The Shih Tzu, also called the Chrysanthemum Dog, is a toy breed that originated in Tibet and was originally used for guarding temples. This breed most likely developed from crossing the Pekingese with the Tibetan Mountain Dog. They are a small dog that only stands between 8 and 11 inches tall and that weighs between 8 and 15 pounds. They have a long and silky coat including a long mustache and beard. They come in a variety of color variations and combinations. The Shih Tzu is a gentle and loyal pet that works well for families with kids as well as people living on their own. They do require extra effort to keep their coat in shape so make sure to give them regular brushings and groomings.
The Shih Tzu is a smart dog and can take quickly to training. They do need a lot of supervision when young, however, as many Shih Tzus that are left with too much free time in the house can develop house training issues by sneaking away to use your carpet as their bathroom. Spend a lot of time ‘showing’ your dog what is expected before moving on to more advanced obedience behaviors.
Be patient and consistent and you will have no problem training your Shih Tzu.
Shih Tzus are small dogs with spunky personalities. They are great family dogs; fun and playful. Shih Tzus are extremely smart but they always seeking attention and companionship.
Shih Tzus were originally bred in Tibet. They are one of the oldest breeds of dog and they were heavily favored by ancient Asian royalty. Maybe it 
is because of the Shit Tzus’ royalty origins that they tend to behave like spoiled little princesses.
Shih Tzus seem to be aware of how adorable they are. They seem to know that they can get away with unpleasant behavior just by looking pretty and cute. They’ll just wag their tails to appease your frustrations.
Though they may seem independent minded, in reality, Shih Tzus craves human companionship. They always need attention and may tend to develop separation anxiety if left alone for a long time. Shih Tzus cope with this by chewing almost anything they can get their little paws on.
Normally, they have a penchant for chewing footwear. Don’t leave your shoes within the reach of Shih Tzus if you still want to use them. It is always a good idea to give them chew toys especially when you want to leave them alone.
One common trait of this breed is they expect people to always appreciate their presence. They believe that everybody should always make a fuss over them, even from people they are not yet familiar with. They are amusingly conceited little creatures.
Shih Tzus adapt well to obedience training. They can learn tricks quite easily. The best way to train them is by using positive reinforcement. Try to keep the training sessions short, a few minutes at a time. But always be consistently patient, do not lose your cool and suddenly shout.
Notoriously, Shih Tzus are extremely difficult to house train. One factor is that they have small bladders and bowel, especially when still young. Never give Shih Tzus complete freedom inside your house if they are not thoroughly house trained
The best way to house train a Shih Tzu is to have a strict schedule for its elimination. Follow the schedule consistently and they will eventually begin to follow it.
One of the best ways to implement in training the breed is through crate training. Make them stay inside the crate for a short time duration at first gradually increasing it until they become comfortable with the crate. Remember to give positive reinforcement in every effort.
Shih Tzus love cold weather. They adjust well to it. On the other hand, they don’t like hot temperatures and they overheat easily. Always hydrate them when the weather is hot. Having a constant source of fresh water is imperative.
Shih Tzus needs constant grooming. Brush their coats regularly to keep them tidy. Don’t worry too much about shedding. They don’t shed that much even with their dense, long coats. Also, there is a need for periodic toenail clipping, teeth brushing and cleaning of the eyes.
Shih Tzus are lovable dogs. They are small and spunky. They always draw attention because of their innate beauty. House training is maybe the only challenging task in dealing with them. Additionally, Shih Tzus are very alert dogs. They are very good little guard dogs to your household.
57 Responses to “How to Train a Shih Tzu”
i have a 2years 6minths shitz she is very good and does most things but will not mix with other dogs cats ect she hids behind me how can i get her to mix with others
Sounds like she is submissive, and you may want to try introducing her with one dog at a time in a calm setting. It’s not magic she isn’t going to hit it off right away but in time it will become more comfortable for her. Whatever you do don’t give up have some doggie dates with friends that have well behaved dogs that are social. If she trys to hide behind you don’t give her attention. It’s easy to give in, they are cute and fluffy and crave attention. Best of luck to you
I got the kids (13&16), King, Friday before Christmas 2012. He was 4 weeks old. I have bottle fed him he has gone on a 3 hour road trip. Sweet temperament but recently has started to NOT use his training pad…It seems to me “if he doesn’t feel like it” He just goes where ever he chooses. Mostly in my son’s room down the hall. There was a white piece of paper that fell on the floor he went on and recently my daughter’s white book. I don’t know, Little King, may be more than I bargained for.
