Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi! I just got my 9-week old Shiba, Kila, a week ago. For the first few days she was doing great with the puppy training pads in the house. The only accidents she had were overnight in her crate, otherwise she went on the pads. However, as the weather started to get nicer, I started taking her outside to go potty. Ever since then, she has refused to use the puppy pads. She always goes when I take her outside, but she also is having accidents all over the living room and my bedroom. I finally just rolled up the small area rug that was her prime target (always different spots on the rug and I was cleaning it with a pet spot and odor remover).

Is she marking her territory? Is she just confused by the switch from inside to outside? What is going on?

Also, I am having a terrible time with the crate training. The first few days she liked her crate, went in there on her own to sleep during the day, and only cried minimally when she was actually shut in it for the night. But now she just cries and screams like she's being murdered and she can go like that for at least 45 minutes. Last night I finally just pulled her out of the crate and put her bed onto my bed. She went right to sleep without any problems. I don't want her to get in the habit of sleeping in my bed, even if she is still in her puppy bed, but no one gets any sleep if we try to leave her in the crate. I don't want to let her "win" since I'm the boss, but I also don't want her to develop a complex about the crate b/c it's unsafe for her to refuse to be in there peacefully.

Kila is not motivated by treats and barely by toys. All she wants is to be cuddled. I did not have these kinds of problems with my Akita puppy 12 years ago and I'm at a loss. Please someone help me figure out how to be the best "mommy" I can be. Thanks.

Hi Ellinida and big welcome to you and Kila!

To answer some of your questions... First for the potty training. You have to remember that a 9 week old puppy is small and has a small bladder. They also don't yet have full control of the muscles that control the bladder. Minimally your pup would be required to relieve herself every two hours and that includes night time. There is no way a 9 week old puppy could expect to hold it for 8 or more hours. Dogs will rarely relieve themselves where they are going to sleep. Shibas are especially fastidious so going in her crate goes against her nature. I'm not that big a fan of training pads but if you use them they should be placed by the backdoor or whatever door she will be using to go outside. This makes the transition much easier.

The crate training should always be a pleasant experience. As for the crying and screaming, you don't say where the crate is when it's bedtime. It should be in the bedroom with you so she knows you are close by. At this age it's also easy to forget that she is nervous and scared and doesn't have the comfort of her mother being there. You said you didn't want Kila to win but she has already by your putting her in bed with you. One trick to try at night would be to put a hot water bottle in the crate with her to simulate her nuzzling up to her mother and littermates. You could also try an old fashioned ticking clock wrapped in a blanket to simulate her mothers heartbeat. One other thing... it is always best to not make a big deal of being in the crate. She should want to go in there but on her own accord. During the day the door should be left open so she can go in and out. It may also help to put a blanket over the crate and down the sides to make a sort of den or safe place she can go.

One thing to remember about a Shiba Inu. They are a very different breed of dog than you may be used to. Once your pup gets over her shyness she will want to play... most likely all day. Still though it would be best to not be overly protective and pick her up all of the time as that could lead to future problems such as seperation anxiety.

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If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went.

Sorry, I didn't specify, but the crate is in my bedroom with padding and one of my tshirts. I will try a ticking clock. The only time she had an accident in there was the very first night when I got my timing off about taking her out.

We haven't had anymore accidents in the crate. We go out about every 2 hours or whenever she seems particularly interested/in need (after naps, after feeding). I just can't figure out why she is refusing to use the pads (if for some reason we don't make it out in time) when she was using them perfectly for the first couple of days.

When she wants to pee in the house, she gives absolutely no warning--just squats and does her business--but outside she walks back and forth a bit so I know that she's getting ready.

Thanks for your suggestions! Kila is turning out to be a bit different than the Akitas I've had in the past and I need all the advice I can get!

Hi, welcome!

2 hours is about right. I think the rule of thumb with puppies is their age in months 1 is how long they can possibly hold it - so the longest for her would be 3 hours max.

Shiba's are very clean dogs, they do not like to go in the house or even in their territory - one of mine WILL NOT pee in the yard - okay she used to not pee in the yard but gave up that stance during these very, very cold last few weeks. She sees it as her space ans why would she want to soil it. So she would never ever use a pee pad, and must be walked atleast 4-6 times a day!

I would try bells on the back door. Every time you take her outside to pee ring hte bells - with in a week she will be ringing them to let you know.

Shibas are smart and quick learners, just be consistant and she'll gett the hang of it.
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Alicia,Owned by 2 Shibas, Niko and Avari, 3 cats, Miss Kitty, Mr. Grobbles and Al E. Cat and 2 beautiful daughters, Gwen and Penelope

Like Alicia's shiba, mine won't "potty" in the yard either--and she never used a pee pad. (In fact, I think she only had one accident in the house, but I was a little too fastidious about taking her out--to the point that she started running away when I got her harness!)

