[lakesuperior]

I got my 5 month old male Shih Tzu when he was 9 weeks old. (He was neutered 10 days ago.) I worked diligently to potty train him to go outdoors during the day and use a ‘potty patch’ after dark. After 3 weeks he was doing great! He was 99% potty trained until four days ago:(

Now he just goes where ever he wants to and refuses to use the ‘potty patch’ or potty outside! He simply squats any where he likes! (not furniture) I’m heart broken. I understand that using indoor pads is not a good thing but I do not know what to do. We live in the northern back woods where we have bob cat, bear and hundreds of coyotes. I’m terrified to be outside after dark with such a small animal that looks like a tasty treat to any of the wild life on the hunt. Walking outside by myself isn’t as much of an issue but I don’t look like a rabbit either. I'm also concerned about the pending winter; we're in the snow belt and six feet of snow by January is our normal. I believed I could cross train him and he did perfectly for over two months!

I am now back to crate training and on a very strict schedule. I've eliminated the potty patch completely and we're just going outside but it's a misery when you have to be so on guard and jump at every sound. (I lost a beloved cat who was standing right beside me one night to a pack of coyotes so this fear is very real.)

I can understand an accident here & there but he goes on the floor the minute his feet touch it. He’ll squat right in front of me! He has not done this in months. He's such a sweet and happy puppy I can’t understand how we went from 99% to 0 in one day:(

I did return to the vet but he say's the puppy is perfectly fine. The puppy has had two physicals and is up to date on vaccines. Last night after I brought him in from an outdoor potty visit I placed him in his crate because he did not go. 35 minutes later, to my horror, he was laying in a large puddle of urin! He was completely soaked and had to have a bath at nearly midnight. The crate is only large enough for him to lay down in. He can stand up and turn around but nothing more. The only way he can potty in the crate is to lay in it which did not seem to bother him... I've never heard of such a thing! Last week I would have never believed that my puppy would ever do these things, it just happened over night! Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated!

[mschelhas]

Sounds like my 5 month old miniature schnauzer. At 4 months, he was really improving and knew what phrases meant to go outside and even scratched at the door to let us know when it was time to go out. Now, he does none of this and simply squats anywhere he wants to without any sign! I'm searching the internet for answers because cleaning up after him and the constant reek of urine in my carpet is disgusting.