All dogs, no matter the breed have instincts that come from their ancestors who ran wild. Dogs, by nature, are pack animals and within every single pack is a pack leader. It is important that your dog knows you as the pack leader or successful obedience training will never occur. Within the pack, those who are not the leader are submissive and follow the direction of the leader.

You must be this leader within your training or the dog will see no reason to follow your command.

For successful Shih Tzu obedience training, you must gain the respect and submissiveness of your dog right away. Having a well-trained Shih Tzu means years and years of love and friendship. Having an untrained and unruly Shih Tzu means that you will have problem after problem with your dog, as they can easily turn destructive and even dangerous to you and others as extreme biting can occur.

Getting Shih Tzu obedience training right from the beginning is essential in you having a safe and nondestructive relationship with your dog. Shih Tzu training, while not hard, is something that requires consistent efforts to make sure that it goes quick and sticks with your dog.

You must show them who the pack leader is so that they will respect you and follow your command. This is not only for your convenience but for their safety as well.

And although Shih Tzu training can take place at any age, it is preferable that the training be done as early as possible. With that in mind, it is important to know that just like children, the young Shih Tzu has a short attention span and therefore training lessons must be done one at a time and kept short. Instead of having training sessions a half hour long four times a day, have the training sessions ten minutes long and eight times a day. This will make sure that training goes smoothly for the both of you.

Although you have studied on the Internet and read all kinds of dog training books, it is important to enroll your dog into Shih Tzu obedience training classes in order to get even more helpful hints and advice you might of otherwise have never known. Having a rofessional right there with you and your dog can help point out things that you can do to improve your chances of having a successfully trained dog.

The training classes, along with socialization are an important part of your Shih Tzu's development. It is important that you expose your Shih Tzu to other Shih Tzu's and other types of breeds as well. Introduce your Shih Tzu to as many types of people as possible including those of different ages. This will help make sure that your Shih Tzu is comfortable with all other animals and people. This will make for a well-rounded dog.