Potty pads are probably the worst thing you could ever do in house training any dog. Avoid them at all costs. Start training him now to go outside.
i am a new shih tzu owner and am really struggling to toilet train him he is currently peeing and pooing all over my house
please help anyone i have had him since oct he is 4 months old and just doesnt seem to be getting it
We need more details on what you are trying and what isn’t working before being able to point you in a good direction- https://www.dogbehavioronline.com/house-train-your-dog-p/
i have been trying to train him to pee on news paper and i have tried puppy pads and he just doesnt seem to understand. when he does it i praise him heavily and treat him and when he doesnt he is told off and put where he should pee. i alson have the spray that is supposed to attract them to the place aswell. nothing is working
The worst thing you could ever do with house training is start training on pads. It rarely works in the first place and if it does work most dogs will stop doing it after about a year. Essentially you are training them to go to the bathroom indoors so, what is the difference between the pads and the rug? For the dog there is no difference.
Better to never use the pads in the first place and train the dog to go outside.
I have a shih tzu….he is potty trained to go in one spot inside the house and outside…..when he is outside he pick one spot at the back ….I do not let our dogs all over the house….I use pee pad inside just in case I go out or too busy to let the dogs out…..
what you are suppose to do is put a bit of your own dogs pee and poo on the pee pad ….then the dog will know ….I prefer training our dogs to go in one spot inside the house just in case the weather is too cold or too rainy or if we travel they can be trained to go indoors and outdoors…..I prefer a dog that is flexible …the shih tzu is very smart if you train it properly…I know exactly who peed and poo in what spot outside the house….even our cat is trained to pee and poo in the pee pad..I DON”T USE THE SAND….our cat even pee and poo on the grass!
After you feed your dog you take it outside….if you don’t train it to pee an dpoo in one spot inside the house first you will have hard time …if you go out too long the dog will pee all over your house! I make sure I have back plan for the dogs to pee in one spot inside the house.
I have an 11wk old Shitzu….. she is doing okay with potty training but still having accidents.. what age should she be expected to be trained…..Also, how often should she be fed… she averages about 1/4cup twice a day of dried food…. she is always looking for more food but I am hesitant to over feed her.
Every dog is different but 11 weeks is typically pretty young to expect a dog to be fully trained. Dogs under 6 months of age I like to feed three times a day. The quantity of food depends on the dog and the quality of the food.
My roommate has a SHIH TZU that is old and always sleep. Although he is quiet cute and very spoiled, he is a attention junkie. My roommate works two jobs and I am forced to take care of him. While I attempted to train him to follow rules, I used treats to keep him to obey. Now the dog has BIG behaving problems and now the dog whine and barks until he get the treat…(his dog treat is dog “crack ” to me) NOW the s.t. constantly whine@barks until he gets treat!! I tried ignoring him until he stops and treat him whenthehe stops to no avail! I am stuck with my roomate’s dog that is making me so very miserable! What advice can you give us that should ease the begging and allow me to
The Shih Tzu-is starting to rule my home and sanity. I enjoy animals but it is going to have me evicted if my neighbors continue to hear the sounds of a dog being tortured. Police has been called several times and my neighbors left notes on my door about that dog noises. ANY ADVICE WILL BE APPRECIATED….END OF my rope.
Try putting some money in a plastic volvic bottle and give it a shake when he starts or distract him by doing something he will be
curious about like shuffiling about where he cant see whats going on and entice him to come and see have a small treat ready and when
he comes to enquire simply say ” good boy sit! ” and give him a treat allow five min for petting and hush him to sleep. Be consistant
and you will see results in no time.
we have a shitz zue who is two years old who does nothing better than th minute he sees a mat or carpet pees on it, i need toilet training tips
Did you train the dog to use puppy pads? Have you read the various house training articles on this site?
I keenel trained. Mine ripped up pads. It was so much easier.
I have a 11 week old shih tzu. Advice potty pads did not work for us she would rip them up after taping them to the floor. I have a octagon playpen with a tarp i on the floor.. she has no access to carpet. I have her crate inside pen. I crate train her now at first I woke up every two h ours at night. Towalk her on a leash.. she can hold it up to 5 hours now throught the night.. when its time to eat I put her food and water in her crate.. breakfast at 6 lunch at 12 and dinner at 530 minutes after each meal and bring her out to walk. Aftrr each nap I walk her after playtime I wa lk her. Then put her bac k in kennel. She has been doing this for two weeks and no accidents. Bladder has really strenthend. Use baby wipes to keep bottom clean and fresh blankets daily in kennel.
i have a two month old princess shitzu, will you please give me tips on how can i teach her some tricks in an easy manner? Thank you and Godbless!
Your in luck your Shitzu wants to please you! Princess may get sick of training quickly so keep it in short time frames a few times a day. If your teaching her to sit give her the command gently press her bottom down to sitting and give her a good praise and treat, also this works for the rest of the commands. I used this method on my 4 year old Shitzu and with-in a short time she was connecting the words with movements and I no longer needed to help her along. Best of luck to you and keep it fun.
I really need some help. I recently moved in with a man that has 2 Shih-Tzu. Tommy is 10 and Tucker is 7.
