A Shih Tzu is a proud and regal dog that likes things very clean and doesn't really get trained. You can show a Shih Tzu what you expect it to do, but in the end if it does not adopt the behavior then you have a long road ahead of you. Punishment and negative reinforcement will cause all of your training to be undone and you may even have to reconnect with your Shih Tzu after any punishment. Your Shih Tzu only understands positive reinforcement so be patient and use good training.

At some point some Shih Tzu owners think that Shih Tzu paper training may work in their house breaking attempts. Housebreaking a Shih Tzu is a long process that can take months and the one thing you do not want to do is keep introducing new things into the process. This will confuse your dog and set back your training by months.

A Shih Tzu requires a long and involved process for housebreaking and if you are turning to Shih Tzu paper training then it needs to be several months after you have already tried all standard housebreaking measures. Even then you need to understand that a Shih Tzu is probably not going to react to paper training like any other breed of dog would react to it. It is so vitally important to be sure that you are doing paper training only after trying conventional housebreaking methods for at least six months.

If you have tried housebreaking for six months then you can try paper training but be persistent. You should already have a living area for your Shih Tzu and chances are that they are soiling areas around, but not in, their living area. One thing you can try is to expand their living area a little to incorporate the areas they are soiling. Maybe even move their bedding closer to the area they have been soiling as a Shih Tzu will not soil where it sleeps.

Shih Tzu paper training can take longer than housebreaking and can undo any housebreaking training you have already done. If you would like to try it then move their living area to the spot they are soiling the most and cover the soiled spot with layers of newspaper. Praise the dog when it uses the paper and clean the papers often but always leave behind a small soiled area so they know it is okay to use the papers. Then slowly move everything towards the door and then start getting the dog used to going outside.

Housebreaking a Shih Tzu can be one of the most frustrating things you have ever tried but you need to be patient and stick with a housebreaking routine. Breaking that routine by moving the living space and adding newspapers will probably set your housebreaking back to square one so be patient and stick with the standard methods before you try the papers.