I used soft music to calm my dog (Artemis) when she was a puppy in the crate (she was a real fan of Norah Jones), and I would randomly throw treats in the crate during the day to get her used to seeing it as a good place.

Good luck with your puppy. We'd love to see pictures.

Melissa

Well, I'll try to post some pictures, but I don't quite know how to do it.

Posting photos is relatively here at the DogHobbyist. Being a registered member here you access to a free photo account. Look at the tabs at the top of this page. Click where it says Photos... register your username... then navigate to the Shiba Inu category. All you need is to have photos in a folder on your hard drive. Find the photo(s) you would like to upload. Go to the Photo Gallery and click where it says Browse. Find your folder and click on the photo... click on upload. Your photo will be uploaded. Once that is done... there are two ways to post it in your message. You can click on the photo and copy the url that shows up underneath it(do not use the url in the address bar)then paste it in the message area. Or you can simply place your message then scroll down the page a little ways and you'll see a box that says Photos. You can simply highlite the photo there... do a preview and you should be all set. If you upload more than one photo... you can highlite up to three using this method by holding down your CTRL key and highliting up to three photos. If you have any questions please ask... everyone here can help you. Hope this helps!
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If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went.

If the ticking clock isn't doable... try the hot water bottle with warm water in it. Don't substitute a heating pad or anything electrical for obvious reasons.

As for the potty training. I'm going to guess that when you first brought her home... she didn't know any better. She was scared and nervous and not sure of her surroundings. I believe those pads have a scent to them for the pups to use them. As the week went by she is becoming more familar with her surroundings and her bladder is just letting go. It is also not uncommon for female dogs to mark territory like the male dogs do. I'm thinking in addition to the two hour limit that within 30 minutes of her eating, she should also go outside. I'm sure you are but be sure to lavish her with praise when she relieves herself outside.

Akitas can be a bit willful in their own right but Shibas are definitely the puppet masters when it comes to pulling our strings! lol
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If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went.

We also took Jia out after she played vigerously for a bit. Play, sleep, eat....all require trips out. When she is using the bathroom outside, say the word you want her to associate with going to the bathroom. I used TT but most use potty. That way you can ask if she needs to go potty and she will let you know.

Puppy pads.....I had a rescue dog that never made the transition completely from pads to outside....so we had to use pads and/or paper for 10 yrs with him. I hate those things!!

When she does go inside, it's okay to grab her and run for the door, but otherwise...don't give her attention for doing somethign wrong. They use that!

When Jia was that age....and up to about a yr, she didn't sleep through the night. They are kind of nocturnal. 1-2 AM was play time. She may not want to go back in the crate because it's play time to her. In our case, we could either play and wear her out, or listen to her whine. We played.

Sherry

Thanks everybody for your great advice!

Kila is doing much better with the crate, sleeping in it with little (although still some) complaint. Last night she was in there for 6.5 hours without an accident and without waking up. Withholding liquids for about 3 hours before bedtime and doing the last feed about 5 hours before bedtime is working wonders.

Her potty training is also coming along. She still pees in the house, but she always lets me know when she needs to go #2. Even when she had the squirts due to her medicine, she never had a #2 accident in the house. I've given up on the training pads and now we are just going outside whenever the mood strikes.

I can't wait for her last round of vaccinations later this week b/c I think we are both sick of walking around the yard.

Oh, and she's already good with "Sit," "No," "Down," "Outside," "Potty," "Leave it," "Drop it," "Go get it," "Bring it back," and---occasionally---"Come."

I love my little Shiba! I posted some pictures of her in the photo gallery. (Thanks for the "How To" Shboom!)

Kila is absolutely adorable! What a sweetie!
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Anne, Bill, and Murphy

Brrrr!

Sounds like things are going pretty well! It's amazing how quickly they learn. Most shibas know "come" but only do it when there's something in it for them! Most of us also have an emergency "come" word for when we REALLY want our shibas to come (my dog's word is "cheese"--and I deliver).

I checked out Kila's photos over in the Gallery... she an absolute doll! Now just in case you didn't kmow... you can add those photos to your posts here. All you need to do is to highlite up to three in the box under this message area. You can also size a photo down and add it to your signature if you like. Let us know if you have any questions.

Now as for Kila... I'm glad she is responding to all of the sugestions that were given. Shiba's can be a little headstrong but they are also among the most intelligent of breeds. It's all in the consistant and positve interaction. Good luck with her continued training and it''l be fun to read more Kila stories!
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If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went.