Pamela's Shihtzu Heaven
Training
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THE SHIHTZU is the sweetest dog in this world but left untrained they return to their animal side.  Here is the way I explain it.  You adopt a dog and you name your sweet little dog, lets call her SUGAR.  Now Sugar is a beautiful princess and you treat her like it with no boundaries, free run of the house, no guidance, only affection, maybe some exercise, but mainly affection.  You got her to give you love and that is her job, your job to her is unfinished it appears because she has starting chewing, and snarling at you and P'g and pooping on your floor and now even on the furniture, maybe your bed, maybe your clothes......Well let's say there are two sides to your dog.  One is called Sugar and one is called animal.  The animal part is in control and Sugar is just along for the ride because that is what you taught her. You, the pack leader, taught her her only job is to love you, so when the animal in her brain reacts she has no control over it and neither do you.  Understand.? She can be retrained to control but her brain has to be taught.....   now let's go to work and fix the animal part of Sugar's brain so she can be the loving little companion you wanted.  

Your puppy has to go back to zero and learn each step to 10, whether you can do that or a professional trainer is needed depends on the age and severity of the problem and YOUR knowledge, dedication &ability to stay calm .  start reading Cesar Millan's information and read as much of it as you can find.  You can google him or download his books to your computer pads. I recommend the "how to raise the perfect puppy" book for a starting place.   

EXERCISE-then--TRAINING (correction)--then--AFFECTION

THose leashes and halters I put on your puppies
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aren't just to look pretty, USE THEM, it is the difference in being pack leader or NOT!

NEVER REWARD INTENSITY...  barking, hopping around, the unsettled brain state can't learn, she must learn "calm submission"  she/he can ONLY learn that from a calm/relaxed/pack leader.  Deep breath in hold
four seconds, exhale, relax, shake your fingers, take leash, head up and
looking forward, shoulders up and back, relax and go. exercise is key. then we correct but ONLY if you know HOW to correct. your anger, frustration,nervousness, fear, anxiety (human emotions make animal brain unable to learn).  if you don't know the correct way, do nothing, get help ASAP. 

If you DO NOT or CANNOT walk your dog on a leash calmly, YOU are not in control of your dog

There is always HOPE when you give the EFFORT

YOU MUST ALWAYS BE:   CALM / PACK LEADER / CALM

Training your dog is about body language & touch

Training YOU is about Education-Understanding-Following through

Once you KNOW  BETTER you will DO BETTER!

I am going to feed you some information but for a wonderful experience in learning tune into Cesar Millan's show on NATGeo (it is 190 on my tv) he has several shows throughout the week, watch them, learn, it will really help you understand your dog and the dog psychology and then it will help you in your everyday life in working with people.

YOUR DOG off the leash is his own pack leader, noone is in control of him, not even himself so he reverts to his natural animal instincts: survival, dominance, aggression, fear.

YOUR DOG on the leash is submissive to you, the pack leader, once I have you trained to be the pack leader. You 
want to earn trust and respect of your dog and the GREAT thing about dogs are they do not hold a grudge so you can start FRESH RIGHT now, today, and your dog will begin to trust and respect you the MINUTE your body language and
actions tells the dogs brain to do so.  How do you know if you are doing it right?  well, when people tell me what they
are doing but then they add, it doesn't work......then it is not the right way.  seek education 

DOGS CHANGE WHO YOU ARE

if you come home give out and frustrated and overwhelmed, release that energy before you EVER touch your dog, your mate, your children.
A good way to release bad energy is simply BREATH.
Before you enter your home.....do the butterfly....I am not kidding..
DO IT!  lift your arms into the sky, look up take deep breath, point to
GOD.....now lower your arms, let your head level with your eyes looking forward, exhaling as your arms lower to your side and wiggle your fingers, feel the tingle... REPEAT.... REPEAT at least three times, once you feel the tingle in your fingers...look up one more time and release,relax..now enter your home...you and others will notice the difference. ... you may teach this to the rest of the family now.....well...YOU ARE THE PACK LEADER..... 

PROBLEM: P'g and poop'g in the house?  Dog error or Human error?
Human.  WHY?    When dogs exercise they poop and P so while on their walk with their pack leader (notice I said WITH THE PACK LEADER) then they P and Poop on their walk, that is what nature tells them to do, when they don't get the walk they P and Poop where they are.  

Now when they return from the walk and P or Poop in your home that is a dominance confusion and a struggle with you because you are NOT getting through to them for some reason, this goes back to territory and needs to be handled on an individual basis, ask me about your situation.  

NO MATTER WHAT YOUR DOG DOES-----STAY CALM and IN CONTROL OF YOURSELF

If you don't know what to do at this point, do nothing, seek knowledge, then return to handle the behavior.  Nothing is EVER gained from being mean to your dog, getting yourself upset and out of control......the dog is not doing anything to YOU, it is NOT personal, the dog is an animal with animal instincts that have not had boundaries set.  I can help.    If you want to know when you need help, look in the mirror and see if there is a calm person looking at you or an UPSET person.

BE CONSISTENT.....BE CALM.....Silence is power....RELAX body language...it is speaking to your dog when you aren't....FEAR is created and then intensified by human reactions. 

HOW should my new puppy be introduced to my home?
When you pick your puppy up at the breeder, put it on a halter and leash immediately, allow the puppy to walk to the car, place the puppy in the front seat (only) either in the passenger seat in a soft puppy bed or in your passenger's lap in a soft puppy bed.  Have the breeder touch the puppies nose to her face then to your face, this transfers the 'smell of trust' to you, rub the puppies ears in small circular motions, this relaxes the puppy and allows it ride comfortably.  I will tell you other things to do that my puppies have been trained as a relaxation cue/trigger.

While riding, if puppy becomes anxious or aggitated to a level 6 or above, then pull over to a grassy area away from traffic and let puppy get it's feet on the ground and it's brain become calm again. Just a few minutes and you lead the puppy back to the car, not being fearful or anxious but calm and in control you are reassuring the puppy you are in charge and all is well. 

Arriving at home, allow puppy to get out of the car on leash and walk into your home, go straight to the door puppy will use to exit always to potty and allow puppy about 10 minutes to smell and find it's spot, you will return to this spot now about every 30 minutes for a couple of hours.  now revert to housebreaking handout.