Bringing home a new shih tzu puppy is always an exciting time. Introducing the new shih tzu puppy to the family should be fun for both yourself and your shih tzu puppy. One of the first challenges, however, to the excitement of the new shih tzu puppy, is curbing inappropriate shih tzu puppy behaviors.
Preventing biting and mouthing Biting and mouthing is a common activity for many young puppies and dogs. Puppies naturally bite and mouth each other when playing with siblings, and they extend this behavior to their human companions. While other puppies have thick skin, however, humans do not, so it is important to teach your shih tzu puppy what is appropriate, and what is not, when it comes to using those sharp teeth.
The first part of training the shih tzu puppy is to inhibit the biting reflex. Biting might be cute and harmless with a 5 pound shih tzu puppy, but it is neither cute nor harmless when that dog has grown to adulthood. Therefore, shih tzu puppies should be taught to control their bite before they reach the age of four months. Shih tzu puppies normally learn to inhibit their bite from their mothers and their littermates, but since they are taken away from their mothers so young, many never learn this important lesson. It is therefore up to the humans in the shih tzu puppy's life to teach this lesson.
One great way to inhibit the biting reflex is to allow the shih tzu puppy to play and socialize with other shih tzu puppies and socialized older shih tzu dogs. Shih tzu puppies love to tumble, roll and play with each other, and when shih tzu puppies play they bite each other constantly. This is the best way for shih tzu puppies to learn to control themselves when they bite. If one shih tzu puppy becomes too rough when playing, the rest of the group will punish him for that inappropriate behavior. Through this type of socialization, the shih tzu puppy will learn to control his biting reflex.
Proper socialization has other benefits as well, including teaching the shih tzu dog to not be fearful of other dogs, and to work off their excess energy. Shih tzu puppies that are allowed to play with other shih tzu puppies learn important socialization skills generally learn to become better members of their human family. Shih tzu puppies that get less socialization can be more destructive, more hyperactive and exhibit other problem behaviors.
In addition, lack of socialization in shih tzu puppies often causes fearful and aggressive behaviors to develop. Dogs often react aggressively to new situations, especially if they are not properly socialized. In order for a shih tzu dog to become a member of the community as well as the household, it should be socialized to other people, especially children. Dogs make a distinction between their owners and other people, and between children and adults. It is important, therefore, to introduce the shih tzu puppy to both children and adults.
The best time to socialize a shih tzu puppy to young children is when it is still very young, generally when it is four months old or younger. One reason for this is that mothers of young children may be understandably reluctant to allow their children to approach large dogs or older puppies. This is especially true with large breed dogs, or with breeds of dogs that have a reputation for aggressive behavior.
Using trust to prevent biting Teaching your shih tzu puppy to trust and respect you is a very effective way to prevent biting. Gaining the trust and respect of your shih tzu dog is the basis for all dog training, and for correcting problem behaviors.
It is important to never hit or slap the puppy, either during training or any other time. Physical punishment is the surest way to erode the trust and respect that must form the basis of an effective training program. Reprimanding a dog will not stop him from biting ? it will simply scare and confuse him.
Training a shih tzu puppy not to bite is a vital part of any puppy training program. Biting behaviors that are not corrected will only get worse, and what seemed like harmless behavior in a shih tzu puppy can quickly escalate to dangerous, destructive behavior in an adult dog.
Coming when called is a vital skill that every shih tzu must learn, both for its own safety and that of those around it. A disobedient shih tzu that refuses to come when called could easily be hit by a car, get into a fight with another shih tzu, or suffer a variety of other bad experiences. A well trained shih tzu that comes when called can safely be taken out to play in the local park, at the beach, on the hiking trail, or anywhere else the owner and shih tzu may wish to go.
Basic training to come when called is relatively easy and straightforward, and involves providing praise, treats and other perks when the shih tzu does as his owner wants. After these basic come when called training exercises are mastered, there are a number of fun exercises that can be introduced to challenge the shih tzu and pique its interest.
Making training into a fun game is one of the best ways to motivate shih tzu and handler alike. It is easy for training sessions to become routine and boring, and it is important to keep them from degenerating into this state.
Before beginning any food based training exercise, it is important to make sure that the shih tzu is properly motivated and ready to respond to treat based training. Testing the shih tzu is simply a matter of taking a piece of his regular food and waving it in front of the shih tzu's nose. If the shih tzu shows great enthusiasm for the food, it is ready to start the training. If not, it is best to wait until the shih tzu is in a more receptive mood.
The treats that work best for treat based training games like hide and seek are cut up quarter inch or smaller pieces of chicken, cheese or liver. In other words, something your dog will love. It is best to use very small pieces to avoid overfeeding the shih tzu during the training sessions.
One great game for you and another family member or friend to play with your shih tzu is simply back and forth recall. This is a great exercise for teaching your shih tzu to come whenever it is called by a member of the family. Shih Tzu often learn to only respond to one person, and this can be a problem when other people are watching the shih tzu. That is one reason why professional shih tzu trainers always insist on working with the owner as well as the shih tzu. A well trained dog must learn to respond to whoever is in charge, not just the owner or usual handler.
In the back and forth recall game, two or more people stand approximately ten yards apart, in a safe place like a fenced in yard. One person calls the shih tzu and asks him to sit and say until another person asks the shih tzu to come. When the shih tzu responds to the command to come, it is rewarded with a treat. Most shih tzu respond wonderfully to this exercise and love playing this game. When playing the back and forth recall game, it is important that only the person who called the shih tzu be allowed to give the shih tzu a treat.
After the shih tzu has mastered the back and forth recall game, the humans in the game can start to spread further out, thus turning the back and forth recall game into a fun game of hide and seek. The hide and seek game starts with two or more people in the center room of the house. Every time they call the shih tzu to come, they spread out further away from where they started. As the game continues, one person will be at one end of the house, while another may be at the opposite end. What makes the hide and seek game so much fun for the shih tzu is that he must seek out the person to get the treat, instead of simply running up to a person in plain sight. This type of seeking behavior appeals to many of the shih tzu's natural instincts. After all, dogs are naturally hunting animals, and seeking out food is second nature to them.
Connie Limon has sinced written about articles on various topics from Careers and Job Hunting, Dogs and Colon Cleanse. Connie Limon is a professional shih tzu breeder in Indiana. She publishes a FREE weekly newsletter. A professional newsletter with a focus upon health and wellness for you and your pets. Discounts on shih tzu puppies are offered to subscribers. Sign u. Connie Limon's top article generates over 135000 views. to your Favourites.