Shih Tzu – Properly Train Your New Shih Tzu Puppy

Shih tzu puppy training is very important, whether you are
training your first shih tzu puppy or your 20th. Properly
training and socializing a shih tzu puppy is vital to making it
a valued member of your family and your community.

In some ways training a shih tzu puppy is easier than training
an adult or adolescent dog. One reason is that the shih tzu
puppy is essentially a “blank slate”, untroubled by past
training techniques and other issues. In other ways, however,
the shih tzu puppy can be more difficult to train than an older
shih tzu dog.

One challenge to training a new shih tzu puppy is that shih tzu
puppies are more easily distractible than adolescent and adult
shih tzu dogs. Everything is new to a shih tzu puppy, and every
new experience provides a new chance for distraction. For this
reason, it is best to keep training sessions short when working
with a shih tzu puppy, and to end each training sessions on a
positive note.

It is also important to allow the shih tzu puppy plenty of time
to play, and to interact with other shih tzu puppies and shih
tzu dogs. Socialization training is vital to making your new
shih tzu puppy a good canine citizen, as dog aggression is a
growing problem in many areas. A properly socialized shih tzu
dog learns how to play properly with other dogs, and overly
aggressive play is punished by the other dogs in the play group.

This type of play learning is something that happens among
siblings in litters of shih tzu puppies. As the shih tzu puppies
play with each other, they learn what is appropriate and what is
not. Inappropriate behavior, such as hard biting or scratching,
is punished by the other shih tzu puppies, by the mother shih
tzu dog, or both.

Unfortunately, many shih tzu puppies are removed from their
mothers and sold or adopted before this socialization has fully
occurred. Therefore, shih tzu puppy play sessions are a very
important part of any shih tzu puppy training session. Most good
shih tzu puppy preschool training programs provide time in each
session for this type of dog interaction.

Introducing your shih tzu puppy to new experiences and new
locations is also an important part of shih tzu puppy training.
Teaching your shih tzu dog to be obedient and responsive, even
in the face of many distractions, is very important when
training shih tzu dogs and shih tzu puppies.

One great way to socialize your shih tzu puppy both to new
people and new dogs is to take it on a trip to your local pet
store. Many major pet store chains, and some independent ones as
well, allow pet parents to bring their furry children, and these
stores can be great places for shih tzu puppies to get used to
new sights, sounds and smells. Of course you will want to make
sure the store allows pets before heading over.

It is important for shih tzu puppy owners to structure their
pet’s environment so that the shih tzu puppy is rewarded for
good behaviors and not rewarded for others. One good example of
this is jumping on people. Many people inadvertently reward this
behavior because it can be cute. While it is true that jumping
can be cute for a 2 pound shih tzu puppy, it will not be so cute
when that puppy has grown into a 10 pound shih tzu dog.

Instead of rewarding the shih tzu puppy for jumping, try
rewarding it for sitting instead. This type of positive
reinforcement will result in a well behaved adult shih tzu dog
that is a valued member of both the family and the community at
large.

This type of reinforcement can also be used in potty training
the new shih tzu puppy. For instance, teaching a shih tzu puppy
to use a unique surface such as gravel or asphalt is a good
technique. The theory is that the shih tzu puppy will associate
this surface with going potty, and therefore be reluctant to use
other surfaces (like your kitchen carpet for instance) as a
potty.