Ask Me Help Desk - Shih tzu puppy yapping problem

Please help! I have a 2 1/2 month old mixed breed puppy and 1 month old shih tzu who yaps every time that it gets on my nerves! I never had this kind of problem with my other puppy. And also, when they play, my shih tzu yaps and barks at my other puppy like they are fighting and would not stop even if I tell to stop.:confused:

The key to most behavior problems is approaching things using the dog's natural instincts. Dogs see all the people and dogs in the household as a pack with each having their own rank in the pack and a top dog. Life is much easier if the 2 legged pack members outrank the 4 legged ones. You can learn to play the role of top dog by reading some books or going to a good obedience class. A good obedience class or book is about you being top dog, not about rewarding standard commands with a treat. Start at Raising Your Dog with the Monks of New Skete For more on being top dog, see Establishing and Keeping Alpha Position, Letting your dog know you are the boss

Here are some things for younger puppies:

''Elevation for small puppies: Sit on the floor and gently put your hands around your pup's middle, below his front legs, and lift him up. He is facing you. Hold him for 15 seconds. Repeat until he no longer struggles. If he is past 10-12 weeks, lift his front feet off the ground, but don't pick him up.

Cradling for small puppies: Hold your puppy gently on his back, as you would cradle a small baby. If he struggles, hold him firmly until he quiets for 10-15 seconds. With larger pups, you can do this as your sit on the floor, with your pup between your legs.

Quiet lying down: Place your pup on the floor on his side, with all 4 legs pointing away from you. Use your hands on his neck/shoulder area and middle, to hold him in this position. When he is quiet, praise him. Lengthen the time that you keep him quietly in this position. When he accepts this position well, handle his paws and muzzle, while keeping him quiet.''

The quotes mean this isn't my original work. It is copied from my Puppy Raising Manual. I have long used these or minor variations of them, and they are very effective. You may want to give him a belly rub while he is on his back too. Helps bonding. There is a big difference between him rolling over and demanding a belly rub, and you choosing a time to roll him over and rub his belly. The latter cements your place as pack leader.

The above are fundamental techniques I suggest for almost all behavior problems and should help with barking too. The truth is, Labs usually don't bark that much and I don't have methods of controlling barking that I have been successful using. It isn't even in the manual for them. The manual does have a suggested reading list. One I have read is The Other End of the Leash by Patrica McConnell.

She suggests the first step is not to yell at the dog. After all, usually if one dog starts to bark, any others around will to. So yell at your dog when it barks and it is happy to have you bark with it. Quietly tell it enough and walk over to it with a treat, doesn't need to be very big. Let him know you have it and use it to lure him away from what he is barking at if anything, and praise him as he shifts his attention to the treat and away from barking. Once away from where he was barking, give him the treat.

Unlike much of my other advice, this is not something I have tried and found works. It does come from a reliable source and I would trust it more than something I found on a website I know little about. I just hope she isn't smart enough to figure out if she barks, she gets a treat plus your attention.

A one month old shih tzu? Are you sure about the age? Rather young to be separated from it's mother. How long have your had it? :confused:

You puppy is exhibiting play behavior. Some dogs yap a lot. Just telling it to stop isn't the best training technique. Your dog doesn't understand you. Training takes a lot of time and patience. Please follow labman's advice. This is going to take hundreds of corrections before your puppy makes the connection.

Quote:

Originally Posted by RubyPitbull

A one month old shih tzu? Are you sure about the age? Rather young to be separated from it's mother. How long have your had it? :confused:

You puppy is exhibiting play behavior. Some dogs yap a lot. Just telling it to stop isn't the best training technique. Your dog doesn't understand you. Training takes a lot of time and patience. Please follow labman's advice. This is going to take hundreds of corrections before your puppy makes the connection.

I've had the tzu puppy for a week now and as for the mixed shih tzu/thai bangkeaw puppy, I've had him since she was 3 weeks old. My friend gave her to me as her mother doesn't want to feed her. (breastmilk). I've never had had this problem with the first puppy but the purebred shih tzu disturbs my wife and me every night and we can't can't get enough sleep. Now, I go to work with air in my head because of not sleeping. I don't want to sell the puppy or give it away as I really like dogs.I'm still planning to get a pug but if this all the yapping at night time doesn't stop, I might lose my sanity.

Quote:

Originally Posted by marcoliver

please help! I have a 2 1/2 month old mixed breed puppy and 1 month old shih tzu who yaps everytime that it gets on my nerves! I never had this kind of problem with my other puppy. and also, when they play, my shih tzu yaps and barks at my other puppy like they are fighting and would not stop even if i tell to stop.:confused:

I've had the tzu puppy for a week now and as for the mixed shih tzu/thai bangkeaw puppy, I've had him since she was 3 weeks old. My friend gave her to me as her mother doesn't want to feed her. (breastmilk). I've never had had this problem with the first puppy but the purebred shih tzu disturbs my wife and me every night and we can't can't get enough sleep. Now, I go to work with air in my head because of not sleeping. I don't want to sell the puppy or give it away as I really like dogs.I'm still planning to get a pug but if this all the yapping at night time doesn't stop, I might lose my sanity.

My Mixed breed is also now fully housebroken. She pees and poopoo in our toilet. She's only 2 1/2 month old but she's very smart. We can leave her in the apartment for a few hours and she does't mess up anything in the house but we must leave the toilet open. (our house is puppy proofed). Please help me with my pure shih tzu breed. I've had a lot of dogs before but this one is quite different. What should I do??

Marco, as I said, please follow labman's advice posted above. Reread his post carefully. The exercises he mentioned regarding young pups works. Also, the advice he posted from Patricia McConnell's book does work well with puppies that yap. I do a slight variation to that advice in working with older dogs, but I would stick with the advice she states regarding young puppies. Please try all those techniques for the next couple of weeks.

As an additional note, if the puppy has not been to the vet for a baseline health check & put on a schedule for parvo vaccinations, it is time to do that. There might be a health issue or she just might be a product of poor breeding practices. If you try those techniques and they don't seem to work after giving them a good try, and you feel that you just can't handle this dog, there are a lot of people who would love to adopt a purebred shihtzu puppy. You can create a flyer and post it in your vet's office. Guaranteed you will get a call from someone within a couple of days.