If you’re a proud new mom or dad to an extremely shy shih tzu puppy, don’t worry! This is a behavioral characteristic that is based on fear and is very common in a puppy. It is a well known fact that in every litter, there will be at least one shy shih-tzu puppy and it needs a little more grooming than the normal puppy. However, you should not worry as home training for shih tzu is not difficult at all.

First, we need to understand the cause of this fear. When the shy shih tzu puppy grows up, it can develop unwanted behavior as the need and always look towards its owners in any situation. This may seem harmless, but do you know that this urge to “run to mommy or daddy” every time it gets scared can cause your puppy to start aggression if it doesn’t get soothing attention? This is what is known as fear-induced aggression.

Do you know that if you constantly pet and calm your Shih Tzu puppy every time he shows extreme shyness or if he gets scared, you are actually reinforcing this behavior? Of course, it’s hard and hard to ignore your scared puppy when he needs you … it’s like your own baby crying for help and how can you not rush to hug the helpless baby? But know that if you want to change your puppy’s behavior and help him grow to be a fearless and social animal, you need to let your puppy know that it is “okay” to be scared.

How to help your shy Shih-Tzu puppy change

When you have your puppy for the first time, you need to observe your puppy. If your puppy shows signs of fear and shyness, then patience is needed when helping your puppy adjust. Fool your puppy, but you must let him realize that you are no longer his protector. First of all, you need to start stopping your puppy’s behaviors that he’s used to doing when he gets scared. For example, behaviors such as barking while hiding behind legs when startled, quickly walking away whenever he sees a normal part of the outside, such as a person walking or a bush swaying in the wind, etc.

Two simple tips you can use to help your Shih Tzu puppy be less shy:

Tip 1. If your puppy often barks or cries when people approach him, you should correct this behavior by informing and explaining to your family and friends to ignore the fear-induced barking or crying. So when these people naturally ignore their barking or crying puppy and don’t stop the approach, your puppy will learn that this behavior doesn’t work to their advantage. Therefore, from now on, your pup will begin to understand that fear-induced barking doesn’t really work and will stop.

Tip 2. In a situation where your puppy needs to interact with guests, you should always secure it on a leash. Take your puppy with you when approaching guests. Therefore, whenever your puppy becomes frightened and starts crying, barking, or even hiding behind your legs, you must act safely without any attempt to pet or calm your puppy. In other words, ignore your puppy’s cry for comfort. This will help your puppy to be more courageous and let you know that such behaviors will no longer work.

These simple shih tzu house training tips can help you train and correct your puppy’s behavior before the situation gets out of hand.