Shih Tzu – Housetraining Your Shih Tzu The Right Way

House training your Shih Tzu properly is one of the most
important aspects of Shih Tzu ownership. More dogs are
surrendered to animal shelters for elimination problems than for
any other reason, so proper house training can literally be a
lifesaver.

The most popular ways to house break Shih Tzu, and the ones that
are the most effective, are those that use the Shih Tzu’s own
instincts to provide this important lesson. Shih Tzu are
instinctively very clean animals, and they try very hard to
avoid soiling the areas where they sleep and where they eat. The
modern methods of house training Shih Tzu, including crate
training, den training and other variations, take advantage of
this aspect of dog behavior to create a well behaved, house
trained Shih Tzu in less time than many other methods.

Another aspect of the Shih Tzu’s nature that can be used to your
advantage is the fact that the dog pays close attention to the
kind of surface on which it makes its toilet. That means that a
Shih Tzu that has become accustomed to using grass or dirt as a
toilet will be reluctant to eliminate on other surfaces, such as
gravel, asphalt or carpet for that matter. This is a great
aspect of canine behavior that many owners are unaware of.

The first part of house training any Shih Tzu is setting up the
training area, or the Shih Tzu’s den. The den is the centerpiece
of the house training program, and it should be a small area,
like a small bathroom, or part of a larger room. The Shih Tzu
should be confined to this den any time it cannot be directly
supervised.

It is also important for the owner to spend as much time as
possible in the established den with the Shih Tzu. The owner and
family members should spend time in the den, playing and
interacting with the Shih Tzu. It is important for the Shih Tzu
to feel as comfortable as possible in his special area. The Shih
Tzu should be given a special bed in the training area. This bed
can be anything from a store bought bed to a beach towel to
something as simple as a large cardboard box. The important
thing is that the Shih Tzu feel comfortable and secure in this
area.

At first the Shih Tzu may do its business in the bed area of its
den, but after awhile, when the Shih Tzu has come to recognize
this as his sleeping area, he should be reluctant to eliminate
there.

The other part of this house training process is to establish
the toilet area. It is very important that the Shih Tzu have
ready access to the toilet area every time he needs to do his
business. It is also very important for the owner to go with the
Shih Tzu every time he goes to the toilet area. This is
important for two reasons. First, it will ensure that the Shih
Tzu uses the established toilet area, and only the toilet area.
Second, it will allow the owner to provide praise and
encouragement to the Shih Tzu for using the toilet area.
Establishing a set feeding schedule for the Shih Tzu is also
very important to properly house training the Shih Tzu. A set
feeding schedule will mean a set elimination schedule. Once you
are familiar with the Shih Tzu’s toilet schedule, you will be
better able to anticipate his toilet needs and take him to the
toilet area whenever the need arises.

It is important to not confine the Shih Tzu for long periods of
time without access to his toilet area. If the Shih Tzu is left
alone too long, he may have no choice but to soil his den area,
and this can set house training back for weeks or even months.
It is important to take the Shih Tzu to the toilet area
consistently, and to provide lots of praise every time the Shih
Tzu eliminates there.