Hi, I work from home, and recently got a 9 week old shih tzu puppy. The breeder had told me that the puppy was litter box trained. What he meant was he put the puppy in the crate with a big pan full of litter, and the puppy used to sleep there and potty there. So now when I got him home, I got a crate, and half of the crate I put a pan with litter and the other with a blanket.. and he always slept on the litter box, no matter what I tried. Finally a day ago he started sleeping on the blanket, but if he is not around the litter box while playing or in the night, he goes potty on the carpet. Now, he has been going potty on the carpet even if the litter box is like half a foot away from him. So I decided to take it away.

I put a puppy pad outside and put a bed in the crate, but he still likes to sleep and potty on the carpet and he is tearing the puppy pad up. If he is too sleepy to tear it up, then he sleeps on the puppy pad, but I still have not seen him potty on the puppy pad. What do I do? Please help. I want to train my puppy to sleep in the crate on the bed (poor thing, I think he just got used to sleeping on those pellets of litter that are so sharp sometimes), and also potty on the training pad, rather than on carpet (rather than tearing it up since he is teething - by the way, he has lots of toys, still he does it, I got him nylabone, and other toys).

Please Help! Thank you.

Have you tried using the sprays you can get? You spray it on newspaper an its supposed to make them do there business on there! U gradually move the paper to the back door then outside.give that a try

Hi Joann,

Thank you so much for answering, yes, I have tried using the simple solution spray which is supposed to attract dogs to do their business, he smells it, and actually licks it and then goes around and still pee's away from the puppy pad.
What I am doing now is every time I do catch him peeing somewhere else, I do a small little smack on his butt and put him on the puppy pad and tell him he is a bad boy, and as soon as he does it on the puppy pad, I give him a treat and smile and say good puppy, but its still the same story, I have to pick him up and put him on the puppy pad which is in the same room, he still manages to find the crack of carpet and does it there. I just donno what to do, please HELP!

Thank you.

I don't know what else to suggest then,keep up with the treats and praise as much as you can hopefully he'll get the hang of it soon.Be very firm and keep him on the pad when he has been bad and done his business on the carpet!
Good luck

If you have lino or tile anywhere in your house, I would suggest confining him to that area. Maybe a bathroom? Or use one of the folding pens to block an area. You could install a doggie door. Simple to install and fairly simple to train them. ( prop the door open at the beginning of training) Also, when possible take him outside as soon as he wakes up. Then PRAISE, PRAISE.