You love your new little Shih Tzu but you can probably expect some problems, if you haven’t already begun to experience them. Shih Tzu problems usually stem from the dog’s hereditary disposition and personality as much as anything else. Environment usually does not have much of an effect on a Shih Tzu unless that environment is very negative. So the better you understand your dog the better equipped you will be to deal with any potential problems that may spring up during training.

Shih Tzu dogs are high-strung little animals that do not respond well to noises and commotion of any kind. The natural response for a Shih Tzu that feels excessive stress or any other tension from their environment is a biting response. They will bite anything in their path and it doesn’t matter who or what it is. This is one of the main reasons why Shih Tzu dogs are said to not be great dogs for kids. Of course not every dog is the same but for the most part the Shih Tzu is not a great dog for kids unless you take the time to train it very well- and it does take time.
The Shih Tzu is a very proud and regal dog that descends from the dogs that used to find favor with Chinese royalty. They can be very arrogant and stubborn and this is probably the only Shih Tzu problem that can lead to more problems than anything else. They will do what they want to do and they take a long time to learn that you are in charge and not them. As was said it takes patience to train a Shih Tzu.

Shih Tzu dogs can be playful when they want to be but they do not require a lot of exercise so any activity they do get is on their terms. They are not very likely to fetch a stick for you and they certainly won’t be playing catch with a Frisbee thrown by you any time soon. If you are looking for a rough and tumble play dog then the Shih Tzu is probably not for you.
This stubbornness and high-strung personality are detrimental to important tasks like housebreaking. A Shih Tzu normally can take months to housebreak and if anything happens to upset them during the process, or they just decide that they don’t want to learn anymore, then you are usually back to square one. Your only weapon is positive reinforcement and a lot of praise because if they don’t understand what you want then they will do whatever they want.

Shih Tzu problems can come from any direction and it usually has to do with their independent personalities. They carry themselves very well and are very self-assured animals, which means they usually do not care what you have to say. It takes a lot of time and patience to overcome these issues and it can cause a great deal of frustration as well, but no one ever said it was going to be easy.

Many of the challenges of Shih Tzu training are in this article. This article will augment the information you can find in many dog training books.