Do not let the small size of a Shih Tzu fool you. When it comes to this little dog, words such as active, busy, curious, and creative all come to mind. However, training your Shih Tzu can be difficult.
Please don’t make the mistake of leaving your Shih Tzu home alone without some form of entertainment to keep him busy, or your dog will create his own amusement, including barking, digging, chewing, and exploring.
Things you should consider before owning this little bundle of energy is a well-fenced yard, secure closing doors, toys and activities, and ample time to socialize, train, and groom them.
Although the Shih Tzu may look like a decorative dog, and there is no doubt that it will emboss your life. However, it is a handful the majority of the time. Be forewarned and be ready!
The Shih Tzu is a good-natured and cheerful breed of dog. They’re brilliant, though hard to train. Shih Tzus loves human contact and craves companionship and attention, which makes it easy to spoil.
At times, they can be very stubborn, with a touch of pride and arrogance. They’re also guilty of short attention spans, selective memories, and they become distracted quickly.
Training Your Shih Tzu is Difficult Because They Would Prefer Lounging in Your Lap Instead of Boring Training Sessions
However, they do have a good sense of humor and would rather play around than worry about a training session.
You must find a way to train your Shih Tzu and teach her how to behave by making her want to cooperate.
When it comes to training your dog, plan on spending some serious time. Do not forget that house training a Shih Tzu may require more than one refresher course.
Don’t be disappointed if you’re Shih Tzu do not win any obedience awards. However, there have been some of them that have won some high-level obedience titles.
Don’t be discouraged. Your Shih Tzu can go far beyond the basics; after all, they’re smart enough. It would help if you remembered that Shih Tzus were bred to be companion dogs and not working dogs.
If your dog is to excel in obedience, it will take the skill, dedication, talent, patience, and hard work of its owner.
Perfecting the art of obedience is difficult for a Shih Tzu because it’s not easy to keep them focused. However, they can learn house manners with some patience.
When training your Shih Tzu, expect her to obey a few commands at first to please you, but when the novelty wears off, the problems start.
She will want you to indulge and baby her before the training session is complete. After completing a few commands, good luck trying to get a repeat performance.
This is when the stubbornness of the breed shows itself. It will refuse, and all the sweet-talking in the world won’t work. Please don’t set your expectations for your dog too high because they have a mind of their own.
Therefore, if you are an excellent trainer and your dog has a love for obedience work, both of you will be astonished at the results.
