Now that you have brought your Shih Tzu pup home it is time to start getting your pup to understand the rules of the house and how you want your new dog to behave. Whoa! Slow down there. The Shih Tzu is descended from dogs preferred by Chinese royalty and they maintain that regal air to this day. They carry themselves very well, they have a strong air of confidence, and they are very stubborn and arrogant dogs. This is not going to be easy.
The first thing you want to do when you get your pup home is let it explore its new surroundings a little. You will be confining it to its pen or crate very soon but just let it wander a little and if it starts sniffing in areas, or circling an area, get it outside immediately and then praise the dog when it does its business outside. We will go into housebreaking in a minute but just remember that a Shih Tzu does not respond at all to punishment but they respond very well to praise and positive reinforcement. Such is the ego of the Shih Tzu.
The very first concern of any new Shih Tzu pup owner is housebreaking. This takes months, even in the best conditions, so be prepared and be patient. Find a spot in a room in the house and get the dog a large crate or make a large pen area. Put the dog’s food and bedding in there and play with it while it is in the living area so it feels comfortable there. Then confine it only when you are home.
Every 45 minutes you need to take the dog outside to the designated toilet area and see if it does what it needs to do. If it does its thing in the designated toilet area then praise it profusely. You cannot leave a Shih Tzu caged up for too long or it will start to get confused and anxious and soil its own living area. If that happens you are back to square one so make sure you keep a close eye on your dog while it is in the confinement area.
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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