I have been taking my 5 month old Shorkie (Shih Tzu and Yorkie) out to do get him to do his business, but he just wants to play and sniff without doing his business. We stay out for at least 30 minutes and then I bring him back in and he urinates and defecates on his newspaper. How do I get him to just go outside and not come back in and do it on the paper? Should I remove the paper after he comes back in? I keep him in a big room with easy to clean floors while at work with newspaper on it. Should I crate him while at work? I do work some 10 hour days and some 5.5 hr days. Is 10 hours too long to crate him? I need help! Thanks! :confused:

I don't think you should expect a 5 month old to go 10 hours. Could you find a neighbor or a professional dog walker to give him a break or even 2? As long as he only has to go about 5 hours, I would crate him whenever you are away. It is only natural that a puppy resists its crate at first. What the puppy
Wants more than anything else is to be others, you, anyone else in the
Household, and any other pets. In our modern society, even if we are home,
Other things distract us from the attention an uncrated puppy must have. The
Only real solution is to crate the dog when you aren't around. The dog may be
Happier in its den than loose in the house. It relaxes, it feels safe in its
Den. It rests, the body slows down reducing the need for water and relieving
Its self. Dogs that have been crated all along do very well. Many of them
Will rest in their crates even when the door is open. I think the plastic
Ones give the dog more of a safe, enclosed den feeling. Metal ones can be put
In a corner or covered with something the dog can't pull in and chew. Select
A crate just big enough for the full grown dog to stretch out in.

Leave it some toys. Perhaps a Kong filled with peanut butter. Don't leave
Anything in the crate the dog might chew up. It will do fine without even any
Bedding. You will come home to a safe dog and a house you can enjoy.

A dog that has not been crated since it was little, may take some work.
Start just putting its toys and treats in the crate. Praise it for going
in. Feed it in the crate. This is also an easy way to maintain order at
Feeding time for more than one dog.

The "shut the puppy in a safe room" is a fallacy. Very few houses even have a
Safe room. How many of us have a room with a hard surfaced floor and nothing
Else? Most rooms have electrical cords to chew if nothing else. In addition
To destroying anything a bored puppy finds to chew, it may choke or have
Intestinal blockage from the pieces. I had a friend that left her dog in a
"safe" room. It ate a hole in the floor covering. The safe rooms fail to
Give the dog the comfort of the enclosed space their instinct requires. Nor
Do they restrict activity extending the time the dog can go without relieving
Itself.

A couple of things may help getting him to eliminate outside. The converse of extending how long they can wait by confining them is making them move around outside. Suddenly there is no holding it. So keep him moving unless he stops to sniff around. Your could also take the newspapers out side. Don't forget raving about what a good dog he is when he does go. And don't punish him by ending all his outdoor fun by immediately dragging him back in.

If he understands that he is supposed go on the newspaper then take a soiled newspaper outside and show it to him. Sometimes that gives them the idea. Always take him on a leash when you are trying to housetrain him. Letting him run around in the yard will not teach him what you want.

On your day off take him out on a leash once an hour to a specific spot (maybe where the newspaper is, say whatever word you want for this "go potty"etc and when he goes praise him. When he doesn't, don't say anything, just take him back inside. By the end of the day he should have it pretty well figured out. Having a dog know he is supposed to go on paper in the house isn't such a bad idea. It is always nice in an emergency if he can't get out and you are gone, and when the weather is really bad.

Also, if you are going to crate him (I prefer an exercise pen, if the dog is small, it works well, with a bed or an open crate and water at one end and newspapers at the other end) be sure to put water in with him in a cup that will attach to the door so he won't spill it. Dogs should always have fresh water available.

Hope this helps,
Molly