Tucker has been showing very bad behavior. First towards Tommy,who is mostly blind. Tucker attacks him for no reason. He has bitten me 4 times and Greg(owner) 3 times. Greg is a widow, and spent 2 years alone with just the 2 dogs. I understand that there will some jealousy, but the growling, biting and attacking Tommy, is too much! Greg says Tucker wasn’t like this before I moved in! PLEASE HELP
Thank You
You’ve got dogs who don’t have boundaries or rules. You’ve got to establish them. How is the dog’s obedience?
I know is doesn’t take a lot to punish a Shitzu, and they don’t respond well to punishment I suggest taking him for a long walk to kind of wear him out. I know the breed doesn’t need high levels of activitys and keep in mind they over heat so a walk around the block is long for them. Praise good behavior even if he had just done something bad moments ago. Also are the dogs fixed? He may be just displaying dominance due to the shift in the household.
I have a 10 wk old Lizzie who is precious. We have another dog who is 12,Lacie. What is the best way to train Lizzie she goes out with Lacie when she goes out but still goes during the nite, pee and poop.
Crate training is the best way.
She just cries and cries te entire time because she sees the other day and us around the house.
We have started to give her little treats BC the other dog gets them. Just for a bribe.
I adopted a 4 year old Shitzu and although she has no potty issues (unless she is lefted for a long time, and even then she uses the shower as a potty place gross but better than carpet) she also know simple demands, and is learning some new tricks, but she is extremly needy. She came from a bad situation, and I think it may be because of that, but she hates being without me. I have 3 kids and a husband and if I leave and don’t take her with me she sits in the bay window and whimpers. My family try’s to distract her, but she waits there untill I return. The only time she get super active is when I return home, and then she is wangling her tail jumping around wanting my attention right away. It doesn’t stop there though, she wants to be where ever I am at all times even while I’m in the bathroom, so I have to make sure the door is completely closed or she comes in. Is there anything I can do to calm her down. I love her and she truely is an amazing dog, but I feel bad leaving her and I want her to be comfortable. Oh she normally goes to day care with my 4 year old son when I’m at school so she is hardly left alone, I also take her in the car as long as I’m going to a pet friendly place or won’t be somewhere too long or weather permitted. I know they are a companion breed, but she truely pushes the limits.
I have 4 months and 3 days old shih Tzu. he is very hyper and playful since I got her. today I noticed him that he slept for 3 hours straight. and when he woke up I noticed that he is very quiet and he doesn’t play with my other dog here, normally he just jump on my other dog and play with her. he doesn’t want to eat or drink his milk either. I am so worried now. I think he is sick.
to all who have shih Tzu for a long period now, are your shih Tzu experienced like this too?
thank you. and god bless.
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This website is about dog training and behavior. For health questions you should go to your vet.
Just got a shih tzu from my sister who she got from a friend approx. 8 months old I also have a maltese 10 years old the shih tzu seems to be very dominant ovef my maltese what can I do to solvee this problem
How do you make your Shih Tzu obey command ?
Through training.
I have a two year old shiih tzu male every time he is let outside he runs away, how do I get him to stop running ? He has almost been hit by a car numerous times .
When it comes to this question I always tell people to first ask themselves ‘If I want my dog to come when called, what have I done to train that?’ In most cases, the answer is that they’ve done nothing. Simply telling your dog to come is not training.
Training a recall starts with long line training; keeping a long leash on the dog when outside so that you can call and reinforce your command if necessary.
TrainingI have a 6wk old shih tzu he is useing paper to relieve his self and is doing realy good. now I have noticed when i get him out of his spot he will grawl and bark and nibble on my handa arms. my husband says he.thinks he a bulldog how he does. i say he.playen. my question is when can i or should i start obed. training when is to early?
You should start obedience training when a dog comes home.
Having said that, you shouldn’t have brought home such a young dog. Getting a dog so young will often cause problems when it comes to nipping, biting, and growling.
Also, you really shouldn’t be using papers to train the dog.
I found training my shih tzu very easy. I bought a dog toilet (yes a dog toilet). Its a plastic box which you put a pad on the bottom to soak up the pee and astro turf on the top. You have a dog scent which attracts them to the box (great for anyone who lives in a flat) and they go and do their business in it. Every time our dog did his pee pee we would clap and give him lots of praise and a little cho treat. It was as easy as that. I still have the tray and grass which is not used any more. Oh, and the grass you can put in a bag to put in the washing machine on a cold wash and a spot of bleach to kill any smells on it. I thought it was great!
