The Shih Tzu is a proud and regal breed of dog that would prefer to do things their own way rather than listen to any one else, including you. You can imagine that a dog with that kind of an attitude will probably be difficult to train and that includes housebreaking. 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.

Your Shih Tzu is a very stubborn dog and it does not always associate everything the way you would want it to. To your dog, Shih Tzu litter box training may be an invitation to go to the bathroom anywhere in the house as opposed to just the litter box. This is why you should not give up on the standard housebreaking methods for your Shih Tzu, as litter box training might make the situation much worse.

A Shih Tzu can grow to pretty big sizes even for a toy breed and that can be a big problem if you are considering Shih Tzu litter box training. A larger dog is not going to adapt well to a litter box and could wind up making a huge mess rather than the controlled chaos you are hoping for. Ask your breeder or your vet if they think your Shih Tzu may be too big for litter box training.

You think you have tried everything else and Shih Tzu litter box training is your last resort. Get a large litter box and put it in the area the Shih Tzu has been soiling the most. Take your dog to that litter box several times a day and praise and reward the dog for using the litter box. Never punish a Shih Tzu, as that will negate all the training you have done and cause you to have to start over.

Litter box training is not housebreaking and it may actually cause more problems than it could ever solve. Be sure to have the same dedication to litter box training that you had to housebreaking because litter box training could take as long, or longer, than housebreaking and may not give the results you wanted. Never give up on housebreaking until you have tried everything there first or you may regret it later on in your dog's life.