How Long Does It Take to Potty Train a Shih Tzu? 3 Guides
A dog’s owner needs to know and accept that each dog is different and may do things differently than the Shih Tzu down the street.
It takes time to learn something new, and each puppy will do so at its own pace. Pushing the puppy to learn, being rough or violent with the puppy, or mistreating the puppy in the hopes that it will learn faster won’t make the process any easier.
It can also slow down the puppy’s learning or cause setbacks later in life, not to mention the negative effects it has on the dog’s health and well-being.
Still, pet owners should always start this process with a good attitude. They should expect the process to take a long time and have a few setbacks at the beginning.
They should plan ahead, stay positive, and be kind, patient, and understanding with their Shih Tzu puppy as it grows up.
How Long Does It Take To Potty Train A Shih Tzu?
Potty training a Shih Tzu could take anywhere from a few weeks to a few months. Most Shih Tzu are potty trained in two to four months, but it really depends on the Shih Tzu, how they live at home, and how important the training is to the pet parent.
Some Shih Tzus may learn quickly how to use the toilet because they want to please their owners and learn quickly.
Sometimes, a Shih Tzu puppy may have trouble. Potty training might not always work, or the dog might have health problems that make it hard for him to learn.
Pet owners need to know how long it will take to train their Shih Tzu to use the bathroom because it can take up a lot of their time and energy and make their home life with their Shih Tzu less fun.
Time is an important part of every program for training a puppy. Potty training takes time and work from the person who cares for the pet.
Toilet training doesn’t happen all at once. They should have enough time to work on toilet training on a regular basis for it to be effective and for learning to go smoothly.
If the pet parent can’t take time off or has a very tight work schedule, potty training should be put off or a professional should be hired to potty train the Shih Tzu.
No matter what method is chosen, the pet owner should plan ahead. This means that they should know where they want their puppy to go to the bathroom before they start training.
If there is a yard, they might pick out a certain spot. Take for granted that the pet owner lives in a neighborhood. In that case, the puppy might have to go to a specific place in the neighbourhood.
When they are very young, their owners can start by taking them out every 30 minutes. If they have an accident, a parent can shorten their bathroom breaks. If kids don’t have to go, their parents can make the time between breaks longer.
During this time, the parent is still learning, and it can look like a game of back and forth. The process might start when the parent decides where the puppy can go to the bathroom without having an accident.
When puppies wake up in the morning or wake up from naps, they should be taken outside right away. If they just ate a lot or drank a lot of water, they might need to go outside.
Accidents could happen while they play, so they should leave the fun at some point to make sure nothing bad happens.
Even in the best-case scenario, accidents can happen. When this happens, the owner needs to figure out if they didn’t take the dog out soon enough or if it was an accident, like the Shih Tzu getting too excited to see the mailman and peeing on the floor.
As the parent and puppy work through the process of potty training, these problems will keep coming up.
They can happen even after the puppy has learned how to go to the bathroom outside, which is why they are called accidents.
At this age, Shih Tzu puppies have small bladders, which is why they have to go outside so often.
Over time, and usually before a pet owner can blink, a dog’s bladder gets bigger and it tells the owner when it needs to go outside. This means there are fewer accidents in the house.
How to Potty Train a Shih Tzu
Shih Tzus are smart dogs that are easy to train. With a little patience, you should be able to train your Shih Tzu to go to the bathroom outside. Start by making some rules.
Make sure your Shih Tzu knows where and when she needs to go to the bathroom. Then, reinforce the behaviour by giving praise and treats. Avoid teaching methods, like yelling, that could turn your Shih Tzu away.
Establishing Boundaries
Maintain your Shih Tzu in a kennel. When you can’t watch your Shih Tzu, you should keep her in a crate until she is fully housebroken. When you’re at work, school, or sleeping, keep your Shih Tzu in a crate.
- Choose a crate that your Shih Tzu can stand up in and turn around in. To make the crate more comfortable for your Shih Tzu, you can put in toys, bedding, and water.
- The natural tendencies of a dog are used in crate training. Dogs sleep in dens in the wild. Your dog might like being in her crate. During the day, leave the door to your dog’s crate open and let her come and go as she pleases. This will make your dog more likely to go into the crate when you have to put her away.
- The crate is helpful for teaching a dog how to go to the bathroom, but it should never be used as a punishment. Since a dog thinks of her kennel as part of her home and territory, she probably won’t mess it up. So, you can use the crate to keep your dog from going to the bathroom in the house.
Maintain a regular feeding schedule. If you feed your Shih Tzu at the same time every day, she will be more likely to go to the bathroom at the same time every day.
- Even though routines are important, you shouldn’t keep your dog from drinking water so she doesn’t have to go to the bathroom overnight. Keeping your dog from getting fresh water can be bad for him or her. Dogs should always have access to clean water.
Watch for signs your Shih Tzu needs to go out. When you first start housebreaking your Shih Tzu, take her outside when she looks like she needs to go to the bathroom.
This will show her that going outside is the same as going to the bathroom. If your Shih Tzu squats or sniffs before going to the bathroom inside, take her outside.
- When housebreaking a puppy, remember that young dogs need to go outside more often. When your Shih Tzu is young, you should take her out every 20 to 30 minutes. Puppies can’t hold it together for two hours without going to the bathroom.