Hello I just got a shih tzu and she’s so cute and adorable but she hasn’t been potty trained. She’s crate trained already. And when I take her outside she will just lay down and not walk. I have a fence in yard. Also she’s around 10 months old. I’m always home due to working from home.any tips would be very appreciated. Plz help I want to do it the right way
Put a leash on her and have her walk around. The movement will often get the dog to go.
hi i have a shih Tzu cross malt she is 5 months old she is going pee on my furniture. she just started. when i turn my back that’s when she does it. i have a cat box the dog uses
all the time but when i turn my back or step out side she also barks constantly and other people are getting upset . can you help me thank you;
This is one of the reasons I tell people to never use puppy pads, litter boxes, etc. It TRAINS the dog to go to the bathroom indoors. What is the difference between your couch and the litter box in your dog’s mind? Not much.
I would stop using the litter box right away and teach the dog to go outside.
With if there to young. To go out for bathroom
I can’t understand what you’re saying?
I have a 7 month old girl shih tzu called daisy , I’m really finding it hard
To house train her she is dirtying her crate every night and having to
Bath her daily when she goes Toliet out side I praise and treat her I just
Don’t know what to do about it and during the day if my back door is shut
She will go in kitchen on floor but if back door is open she will take herself out
There is the anything someone can suggest please …..
This is a common issue with Shih Tzus unfortunately.
I would adjust her feeding schedule. Make sure that she eats early in the day so that by the time she goes out to the bathroom for her last time at night that there’s nothing left for her to poop out during the middle of the night.
I have a shih tzu who is nearly 3 years old. She was crate trained and did not have accidents. The last week, everyday she is peeing in her crate. Our schedule is the same, I have pulled water from her an hour before we leave, and we are still having the same issue.
The only thing I can think that has changed is the weather, does anyone have any suggestions?
I have a shih tzu who is nearly 3 years old. She was crate trained and did not have accidents. The last week, everyday she is peeing in her crate. Our schedule is the same, I have pulled water from her an hour before we leave, and we are still having the same issue.
The only thing I can think that has changed is the weather, does anyone have any suggestions?
Read more: https://www.dogbehavioronline.com/how-to-train-a-shih-tzu/#ixzz2jxtMq8Pf
You may want to get her checked out at the vet, as well. Sometimes this can be a UTI.
Hi I have an 11 month old shih tzu, I’ve had her since she was 8 weeks old. My boyfriend bought her for me and she has been so attached to me wherever I go she goes and I’m fine with that she is just like a child to me I love her more than anything but she never listens anymore. When we call for her she doesn’t listen anymore she just looks at me and turns her head she is a lot worse with my boyfriend then me, I can usually get her to do what I want but for him she just refuses and it’s getting that way with me too. She recently found a hole in our fence that she can get under and ran away the other day. He called for her seen her started walking to get her and she just ran for 30 minutes until he finally caught her. She did it to me today too I looked outside and she had gotten in the neighbors yard I called for her she turned around like she was going to come back and then just took off the opposite direction. I don’t know what to do with her anymore she is so stubborn. Please help me!
Whenever someone says that their dog doesn’t listen the first thing I ask is ‘what did you do to teach her to listen?’
I’ve also heard that once you do catch them you aren’t suppose to tell them bad or no because then they think it was bad that they let you catch them and the whole walking away thing doesn’t work with her she just keeps running anyways. She knows when she has done something bad because as soon as I tell her bad girl she runs away with her tail between her legs, so I know she knows what she isn’t suppose to do but she just does it again.
You’re misunderstanding her.
She’s not running away with her tail between her legs because she realizes what she did was wrong. She runs off because you’re upset with her.
I have a Shihtzu that is 12 years old. I got her from an abuse situation when she was 4 yes. Old. She has been loved ever since. I have a 16 year old male Pekingese who is blind almost deaf. They have never liked each other but tolerat pointed each other. She has gotten to the point that she waits for him to walk near her space(he has to go past to get to his bowl and pee pad)and she jumps on his back and bites him. I have tried changing their space, talking calmly when getting on to her, and have put her in her carrier for small amounts of time. Both dogs have had biting problems and I never had any luck getting them on a leash. I have been patient, gotten bit but I am at a point of having her put down before she seriously hurts him. I feel that he doesn’t deserve to get attacked when trying to get to his food. I don’t want to do this but am totally frustrated with her. I love my dogs. I have had Bubba, the Peke, sine he was 6 weeks old. I have always owned cats until I got them. What can I do to keep her from hurting him?
What you have is a situation where the dogs don’t understand proper relationship or rules. The fact that you can’t even get them to walk on a leash points to the fact that they’ve never been trained.
Dogs that haven’t been trained are far more likely to be aggressive like you are seeing.
Your Shih tzu needs to learn obedience. Keep her on a leash at all times and train her to understand obedience.
Got my shih Tzu puppy yesterday. Shes 9 weeks old, the women i bought her off hasdone a brilliant job as daisy has used the puppy training pad every time with acouple of slight misses. But i agree with leaving the pad there after they have piled n weed on it as they will go back to it again