If most shih tzu owners are asked about any literal pet peeves about their er, pet, most answers would dwell on the dog’s barking. When something bark-worthy catches the attention of these dogs, they will want to work up quite a racket. If nobody stops them, they usually could even keep it up for nearly half an hour! Any owner that wants to do something about it will of course turn to Shih Tzu training.

Not that an alarm dog will have nothing to do anymore; it’s just that it will take time for them to figure out that some things do not really need barking at. It is really up to you as dog owner to decide if that stretch of time for learning is going to be annoyingly long winded or mercifully short. If the barking is not called for, tell the dog “No” calmly. Otherwise, praise them for letting you know, and tell them not to bark anymore, since you know already.

When it comes to shitzu training, a reward-based method is the most effective and efficient. But before it is started, you need first a noise maker that, while neither a reward nor punitive, will simply distract your dog from what it is barking at. To get it to snap out of its barking, try shaking at it a can of sealed popcorn or beans inside.

But barking may not be the only concern in a young or untrained shih tzu. Such a dog may also develop the habit of whining when left alone for a while. Granted that all dogs are prone to separation anxiety; but it is a different matter all together in the case of the shih tzu that has nervous tendencies when it fails to catch a glimpse of its humans for just minutes. The solution is exercise, like walking for up to a half-mile per day , or playing fetch. Another solution is to get two shih tzus, not just one.

But when we consider human actions from a canine point of view, some of these actions do indeed suffer from inconsistency and bad example. Behavioral training needs to inspire in any dog owner a major shift, since a trainer needs to basically be a teacher and leader, too. This also means helping other people to have good manners to the dog, e.g. not scaring it if it is easily afraid. In other words, the good manners of people also teach dogs a lot.

If you want to help a dog overcome its barking, a big step is to get the shih tzu puppy or dog used to crowds, other dogs and social situations. With those, they learn a variety of scenarios and contexts that gives them a choice aside from feeling timid or afraid. Keep your own anger or fear to yourself too; don’t go picking up your dog every time some dog comes along, or do not let your temper get the better of you in case the dog makes an accident.