Helpful Tips On Raising Your Shih Tzu Pup

Bringing home your new Shih Tzu pup is a very happy moment for you, your family, and your puppy. Everyone is happy and then comes the time to try and train the little dog. A Shih Tzu pup is very arrogant and stubborn and they do not respond to punishment so you are going to not only have to exercise the utmost in patience while training your pup but you are also going to have to find new and creative ways to use positive reinforcement to have it do the things you want it to do and not punish it for things you do not want it to do. You want your new Shih Tzu pup to feel comfortable in your home. You will be using a crate or a pen to housebreak it but for the first few minutes just let it wander the house so it knows there is a whole big house to conquer. Watch for signs of needing to use the bathroom like sniffing and circling and get the dog outside if that happens. If they do their business outside then praise and reward them profusely and hope you are setting a good precedent. 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. The coat of a Shih Tzu pup needs to be neat and clean at all times. You will be brushing your Shih Tzu daily to make sure their long coat remains tangle free because if a Shih Tzu gets a tangled coat then that Shih Tzu could wind up sick and that is not something you want to happen. Make sure you discuss bathing habits and needs with your breeder so that you will know how to properly bathe your Shih Tzu pup. The Shih Tzu pup is a fireball of energy and they want to be right at the center of attention. Your Shih Tzu pup will require a lot of your attention and you should be prepared to be spending a lot of time each day playing with your Shih Tzu pup and getting them to run around and be happy. They are very loyal pets and if you take the time to make them feel happy then they will return that love to you in a way that only the Shih Tzu is capable of. You can find helpful information on training Shih Tzu puppies in this article. You can use this article to assist you with Shih Tzu puppy care.