Connie Limon asked: Biting is one of those things that every Shih Tzu puppy seems to do, and every Shih Tzu puppy must be taught not to do. Like many behaviors, such as jumping up on people, biting and nipping can seem cute when the Shih Tzu puppy is small, but much less so as he gets older, larger and stronger.
Left to their own devices, most Shih Tzu puppies learn to control their biting reflex from their mothers and from their littermates. When the Shih Tzu puppy becomes overenthusiastic, whether when nursing or playing, the mother Shih Tzu, or the other Shih Tzu puppies, will quickly issue a correction.
Unfortunately, this type of natural correction often does not occur, since many Shih Tzu puppies are removed from their mothers when they are still quite young. It is therefore up to Shih Tzu puppy’s owner to take over this important process.
Socializing the Shih Tzu puppy with other dogs and puppies is one of the best and most effective ways to teach the Shih Tzu puppy the appropriate, and non appropriate way to bite, and to curb the biting response.
Many communities and pet stores sponsor puppy playtime and puppy kindergarten classes, and these classes can be great places for puppies to socialize with each other, and with other humans and animals as well. As the puppies play with each other, they will natural bite and nip each other. When one puppy becomes too rough or bites too hard, the other puppies will quickly respond by correcting it.
The best time for this socialization of the Shih Tzu puppy to occur is when it is still young. It is vital that every dog be properly socialized, since a poorly socialized Shih Tzu, or worse, one that is not socialized at all, can become dangerous and even neurotic. Most experts recommend that Shih Tzu puppies be socialized before they have reached the age of 12 weeks, or three months.
Another reason for socializing the Shih Tzu puppy early is that mothers of young children may be understandably reluctant to allow their young children to play with older or larger dogs. Since socializing the Shih Tzu with other people is just as important as socializing it with other dogs, it is best to do it when the Shih Tzu puppy is still young enough to be non threatening to everyone.
It is important for the Shih Tzu puppy to be exposed to a wide variety of different stimuli during the socialization process. The socialization process should include exposing the Shih Tzu puppy to a wide variety of other animals, including other puppies, adult dogs, cats and other domestic animals. In addition, the Shih Tzu puppy should be introduced to as wide a cross section of people as possible, including young children, older people, men, women and people from a variety of ethnic backgrounds.
While socialization is very important to providing the Shih Tzu puppy with life lessons and preventing him from biting, it is not the only method of preventing unwanted biting and mouthing. Giving the Shih Tzu puppy appropriate things to play with and bite is another good way to control inappropriate biting. Providing a variety of chew toys, ropes and other things the Shih Tzu puppy can chew is important to preventing boredom, keeping his teeth polished and keeping him from chewing things he should not.
As with any training, it is important to be consistent when teaching the Shih Tzu puppy not to bite. Every member of the family, as well as close friends who may visit, should all be told that the Shih Tzu puppy is to be discouraged from biting. If one person allows the Shih Tzu puppy to chew on them while everyone else does not, the Shih Tzu puppy will quickly become confused, and that can make the training process much more difficult than it has to be.
Sit Stay Fetch, good Dog!
