if he has marking problems

Answer
xpens look like this>: http://www.petguys.com/-027773001310.html
they can be made round or square - to fit your area, and give a dog more freedom than a crate, but not free run of the house when you can't be watching. Purina makes a dog litter called "second nature" which contains an attractant scent. I found that once the dogs have the habit of using it, Woody Pet which can be bought at Tractor Supply works just as well and is incredibly cheap. If your male (is he neutered?) is marking, he also needs to be supervised or in the xpen and retrained. And soiled spots need to be cleaned with an enzymatic cleaner. A belly band might also be helpful. http://www.petguys.com/-027773001310.html