Teaching your Shih Tzu certain commands is not just a neat party trick, but it can be quite helpful when it comes to correcting behavioral issues. The good news is that you don't have to hire a trainer or send your dog to training school in order to learn five basic commands. All you need is a little patience, effective use of repetition, and a treat to reward your dog when they accomplish the task.
1) Sit
This is arguably the easiest of all commands and an excellent place to start training your dog.
- Hold a treat close enough to your dog's nose for them to lock in on it
- Move your hand up. This will cause the dog's head to follow, and he will naturally sit down
- When he sits, say, "Sit", give him the treat, and pet him
Doing this a few times a day will let the dog relate the command "Sit" to actually sitting down.