- Like babies, puppies don’t have much control over where they are. So, it’s important to pay attention. Accidents are inevitable with young dogs, but you can cut down on how often they happen by taking the dog out often.
Let your Shih Tzu out around the same times each day. A regular walking schedule can help your Shih Tzu learn to go to the bathroom outside.
Your Shih Tzu will learn when she can go outside. This might make it easier for her to wait instead of going to the bathroom.
- As was already said, a young dog needs to go for a walk every two hours. When your Shih Tzu goes to the bathroom less, you can go longer between walks.
- You should always let your Shih Tzu out right after you feed him in the morning. Make sure to let the dog out before you go to bed. This makes it less likely that something bad will happen at night.
Designate a potty spot, if possible. Setting up a potty spot in your house can help you train your dog. Your Shih Tzu will recognize the smell of pee and poop, which will make her want to go potty again.
For example, you can always have your Shih Tzu go to the bathroom in a corner of your yard. This can make it easier to teach a child to use the potty.
- If you don’t have a backyard, it can be hard to find a place to pee. But you may notice that your Shih Tzu likes to walk on a certain patch of grass when you take it for a walk. To get your Shih Tzu to go to the bathroom, you could walk it along this patch of grass.
- Don’t worry if you can’t figure out where to put the bathroom. A specific place for a Shih Tzu to pee could be helpful, but it’s only one part of training. A Shih Tzu can also be trained to go potty by being fed and walked on a regular schedule and by using positive reinforcement.
Reinforcing Behavior
Consider how to reward your Shih Tzu. Some pet owners think it’s good to praise their pets when they go to the bathroom outside.
- Most of the time, praise and treats are used as rewards. You can carry around a small bag of treats to give your dog when she goes outside. You can also give the dog a treat after she goes outside to do her business. “Good girl!” you can say as you pet your Shih Tzu.
- If your Shih Tzu is just starting to learn something, you might want to use rewards. But many Shih Tzu owners stop giving their dogs treats until they get used to the new toileting schedule.
- You don’t want your Shih Tzu to think that being good will get him a treat. As your Shih Tzus learn to use the bathroom outside, you might want to cut back on the treats.
Reward immediately. Dogs only live in the now. When your Shih Tzu goes to the bathroom outside, give her a treat.
When your Shih Tzu is done urinating or going to the bathroom, tell her, “Good girl!” or give her a treat. Keep things the same. Make sure to give your Shih Tzu a treat whenever he or she does what you want.
Think of a command. Sometimes, it can be helpful to have a command you can give your Shih Tzu. “Go to the bathroom!” can be helpful. This will help you remind your Shih Tzu to go to the bathroom when she is outside, which is a good thing.
- When your Shih Tzu needs to go potty, tell it, “Go potty!” If you see her squatting down or sniffing, tell her, “Go potty!”
- Your Shih Tzu will learn that “Go potty!” means she needs to go to the bathroom in time. If your Shih Tzu is dragging her feet when you take her for a walk, telling her, “Go pee!” might get her to go to the bathroom.
Scold in the immediate moment. If you catch your Shih Tzu going to the bathroom inside, you should scold them right away. Clap your hands and loudly say, “No!” Then, take your Shih Tzu outside right away so he can go to the bathroom.
As was already said, dogs only live now. If you don’t correct your Shih Tzu right after she does something wrong, she won’t understand why she’s being corrected.
Avoiding Pitfalls
Do not punish a Shih Tzu. Shih Tzus are not good at taking punishment. If your Shih Tzu makes a mistake, it is too late to tell it off. If your Shih Tzu makes a mistake, punishing her will only make her feel worse.
- Never put your dog in a kennel as a way to punish it. As a punishment, you should never hit the dog or do anything else violent.
- You should never yell at a Shih Tzu. The only kind of punishment you should give is a firm “No!” Raising your voice can scare your dog and make the environment scary for him. Because of this, training might become harder.
You have to make sure the area is clean. Shih Tzus like the smell of things. They are more likely to poop when they are in a place that smells like urine or poop.
Have patience. Shih Tzus are easy to train, but it may take a few weeks for your puppy to learn to go to the bathroom outside.
If your Shih Tzu is older, it might take longer to train it. On the other hand, training that goes on for a long time will pay off in the end. Even if you’re upset, try to be patient with your Shih Tzu as you train it.
What makes potty training easier?
Potty training is easy if you have the right attitude and love your puppy and yourself. Learning a new skill takes time, and you might fail a few times before you get it right.
How you think and feel about what you’re actually learning and doing can make or break the experience.
Adding too much stress or strain to the situation could make it take longer to learn, which would make everyone unhappy. Making the right setting for training at home makes it easier and helps everyone learn in a healthy way.
In Conclusion
Some Shih Tzu owners find it hard to train their dogs to use the bathroom outside, but it doesn’t have to be that way.
Most of the time, all you need to succeed is patience, persistence, a positive attitude, and a lot of time.
I have been working in animal shelter for the past six years and I have been raising the puppies of different breeds. I have had experience in training the puppies in obedience, agility, and other dog sports.
My main objective is to train the puppies to become good family pets. They should be well-behaved and trained to be loving, loyal, and obedient.
Contact me:
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (912) 634-3631
Address: 102 Village Way Crk Saint Simons Island, Georgia(GA), 31522
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