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heyellowee · Jan 11, 2012, 03:10 PM

I live in a house with three other roommates and one of them owns a shih tzu. It has been very difficult since the owner got the puppy, moved, moved then moved again... this dog has a good spirit and is very smart but he is not disciplined at all. He was in a puppy class and graduated to the next level but failed, party because his owner did not do any of the homework and he missed a lot of the classes. It is hard to see this good of a dog be treated sometimes poorly by his owner. She will sarcastically mock him and call him names like dumb *** and the worlds most idiot dog or spank him. I personally think she should not have the dog but I am in no position to say that.

The rest of the household has seemed to take on the responsibility of the dog and we all try to do our part in training him but there is no consistency and patience is running thin... mostly with the owner since she doesn't follow any of the training we try to teach. Our current problem is the dog will go for a walk then poo about 20 minutes later in the house. I think he has trained us to let him out for walks based on the fact that we are scared he has to poo and don't want it to happen in the house... he is scratching our front door and I noticed today that I can't buff the scratches out.

This is a tough situation because we all like the dog and as roommates we all get along, it's just there is a lack of responsibility on the owners part that is super frustrating. I guess I'm asking if there are things we should do with the dog, who is almost one, to get him to stop tricking us into going outside then actually going inside. Should we get him on a food schedule? I am not a dog owner so I really have no clue... HELP!

He also begs horrible whenever there is food. Pulls on his leash. Does not respond to his name at all. Whines and barks... and thinks cars are the most fun thing to get close to on the planet.

ballengerb1 · Jan 11, 2012, 03:46 PM

Most of the behaviors you mention can be quickly trained out of him. However, since you are not the owner the amount of time and bonding needed for training may be out of the question.

heyellowee · Jan 11, 2012, 04:14 PM

The owner is gone from 9-5, give or take a few hours. I am home a lot throughout the day as are the other two roommates. HThe dog knows who the owner is but she is not consistent with training nor does she see the destructive things we do. I think it is unfair to leave to dog crated all day if one of us is going to be home, but if that would be best then I suppose I could.

I am thinking a daily log of when he was fed, taken out, what he did outside... something that we all follow so we know if we are taking him out too often r not enough. Also to get him on a feeding schedule that is the same, and to get him to follow the same commands and structure between all of the roommates.

Clearly a sit down with the owner is going to happen because he has pooped three times indoors in the last two days... none of which the owner was home for but the dog was taken for long walks and given exercise, tinkled outdoors... then comes inside an poos 20 minutes later...

I think the training will be easy it's just so many people trying to do it and nothing is consistent for the dog...

Thanks!

Wondergirl · Jan 11, 2012, 04:16 PM

Yes, the poor dog needs a pack leader. Right now he's acting like a spoiled brat. Would the owner allow one of you to become the pack leader?

ballengerb1 · Jan 11, 2012, 04:32 PM

In addition to training this little guys needs 100% supervision or crating. Will the owner allow crating? By 100% supervision I mean the dogs can never be out of sight or more than a few feet from you at ALL times, so maybe the crate will sound good now.

heyellowee · Jan 11, 2012, 05:00 PM

He has two crates, one very large crate that she has put a bed, food and water in... it's in her room and when he is in there is barks non stop and almost always goes to the bathroom. His other crate is a smaller travel case that is about 24 inches long that we keep in the living room. He behaves a lot better when he is in the smaller one, he hardly barks and never goes to the bathroom. The owner feels bad when we put him in the smaller one because she thinks it't too small. I did some research and asked around some other small dog owners and they said that their dogs prefer the smaller crate, just as long as the dog can easily turn around or stand. Which he can do both in the smaller crate.

As for becoming pack leader, I have tried to explain all this to her but she is one of those smart blonde girls that acts ditzy and does not pay attention at all or listens and retains the information.

The dog does enjoy the one male roommate we have and I think he could be pack leader since the dog responds best to him. However, he is hardly home also and would prefer to play with the dog rather than teach him anything. Still I think he would be better than the real owner.

I am trying to come up with a schedule log that we all write in when he is fed or taken out and what his eliminations were. Something that we can all look at.

I feel as far as research goes we have all done more than she has... it's unfortunate because we are starting to resent the dog and his bad behavior... the more I have been reading and talking about it on here the more I realize we need to all sit down and figure this out as a household, and perhaps elect a new pack leader!

I hate confrontation! At least it seems to be 3 against 1 on the dog training part... I hope it goes over smoothly and no feelings are hurt. I'll keep in mind that we are doing what is best for the dog... feelings aside.

Thank you all for your help!