Diapers for Leaks, Accidents, and Household Hygiene

Just because the offspring of a Shih Tzu and Poodle is called a Shih-poo (or Shihpoo, or Shipoo) does not mean these adorable non-shedding have any sort of potty problems. They generally make it through potty training quite quickly and easily. So, you may wonder why anyone would ever put a diaper on a Shihpoo. It can initially seem like they’re not trying hard enough to potty train them or that they’re trying too hard to treat them like a human baby. However, there can be many reasons why you choose to use a diaper for your Shihpoo.

Is it okay to use diapers with Shihpoo puppies or adult Shihpoo dogs? 

While you can use diapers for your Shihpoo for various reasons, whether a puppy or an adult, don’t use diapers as an alternative to potty training your puppy. You might consider using diapers full-time to minimize potential dripping in the home or at certain times during your Shihpoo’s life.

Avoid Exchanging Diapers for Potty Training

Don’t use diapers as a substitute for potty training. Your shampoo deserves your full attention as a puppy. Most people can be quite intelligent and can be potty training in a matter of a couple of days off not a few hours.

When my friend at work told me how you and his wife hung a bell next to the door and trained their dog to ring it in just a matter of a few hours, I was doubtful. However, it worked for both of our Shihpoos. See our video here.

You can be tempted to put a diaper on your brand new shipper puppy to preserve your home from potential messes. Keep in mind, however, that dogs naturally leave their living area, or their “den,” to do their business. The second best advice I’ve ever seen about potty training your puppy is to introduce her or him to one room at a time. Get your puppy used to living in the living room with you for a couple of days. Once they realize that the living room is for the family, you can then introduce them into a bedroom or the kitchen.

Each time you introduce them to a new room, make sure you continue to take her or him outside or to the designated potty area 

Small Diapers for Pee Drips

We actually use diapers for both of our boy shipping. We didn’t use to for our older one for the first five years of his life. Hello, since we moved to a new home, and had to live in a hotel for 5 weeks until we closed, he struggled. Even though we had him on a strict schedule of going out at least three times a day, and we introduced him to lots of playtime in our family room, he still had a couple of mistakes. Until he gets adjusted, he’s wearing a diaper just for those times that he makes mistakes.

Our youngest Shihpoo, though, will always wear a diaper. He doesn’t necessarily have any troubles typically going potty outside. He’s very good about sticking to his potty routine. However, he tends to be a dripper.

Some small dogs will piddle when they get excited. I have not heard of that being the case for many Shihpoos. Our youngest, however, just tends to leak a tiny bit when he comes back into the house. We originally tried just patting him dry, but for the next hour or so, he would still drip here or there, though not every time.

So for him, he wears a diaper just to keep our carpets and couches a little more hygienic and clean. We find we have to change his diaper about every five to seven days when it starts to look stained on the inside.

Difference between Male and Female Doggy Diapers

Diapers for male Shihpoos will look like a rectangular cloth band, usually with velcro to secure it, that you place around your puppy’s waist, covering this little pee-pee.

Diapers for female Shihpoos, on the other hand, will cover the dogs behind. They typically have a hole in the back middle for the tail.

Diapers for Preventing Poop Accidents

This is a common question I have heard and seen online. Most diapers are not effective for holding poop in our experience.

Our two super boys wear waistband diapers. We bought some female diapers as well, hoping they might work in case they have a poop accident. However, our oldest has his poop hole actually on the base of his tail, so even a female diaper would not catch anything coming out.

That said, it does tend to create an uncomfortable feeling for him, and he won’t go even outside if we accidentally leave it on.

If you want to give it a try, I have read many articles about dog families buying size 2 or size 3 human diapers and cutting out a hole in the place where the tail is.

With all that said, though, this should still not be a substitute for taking your puppy outside. Don’t think it’s okay to put a diaper on your dog and go to work for 8 hours or 10 hours. If your dog soils his or her diaper and has to wear it around for more than an hour, it could result in very irritated skin just the same as human babies can get if left in a dirty diaper too long.

Diapers for Older Shihpoos

For dogs who struggle with incontinence, this may be an option, particularly as they age.

Regardless, if you go in this direction, make sure you keep your puppy’s rear end as clean and dry as possible between accidents.

Diapers during a Female Shihpoo’s Period or When in Heat 

If you’re brave enough to bring a girl shampoo into your home and not have her spayed, then you and your girl both deserve to have her use diapers when she is in heat. It can become a messy experience, as most such families already know, so having enough diapers to change and cycle through while you keep your Shihpoo and your home clean, can make a huge difference in your life and your relationship with your dog.

If you have a girl shampoo, you should start watching for signs and have several diapers on hand by the time she hits four or five months. Small dogs like Shihpoos tend to mature faster and hit puberty sooner than larger dogs.

Since a canine menstrual cycle will last typically three weeks and can be as long as four weeks, you will want to have enough diapers to get you through until your next wash day. That might be four or five diapers or more common depending on how often you are willing to wash them.

Washable versus Disposable Shihpoo Diapers

In the end (pun intended), your choice to use disposable diapers versus washable diapers comes down to your personal priorities. We have chosen to spend more upfront to buy washable diapers since, over the long run, you spend less money.

However, having a soiled diaper sit on the washing machine for 2 or 3 days can become rather unpleasant to your olfactory senses.

We also chose washable diapers to avoid contributing disposables to the landfill. We did too much of that with our human children already, and want to try and make up for that.

You will have your own reasons either way. The most important thing to remember, though, is to keep your puppy’s privates and undercarriage clean once they have wet or soiled their diaper.

Our Shihpoo Diaper Brands of Choice

If you want to get doggy diapers for your young Shihpoo puppy, you’ll likely want to start with extra small diapers.

We would not want to use doggy diapers that come with inserts. To me, that’s too messy and too much work. We like the Teomoy and the Pet Parents diapers because they are so quick and easy to put on and convenient and durable to wash and rewash.

Related Questions

How do you get diapers to stay on your Shihpoo?

Similar to human disposable diapers, most commercially-available doggy diapers use Velcro to secure the diaper around the Shihpoo’s lower belly.

Can you make diapers yourself for your Shihpoo?

You can make doggy diapers out of disposable human baby diapers simply by cutting a hole for the dog’s tail.