Raising Your Shih Tzu Pup
Bringing home your new Shih Tzu pup is a very happy moment for you, your family, and your puppy. Everyone is happy and then comes the time to try and train the little dog. A Shih Tzu pup is very arrogant and stubborn and they do not respond to punishment so you are going to not only have to exercise the utmost in patience while training your pup but you are also going to have to find new and creative ways to use positive reinforcement to have it do the things you want it to do and not punish it for things you do not want it to do.
The first thing you want to do with your new Shih Tzu pup is to let it wander just a little so it knows the house and knows what it will be missing out on when you put it in its pen or crate to housebreak it.
Watch for signs of needing to use the bathroom like sniffing and circling and get the dog outside if that happens. If they do their business outside then praise and reward them profusely and hope you are setting a good precedent.
Housebreaking a Shih Tzu pup is very important and takes months to accomplish even if you do it right. So be patient and remember to not to punish the dog. You will need to designate one part of one room in the house as the dog’s spot and put a large crate there or create a pen. Put the dog’s bedding and food there and play with it so it knows that this is a place for it to feel comfortable. Then, only when you are home, confine the dog.
Keep the dog in the crate or pen while you are home and every 45 minutes you need to take it outside and see if it does its thing. If he does go to the bathroom in the designated bathroom area then praise it a lot. The Shih Tzu will not mess its own living area unless you leave it locked up too long and that is why you need to take it out frequently. Then start moving to different parts of the house and repeat the process until the dog gets it. Then you can let it wander.
It is extremely important to maintain a clean and tangle free coat on your Shih Tzu pup. A tangled coat on a Shih Tzu pup means that you can probably expect health issues with the dog so keep that coat clean and neat by brushing at least once a day.
Ask your breeder about how to properly bathe a Shih Tzu, as it is something that requires a delicate touch if you do not want the dog to become unreasonable.
The Shih Tzu loves to be the center of everyone’s world and you will need to show your Shih Tzu a great deal of attention and shower them with constant love and affection. They love to play so make sure you have lots of toys around and that you take time each day to play with your pet and make them happy. If you take the time to make your puppy happy then they will return that to you many times over.
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