Shih Tzu – A Method of Housebreaking

House training is one of the most important parts of training
your shih tzu to be a valued part of the family. As with many
other aspects of shih tzu training, the best way to house train
a shih tzu is to use the dog’s own nature to your benefit. The
great thing about dogs, and the thing that can make house
training much easier, is that shih tzu are instinctively very
clean animals. Shih tzu would rather not soil the areas where
they sleep and eat. In addition, shih tzu are very good at
developing habits regarding where they like to urinate and
defecate. For example, shih tzu that are used to eliminating on
concrete or gravel will prefer to eliminate there rather than on
grass or dirt. It is possible to use these natural canine habits
when house training your shih tzu. Setting up the training area
The first step in house training your shih tzu is to set up your
training area. A small, confined space such as a bathroom, or
part of a kitchen or garage, works best as a training area. This
method of training differs from crate training. Crate training
is great for shih tzu puppies and other small dogs, but many
larger dogs find a crate too confining.

It is important for the owner to spend as much time in the
training area with his or her shih tzu as possible. It is
important for the owner to play with the shih tzu in the
training area, and to let the shih tzu eat and sleep in that
area. The shih tzu should be provided with a special bed in the
training area, anything from a store bought bed to a large towel
to a large box. At first, the shih tzu may eliminate in this
area, but once the shih tzu has recognized it as his or her own
space, he or she will be reluctant to soil it.

After the shih tzu has gotten used to sleeping in the bed, the
owner can move it around the house, relocating it from room to
room. When you are not with your shih tzu, the shih tzu should
be confined to the training area.

Setting up the toilet area The second part of house training is
to set up the toilet area for the shih tzu. It is important for
the shih tzu to have access to this place every time he or she
needs to eliminate. It is also important for the owner to
accompany the shih tzu each time until he or she gets into the
habit of eliminating in the toilet area. This will ensure that
the shih tzu uses only the established toilet area.

A set feeding schedule makes the house training process a lot
easier for both the owner and the shih tzu. Feeding the shih tzu
on a regular basis will also create a regular schedule for the
shih tzu’s toilet habits. Once you know when your shih tzu is
likely to need to eliminate, it will be simple to guide the shih
tzu to the established toilet area.

Once the shih tzu has established a toilet area and is using it
on a regular basis, it is very important to not confine the shih
tzu without access to the toilet area for long periods of time.
That is because if the shih tzu is unable to hold it, he or she
may be forced to eliminate in the training area. This habit can
make house training much more difficult.

Continuing the house training process After the shih tzu is
consistently eliminating in the toilet area and not soiling the
training area, it is time to extend that training area to the
rest of the home. This process should be done slowly, starting
with one room and slowly expanding to the rest of the house. The
area should only be extended once you are sure of the shih tzu’s
ability to control its bladder and bowels.

When you first expand the training area to a single room, let
the shih tzu eat, play and sleep in that room, but only when
supervised. When it is not possible to supervise the shih tzu,
place it back in the original training area. Then, after the
shih tzu has accepted the room as an extension of the original
training area, the area can be extended.

Speeding up the process If this process is too lengthy for your
needs, it can be speeded up, but it is important to proceed
cautiously. It is easier to take your time up front than to
retrain a problem dog later. One way to successfully speed up
house training is to praise and reward the shih tzu each and
every time it uses the established toilet area. It is also
important not to punish the shih tzu for mistakes. Punishment
will only confuse the shih tzu and slow down the house training
process.