How Can I Train Shih Tzu – Times Two
Are you wondering how to train two Shih Tzu at the same time? Perhaps training Shih Tzu has never really got off the ground because your dogs always pay more attention to each other than they do to you? If this sounds like your Shih Tzu training sessions read on.
It’s really difficult carrying out any kind of training session when you have more than one dog.
Even I find it difficult and I have been training dogs for many years.
Before we move onto what you can do let’s take a look at what exactly can make training difficult when you are trying to teach two Shih Tzu at once.
A Bonded Pair – Shih Tzu That Focus on Each Other
The first problem is that the dogs are bonded with each other. This will be particularly relevant if one or both of your Shih Tzu were a very young when their relationship began, certainly if they were of the same litter. When two dogs are well bonded it can be hard to get and keep their attention on you.
It is really good to have a bonded pair of dogs, in many ways, because it takes the focus off you too meet all of their needs. They play together, sleep together and socialize well together. It is important too that each of them also bonds with you or you can easily find yourself outside of the inner circle.
Competing for your Attention
The other thing that a pair of Shih Tzu puppies can do, when you interact with them, is create competition within the environment for your attention. This is a behavior that can be shown either by a bonded pair or dogs that are vague friends or simply tolerate each other.
The problem that competition of this type causes is still that each Shih Tzu training session is filled with two dogs that focus on each other rather than you, for slightly different reasons this time though, they each want to be closest to you and interacting with you more than the other.
The reason for this type of competition is that you are their biggest resource and they probably also love you. If two dogs never get parted and always feel they are in competition for your attention this can be detrimental to their well-being, this result dependent on each of the dog’s individual character.
How to Train Two Shih Tzu at the Same Time
When training two Shih Tzu the best thing you can do for yourself and your dogs is to take some quality ‘one to one’ time with each of them. You can put the second dog into another room with a special treat to chew on whilst you spend a ten to fifteen minutes with one Shih Tzu on his own. Then swap the dogs over.
The positive aspects of doing this are vast. Whether your Shih Tzu are bonded with each other or competing for your attention this approach will build a strong relationship between you and each of your dogs individually. This relationship, in turn, will give you control over your dogs where they would normally reinforce each-others behavior until it escalates way out of your control.
So back to the original question, how do you train two Shih Tzu at the same time? My answer is that you don’t, you train them individually and you will quickly see a huge improvement in their behavior when your Shih Tzu puppies are together as a pair.
