Shih Tzu Training - Never Shout At Your Shih Tzu Dog

If you have a new Shih Tzu puppy in the house and are unclear about whether or not you should use yelling as a way to get him or her to stop doing something wrong or barking too much, then this article should clear up your confusion.  If anything, you should learn the simple fact that yelling at your Shih Tzu dog does nothing to fix a problem, stop what they are doing, or induce any type of positive reinforcement.

Yes your Shih Tzu dog may stop doing a certain activity temporarily after yelling at them, but they will only return to whatever behavior they were displaying which made you angry in the first place. Why? Because when you shout at your dog it does nothing to fix the issue, yelling only works as a temporary solution.

Most Shih Tzu puppies think of their owners as other dogs. And when you start yelling at your pet, it only increases how excited he or she is about the situation. You also cause your Shih Tzu dog to create a negative association between yelling and how they feel around you.  They will soon start to connect yelling with the idea that they are disliked or unwanted, and will not have the ability to know that they are actually breaking a rule that you are trying to establish.

Not All Loud Voice Commands Are Bad

Even though yelling at your Shih Tzu dog is considered to be of poor communication skills, there are definitely times when you need to firm up the tone of your voice and change the way you come across to them. There are three general forms of communication in terms of the way you speak to your Shih Tzu dog that you can apply:

1. The soothing tone of voice. A soothing and delightful tone of voice should be used whenever you want to give praise to your Shih Tzu dog. When you communicate this way, you should be able to relax and soothe them as opposed to creating excitability. Speaking to your Shih Tzu puppy in a soothing tone of voice makes them feel secure and proud knowing that you are happy with them.

2. The second tone of voice used when communicating with your Shih Tzu dog is more of a direct tone. A direct tone would be the same way you give commands to your Shih Tzu puppy when you want to get their attention. It should be short, firm, and authoritative.

3. The third general tone of voice you can use with your Shih Tzu dog is more of a disciplinary tone. However, you must learn to draw a fine line between a disciplinary tone and a yelling tone.  Remember, you do not want to yell at your Shih Tzu dog but there are certainly times when you need to get across to them to back away from something quickly or to stop doing something immediately, all without actually scaring them off with shouting. Personally, I like to use two syllables such as “DOWN BOY” or “SPARKY NO”.