Potty Training A Shih Tzu

A Guide To Housebreaking A Shih Tzu

Potty training a Shih Tzu requires patience and consistency on your part.  It is one of the most important things you can do for your new puppy to ensure a happy co-existence with you.

Potty training should start as soon as you buy your new Shih Tzu.  In the beginning potty training a Shih Tzu requires lots and lots of time, but after a while it is easy.

To start with, take your Shih Tzu outside every hour the first week, so it gets into a routine that it knows it will be outside every hour for a few minutes.

While outside if they go to the bathroom, reward them with praise or a treat for not going inside the house.  They have to associate going outside with pleasure and inside with pain. 

The easiest way of potty training a Shih Tzu is with positive reinforcement.  In fact it has been shown that dogs learn quicker with positive reinforce4ment than with negative reinforcement.

Beside taking your dog out every hour to start with make sure you take them outside after their twice daily feeding and watering so they have a chance to relieve themselves.

Eventually you'll only need to let them out two to three times a day, preferably after they have eaten.

You should only be feeding your Shih Tzu twice a day, and not offer ab lib feeding to avoid obesity.

Potty training a Shih Tzu requires that everyone in your house be on the same page and every one maintain the same consistency. 

If you go away on a business trip, and your kids never let the dog outside, it will learn that it is okay to use the house as a toilet again.

This not only erases all the previous housebreaking training but also confuses and frustrates the dog and you.

Dogs love to please the pack leader which should be you.  but they have to know what your expectations are and you have to allow them to have the opportunity to please you, which means a steady routine of being let outside to use the bathroom.

Potty training a Shih Tzu is not hard if you are consistent and show love and affection.  Remember to expect mistakes, they are puppies, but they will soon get it right.