Training Your Shih Tzu. J. Walker

cute, and incorrigibly clever all at the same time. Ranked in the top ten most popular breeds by the American Kennel Club the Shih Tzu is small, doesn’t shed (hairs remain in the coat until brushed out) and possesses just the right mix of sweetness and sass. As wonderful as the Shih Tzu is, however, he will need training.

      Advantages to a Well-behaved Dog

      Many pet owners, predominantly those who own breeds recognized for their good nature, often fail to invest much time or effort into working with their dogs. Generally speaking, these owners are under the misconception that a “good” dog doesn’t need training. Unfortunately, this isn’t quite right. A good dog is a trained dog. A congenial breed may be much easier to train than a more willful, dominant one but all dogs need training. There is no other way they can learn human rules.

      For most pet owners, training a dog for the show ring or to compete in agility or obedience trials is not first and foremost in their thoughts. (Once they discover how much fun it can be to train a Shih Tzu however, many change their minds.) The goals of training a puppy or dog tend to be much simpler. Usually, pet owners want to ensure that the dog understands a few basic commands, can be taken on walks without barking at other dogs or making crazy, zig-zag patterns underfoot, and knows and respects the house rules (no jumping on guests, eating from someone’s plate at the dinner table, using the living room as a personal bathroom).

      In the process of training a dog to adapt his behaviors to your human lifestyle, a few amazing things happen along the way. There are more benefits to a trained Shih Tzu than first meet the eye.

      Benefit 1: A calmer household. A well-trained Shih Tzu has great house manners. He’s up for fun whenever you are, but easily settled when you need him to be calm.

      Benefit 2: Less destruction. A trained dog is usually not a bored dog. Training provides the owner interaction and mental stimulation that Shih Tzu crave. Training also requires a certain amount of physical activity—and the old adage, “a tired dog is a good dog,” rings true.

      A well-behaved Shi Tzu is a joy to be around.

      Benefit 3: Easy leadership. How do you suppose owners of large, guardian breeds establish leadership in a non-confrontational way? They require their dogs to work for attention and food. And how do they do this? You already guessed it: they perform a series of training exercises every day. Asking your Shih Tzu to perform a behavior, getting a positive response from him, and rewarding that response generally go a long way to establish and keep a good leader/follower relationship between you and your dog.

      Benefit 4: A more social dog. When you own a dog as adorable as the Shih Tzu, you want to be able to take him places and show him off. You can only do this if he’s well-behaved and socialized. Training helps achieve these goals.

      Benefit 5: A stronger bond. The more you work with your Shih Tzu and the more involved you are with him on a daily basis, the more amazed you will be with his mental and athletic potential and, more importantly, his capacity to love you.

      Benefit 6: Improved senior years. Recent studies have shown not only that old dogs can learn new tricks, but that the process of learning helps maintain an older dog’s cognitive abilities and helps to improve the quality of his life. With healthy Shih Tzu living well up into their teens, training at all ages can keep your dog feeling younger and live a more enriched life.

      Simply put, enough good things can not be said about the benefits that training offers—not only for the owner but for the puppy, adolescent, adult, or senior Shih Tzu. You don’t have to train beyond a handful of commands to reap a lifetime of benefits.

      Bred for Companionship

      The Shih Tzu is unique in that he is one of a handful of breeds not bred for a working purpose. The Shih Tzu was not bred to herd sheep, track rabbit trails, guard livestock, or be a watchdog. For centuries, the Shih Tzu’s only purpose in life has been to serve as a companion dog.

      Not have a “working” background has its plusses and minuses when it comes to training. Training your Shih Tzu will not be the same as training a Golden Retriever, but that’s not a bad thing! Understanding the Shih Tzu’s strengths and weaknesses when it comes to learning new skills will help you understand how best to approach training and get top results.

      Here’s a short rundown of some Shih Tzu qualities that can make training fun.

       TZU TIPLittle Dog Syndrome

      Owners of toy Weeds often overlook behaviors that would be cause for alarm in a larger dog. Growling, snarling, and lunging at other dogs and people are commonly shrugged off as “acting like a big dog.” No, this is just bad behavior! And, if allowed to continue, it can lead to more serious consequences—for the dog, owner, or both.

      Harsh verbal corrections are never necessary with a Shih Tzu and may sour him on training completely.

      Intelligence. There’s no question that this breed ranks right up there with some of the canine world’s best and brightest breeds on the doggie IQ chart. The breed is very adept at reading body language and almost intuitive in figuring out what’s being asked of him. Intelligence is a great asset in dog training—if you can keep up with your dog!

      Easily handled. Working with a small dog has many advantages, including the ability to easily transport your dog to various places to train. Little dogs can also be exercised more easily, making it less time consuming to “take the edge off” of a rambunctious dog prior to training sessions. Most owners tend to have more confidence in their own training abilities when working with smaller dogs, which translates directly into the dog having more confidence, too.

      Shih Tzu are smart, inquisitive, and love to be the center of attention.

      No inert drives. Without selective breeding to produce strong instincts such as guarding, hunting, tracking, scenting, retrieving, flushing, etc., the Shih Tzu has no intense genetic drives to distract him. That’s not to say the Shih Tzu can’t get distracted; it just means that this breed doesn’t have generations of breeding to prewire him to respond in certain ways in certain situations.

      Craves company. If you’re in the kitchen, your pup will be underfoot. If you walk upstairs, don’t be surprised to hear the quiet padding of your Shih Tzu right behind you. Taking a snooze on the couch? Your Shih Tzu will be right there, too. When a dog has a strong desire to be with his owner and/or family, this makes many aspects of training a bit simpler, including finding your dog to do spontaneous, quick, short training sessions. He’s right there, so why not?

      Playful and comical. What is it in the Shih Tzu’s past that makes it such a crowd pleaser? This dog has a sense of humor and loves an audience. If you enjoy teaching your dogs parlor tricks (Shake, roll over, play dead), you are going to love working with your Shih Tzu.

      Training Challenges

      Of course, it’s not all fun and games teaching the Shih Tzu. This breed’s main purpose in life is to please and be pleased. Since Shih Tzu weren’t bred to work with humans to accomplish a task, their approach toward learning new tasks is different than many of the breeds more commonly seen in obedience classes.

      A few of the training challenges facing Shih Tzu owners include:

      Boredom. The Shih Tzu does not do well working on the same exercise or skill over and over and over again. You can almost see their eyes glaze over and the enthusiasm fade. For this reason, training