Shih Tzu Litter Box Training Advice
Housebreaking a Shih Tzu can be one of the most difficult things you will ever try to do and many people find it the most frustrating thing about owning a Shih Tzu. Shih Tzu dogs are very independent thinkers and prefer to do things their own way.
It takes patience and many Shih Tzu owners turn to Shih Tzu litter box training when regular housebreaking does not work. You may want to give it a little time before you break out the litter box.
Even in the best case scenario a Shih Tzu can take up to six months to learn how to go where you want it to, so if you are only a couple of months into the process and it does not be working you need to be patient. You are going to want to try everything you can to housebreak your Shih Tzu, and allow it all of the time it needs, before you even think about a litter box.
Due to their behavioral patterns it is very much worth repeating that you may want to develop patience with a Shih Tzu in regards to housebreaking before you resort to using a litter box. A Shih Tzu will look at your entire house as a territory and if you let it know that it is okay to relieve itself in the house anywhere then it may not always associate that activity with the Shih Tzu litter box training. It is still much more beneficial to get the dog to understand that, for bathroom needs, outside is good and inside is bad.
The size of the dog can also determine whether or not you want to consider the litter box. The Shih Tzu is a toy breed but it can grow to sizes that are much too big to be using a litter box with. Consult your breeder, or your vet, on their advice about whether or not a Shih Tzu the size of yours should be considered for litter box training or not. A bigger dog is going to have problems with a litter box so be sure before you start training.
If you really want to start Shih Tzu litter box trainingthen place a large litter box in the part of your house that your Shih Tzu has been soiling the most. Praise it profusely when it uses that litter box. but do not punish it when it does not use it.
Punishment confuses a Shih Tzu and causes any training already completed to have to be done over. Watch your Shih Tzu and take it to the litter box when it displays the signs of getting ready to go to the bathroom, like sniffing in a spot or circling.
Never give up on housebreaking until you have tried everything there first or you may regret it later on in your dog’s life.