will it ever fucking sink in?

[Dieu]

Sorry for the sweary title, but I'm tired and fed up. Shih Tzu pup is 5 months old today. For weeks, nay months now, we have been taking him outside to the garden for the toilet. We have a cue word, a tub of treats that we keep specifically out there, loads of praise when successfully done. However he is still having shitloads of accidents, both wees and poos, inside. I can't tell you how fucking sick and tired I am of cleaning it up and having my (once) lovely home reek of piss. Not to mention shit from the times it gets stuck in his long fur (whhhy didn't I go for a short haired breed? He is still too young to have his puppy fur properly cut into, according to groomer). I absolutely hate this. You'd think after all this time and effort it might just dawn on him ever so slightly that we like him doing it outside, but no, every time I issue his cue word, he looks at me like I've just said it for the first time ... again. I have just woken up from an hour's nap on the sofa (right beside back door) to 4 pees and a poo. How the hell is that even normal? Vet says he's healthy, so I can rule out anything medical. We all absolutely adore him but I don't know what I will do if it's still like this when he starts cocking, as presumably that'll be worse? Gah, think male dogs/smaller breeds/Shih Tzus slower to 'get it' than bitches. Sorry for the rant and thanks very much for reading.

We used these for toilet training

www.petsathome.com/shop/en/pets/puppy-training-pads

They worked incredibly well And would recommend them to anyone.

Don't want to depress you but it took 18 months to train my yorkie, he often used to get in a mess with his fur too. I used to take him outside every hour when I was in and gave him a treat every single time he did something.
He's four now and whilst generally OK, still goes in the house sometimes, but always in the bathroom so easily cleaned.

Thanks for the replies to you both; I must sound like a right old grump. Our wooden floors are honey coloured, just like his pee, so stepping in them constantly is doing nothing for my moods!
BOC, I like to think that we are past the puppy pad stage ... even though we're clearly not! Nevertheless, it would feel like I was delaying things even more by effectively allowing him to toilet indoors.
Anyway, he is so poor at toilet training, bless him, that he didn't even use the pads consistently in the first place (would probably still be on them if he did)
Anyway, think I just have to accept that it's going to take a while ... and that my soft furnishings will probably need replacing when we finally get there (yes, I allowed him up on them too soon, just to add to the catalogue of first-time-dogowner mistakes I've made).

It was extreme vigilance that worked for our Shih Tzu pup. She's a yr old now bad was trained by three months by spending absolutely all her time either - out of crate and supervised with a hawks eyes, in her crate, out in the back garden - for the first couple months. We took her out every ten mins, after every play session, every entry or exit from crate. She simply wasn't given an opportunity to relieve herself indoors. We have carpeted floors so you can imagine!

My chi/jrt is 8 months old and has just about got it but still the odd poop on the back door mat. 5 months is still a baby keep being vigilant and a very firm NO if you catch him peering or pooing inside. My pampered pooch goes on furniture and sleeps in bed (as in under the covers curled up with me) and he's my third dog it's a choice not a mistake

I have a post about my 10 month old still peeing at night. I am actively working on it for the last 11 nights and he has been dry (me getting up in middle of night)

I totally feel your pain...... Re the grooming I would get his bum area shaved. My groomer also told us to wait until his adult fur/hair matured but she did shave under his tail and hind legs to prevent anything sticking.

Hiya.

Is he crate trained?