The Shih Tzu is a breed that likes to keep himself clean and should not be difficult to housetrain, provided that you are consistent in your approach. To housetrain with success, you will need to be firm but never harsh, and you must certainly never be rough with your Shih Tzu.
When your puppy first arrives in your home, he may or may not already be housetrained. However, you must always realize that your home is completely different from the breeder's home, so he will have to re-learn the house rules. Doors will not be located in the same places and your family may go to bed and rise at different times, so it will undoubtedly take him a little time to learn and to adapt.
The speed of your housetraining success will depend to a certain extent on your living environment and the season of the year. Most puppies are perfectly happy to go out into the yard in dry weather, but when rain is teeming down, most feel rather differently and will need considerable encouragement!
Paper training is not the most highly reccomended method for housetraining your puppy, because it can be difficult to re-train your dog to go outside to eliminate. However if you do decide to paper train your puppy, the paper should be placed by the door so that the pup learns to associate the paper with the exit to the wide world outside. When he uses the paper, he should be praised. Obviously, it is ideal if the puppy can be taken outside as soon as he shows any sign of wanting to do his business, but again this may depend on whether your home has immediate access to an outside area.
Here's why and how a crate solves most of your housebreaking concerns for your Shih Tzu. Crate training is based on a simple canine precept: dogs don't soil their sleeping areas. Your Shih Tzu is a classy Tibetan tyke and, of course, relishes clean bedding. This is true of not only your elegant toy dog but also of others—purebreds, mutts and all the rest! All dogs keep their sleeping areas clean. The crate serves as the dog's sleeping area, and therefore the dog will make every effort to keep his crate clean.
Page 1 | 2