Shih Tzu - Training Your Shih Tzu Not To Bite
By Connie Limon, Fri Dec 9th

Bringing home a new shih tzu puppy is always an exciting time.Introducing the new shih tzu puppy to the family should be funfor both yourself and your shih tzu puppy. One of the firstchallenges, however, to the excitement of the new shih tzupuppy, is curbing inappropriate shih tzu puppy behaviors.

Preventing biting and mouthing Biting and mouthing is a commonactivity for many young puppies and dogs. Puppies naturally biteand mouth each other when playing with siblings, and they extendthis behavior to their human companions. While other puppieshave thick skin, however, humans do not, so it is important toteach 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 thebiting reflex. Biting might be cute and harmless with a 5 poundshih tzu puppy, but it is neither cute nor harmless when thatdog has grown to adulthood. Therefore, shih tzu puppies shouldbe taught to control their bite before they reach the age offour months. Shih tzu puppies normally learn to inhibit theirbite from their mothers and their littermates, but since theyare taken away from their mothers so young, many never learnthis important lesson. It is therefore up to the humans in theshih tzu puppy's life to teach this lesson.

One great way to inhibit the biting reflex is to allow the shihtzu puppy to play and socialize with other shih tzu puppies andsocialized older shih tzu dogs. Shih tzu puppies love to tumble,roll and play with each other, and when shih tzu puppies playthey bite each other constantly. This is the best way for shihtzu puppies to learn to control themselves when they bite. Ifone shih tzu puppy becomes too rough when playing, the rest ofthe group will punish him for that inappropriate behavior.Through this type of socialization, the shih tzu puppy willlearn to control his biting reflex.

Proper socialization has other benefits as well, includingteaching the shih tzu dog to not be fearful of other dogs, andto work off their excess energy. Shih tzu puppies that areallowed to play with other shih tzu puppies learn importantsocialization skills generally learn to become better members oftheir human family. Shih tzu puppies that get less socializationcan be more destructive, more hyperactive and exhibit otherproblem behaviors.

Shih Tzu Best Training Here is a training manual to get the best out of your relationship with your Shih Tzu. Discover how to train your Shih Tzu to behave so they don’t ruin your house, so you can communicate with them and so they don’t bark too much. For more information on the best training methods go to: Shih Tzu Best Training

In addition, lack of socialization in shih tzu puppies oftencauses fearful and aggressive behaviors to develop. Dogs oftenreact aggressively to new situations, especially if they are notproperly socialized. In order for a shih tzu dog to become amember of the community as well as the household, it should besocialized to other people, especially children. Dogs make adistinction between their owners and other people, and betweenchildren and adults. It is important, therefore, to introducethe shih tzu puppy to both children and adults.

The best time to socialize a shih tzu puppy to young children iswhen it is still very young, generally when it is four monthsold or younger. One reason for this is that mothers of youngchildren may be understandably reluctant to allow their childrento approach large dogs or older puppies. This is especially truewith large breed dogs, or with breeds of dogs that have areputation for aggressive behavior.

Using trust to prevent biting Teaching your shih tzu puppy totrust and respect you is a very effective way to prevent biting.Gaining the trust and respect of your shih tzu dog is the basisfor all dog training, and for correcting problem behaviors.

It is important to never hit or slap the puppy, either duringtraining or any other time. Physical punishment is the surestway to erode the trust and respect that must form the basis ofan effective training program. Reprimanding a dog will not stophim from biting - it will simply scare and confuse him.

Training a shih tzu puppy not to bite is a vital part of anypuppy training program. Biting behaviors that are not correctedwill only get worse, and what seemed like harmless behavior in ashih tzu puppy can quickly escalate to dangerous, destructivebehavior in an adult dog.

About the author:Connie Limon is a professional shih tzu breeder in Indiana. Shepublishes a FREE weekly newsletter. A professional newsletterwith a focus upon health and wellness for you and your pets.Discounts on shih tzu puppies are offered to subscribers. Signup at: http://www.stainglassshihtzus.com

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