How to Potty Train Your Shih Tzu Puppy in 4 Easy Steps

What is the quickest and easiest way to potty train your Shih Tzu puppy?

How to Potty Train Your Shih Tzu Puppy. Toilet training is slightly more involved than a lot of people think, but in this article, I will discuss the four steps you should take to potty train your Shih Tzu as smoothly as possible.

To successfully toilet train your Shih Tzu is not an easy feat, but with these four elements of potty training, you could have a completely potty-trained pup in no time, and here is how you do it:

How to Potty Train Your Shih Tzu Puppy

If you are wondering how to toilet train your Shih Tzu pup, there are basically four elements.

Supervise

Supervision is the trick to toilet train your Shih Tzu successfully. If your Shih has an accident anywhere in your home and you missed it, you have likewise missed a valuable training opportunity. Disciplining your dog after his or her accident is quite unfair for their learning.

Keep in mind that interrupting them while they have an accident is generally the most effective method to make them aware that they are making a mistake. Remember that you only have a split second to give your Shih Tzu feedback after they have made a mistake for your dog to truly understand and grasp what you’re trying to tell them.

After you have caught your pup in the act and you’ve interrupted their mistake, you could scoop them up and go outside. You have to take note that no harsh corrections and scolding are really needed or necessary in these instances, so if you could not supervise your pup, you could try putting them in their crate.

Schedule

Most pups would need to pee after napping, after eating, after playing, so be ready to take your pup outside frequently in the beginning. Then, as you take them outside, make sure that you are using your leash to train your Shih Tzu and show them precisely where you’d want them to go.

Feedback

Ensure that you can praise your pup when they successfully relieved themselves outside and ensure that you could stop them if they have an accident inside. Keep in mind that when you miss their accidents inside, you also miss opportunities to train your Shih Tzu pup, and it is actually rehearsal of the improper behavior. Remember: this could even work against you.

Consider it this way: even in your absence, your Shih Tzu still gets feedback. When your pup has to go and eliminate, it does not feel good, but when they are done, they automatically feel relieved. And always keep in mind that dogs do what feels rewarding.

If there’s no one around to tell them that they are wrong, then they would tend to think that they are right. Unfortunately, rehearsal of the improper behavior would only set your Shih Tzu up for failure in the long run.

Responsibility

Once your pup understands that they have to go outside to do their business, it is time to let them carry the responsibility to inform you in one way or another that they need to go potty. You could train your Shih Tzu puppy to ring a bell or sit and stare at you.

So, remember these four primary elements that you need to understand to train your Shih Tzu puppy successfully: supervise them, schedule their potty, give them instant feedback, and give them responsibility.

How To House Train My Shih Tzu Puppy

One of the easiest and most convenient things you could do to toilet train your Shih Tzu pup is to feed them on a regular and consistent schedule.

Our responsibility and commitment as pet owners are to show our dogs where they could and couldn’t go. Keep in mind that toilet training is not an overnight process, but it is a great opportunity for you to be consistent, and that’s a sign of a commendable teacher.

Shih Tzus—and dogs in general—are not born knowing where and when they should and should not relieve themselves. Toilet training success is achieved the easiest when you are able to control your pet’s environment and supervise them well.

Your ultimate goal should be to train your Shih Tzu that your house is also their house. Remember that by instinct, dogs don’t really like to urinate and defecate where they sleep and rest, but it could take some time for them to recognize your entire home as their residence too.

You initially want to train your Shih Tzu to understand that there’s a particular area for their living area, before you can expect them to recognize the living room, bathroom, the kitchen, and so on until they have learned that your entire home is also their home.

You can train your Shih Tzu to understand this by gradually giving them access to the whole house under strict supervision over time, together with frequently taking them outside.

Dealing with Issues

Pups are distracted by their surroundings, whether it’s a smell, sound, or sight, perhaps a leaf blowing by or a squirrel running past. There could also be some dogs barking and howling in the background.

These distractions could totally make your Shih Tzu forget the urge to go potty. They could actually forget that they needed to relieve themselves. Banking in on some natural teaching opportunities with your Shih Tzu pup is a great deal of help.

First things first, whenever your Shih Tzu puppy goes outside, it is crucial that you go out with them. Make sure that you have your pup on-leash as well. You need to guide them through the process and help them steer clear of any distractions. On the other hand, you also need to know whether they have actually gone potty or not.

Thus, if you can, try to look for an environment with minimal distractions, be it environmental smells or sounds or whatever. You could also take advantage of this time to train your Shih Tzu and show your puppy where you want them to urinate or defecate in the future.