Reddit reviews Four Paws Wee-Wee Puppy Dog Housebreaking Aid, 8 oz Spray

>Once we got him home, he's become kind of lazy? He doesn't really play much or interact with us. We bought him some toys that he'll chew on for a moment and then ignores them. He seems to prefer laying in our bedroom alone than being in the living room with us.

Who knows what his situation was before you got him, but think of it this way. The puppy was born some place, was probably moved to another place after being born (a shelter) for who knows how long, uprooted again after being adopted, and given to a couple of strangers who have now taken them to yet another strange place. In it's short life it may have very little consistency it's had to rely on - so at this point - it's just bascially "unsure" of it's surroundings and where it's at. The perceived "lazyness" is more like your puppy being extremely "cautious". I wouldn't rule out a vet visit (seems you already are going to see one) based on some infections and conditions that spread in shelters (like, kennel cough for instance).

The good thing is, training starts NOW. The key is to take things slow the first few days and part of your training regiment at this point should be to slowly introducing your dog to your home. Getting it acquainted with the weird furniture, items, and rooms. Here is a good link about things you should have already done before getting the puppy home. You can review the list and hammer out any holes. Here is an article that talks about how to handle the first night home with your pup.

A few things to keep in mind, in relation to the "training" that should begin immediately with your pup:

• Don't let the dog have a run of the house, yet. Keep him in one room at a time and shut all the other rooms of the house. Let him poke around and sniff the rooms at first, but during the day and when you are gone do not let the dog have "the run" of the house.
  
  
• Do you have a name for him? If so - start working immediately on his name recognition. Call him by name constantly. When he looks at you, gives you his attention, or responds in some form to his name, praise and treats! Positive reinforcement will be everything in ensuring you reward the good behaviors you want to reproduce. Simply ignore the bad behaviors by giving no attention, petting, talking, or coddling immediately after. On contrary, when he does good things, treat and praise immediately after.
  
  
• Invest time and research into how to properly "clicker train". This will help immensely and is an extremely effective and succesful way to associate "good job" for your pet.
  
  
• Crate Training. VERY IMPORTANT FROM THE GET GO. Read up here on how to get this accomplished. Patience and consistency and building up to longer periods in the crate are critical for success. It will takes weeks, days, and even months before you dog will be completely comfortable for long periods but again, it's a process not an "event". Don't go too fast and remember to give your dog small chunks of time to be successful. If you ask too much too soon, you won't get the results you expect. Make crating a "fun" activity and a "good" thing by offering all sorts of good things any time he goes inside. Some people have even started off feeding pups in their crate at first so they understand "good = being in crate".
  
  
• Be sure to stock pile treats. Treats are going to be your way of rewarding the dog. In a sense, it's more deep than "reward" as it's truly the first form of communication you can give to your dog in order to tell him: "Good job." Be sure to read these tips on training a puppy and the best way to provide positive reinforcement.
  
  
• Peeing and Pooping. Your puppy is going to have to go a lot and may go inside your home/room/dwelling. It's going to be a fact of nature you'll have to accept right away, and don't get discouraged or scold your pet for eliminating. At this phase, you don't want to instill fear into your dog by yelling at him for peeing/pooping. He won't understand at this age that peeing/pooping inside is a "no-no". Invest in pee pads and housebreaking scent spray..
  
  
• Make sure after getting your pup used to things at your home you look into obedience and training classes. They are INVALUABLE and are extremely beneficial for not only your dog, but for yourself. A lot about owning a dog is reflecting on your leadership qualities and attentiveness to your dogs behaviors and needs. Training/Obedience classes gives you direct access to an expert who can spell these things out for you and your dog.
  
  >Also, eating. We were given a bag of ScienceDiet for puppies that ran out sooner than we expected. The Petco was closed that night, so we googled options and came out with a chicken-rice blend that he wolfed down. Now he's not eating the ScienceDiet we managed to procure the next day. Did we ruin his training by switching meals? Or is it possible that he's just not hungry? He hasn't eaten once today.
  
  Again, a lack of appetite could be a result of the added stress from being relocated to it's new home. Just make sure you have plenty of water for him to drink and always give him food at scheduled times at first, even if he eats it or not. A couple schools of thought about feeding, but I prefer to feed my dog at scheduled times, 3 times a day (GSD/Rottweilier, prone to bloat so I spread out meals). In this fashion, you can control the, as a puppy, many potty breaks your dog will need at first. Bladder control is going to be something you have to build your dog up to - it won't be able to hold it at first and prepare for accidents. Controlling the feeding will allow you to eventually notice how long and when your dog needs to poop. It will also allow you to put it on a schedule so that it doesn't need to poop in the middle of the day or times when you may be gone.
  
  People have recommended the "FoodAdvisor" website which I strongly suggest. Read up on different grain-free foods that are in your budget. There are lots of great foods for your dog in lots of different price ranges, you just have to do some digging for them. Using FoodAdvisors "Most Recommended" list would be a good start. I feed my GSD/Rottie Blue Buffalo Wilderness - Chicken & Rice recipe. It's about $50 for a 24LB bag and that lasts just about a month or a bit under.

You are actually right. There are only a few brands available on Canada Amazon, with not so good reviews. Here is one to give a shot (they make popular pee pads, so I think these might work):

https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B001OVBAQW