I had a Shih Tzu for 12 years and loved him dearly, but I screwed up his early training and it took years to undo. I took him to the wrong vet, the wrong groomers and the wrong training classes. He developed a lot of issues over handling as a result. I also failed to get him used to handling early on, and because of their fast-growing hair Shih Tzus need to tolerate a lot of handling. Also they will put up with a lot of bad handling when puppies but not when they are older.
Positive rewards based training is the way to go, but beware if the trainer is not APDT they may mix rewards with more old-fashioned techniques. The class I went to did this, lots of positive stuff but too fast, too noisy, forcing dogs into sits and when he nipped from stress the trainer took his jaw and jammed his upper teeth into his lower jaw! Didn’t help the nipping and totally freaked out my dog. Discourage any biting and play-mouthing from early on by offering alternatives. Observe classes before committing and see if dogs/owners seem happy and relaxed. Found a brilliant class for my second dog.
Grooming get him used to very gently handling, even tiny hair pulls can make some dogs very wary. Also if possible find a mobile groomer who will come to your home, that way you can monitor them and it’s less overwhelming for the dog. Some people like long hair on Shih Tzus but it’s a pain to keep from matting (and this pulls on the skin and can create sore spots) and limits mobility, also hoovers up dirt/twigs etc.. Short hair is much easier on the dog. Also see if vet has service for nail trimming, had a lot of groomers who trimmed nails down to the quick, my dog subsequently refused to let anyone near his paws. It’s important to keep hair around eyes and in ears in check as Shih Tzus are prone to eye problems and ear infections. If your Shih Tzu is comfortable with handling hair over eyes can be trimmed a little with baby nail scissors, easier to handle and rounded edges means less chance of injury. Also get the dog used to gentle swabbing round eyes to remove debris, cosmetic cotton wool pads are great for this. Ear hair can be dealt with at the vet’s. My OH had Shih Tzus before who were happy to have hair plucked at home, but some have very sensitive ears and won’t tolerate it.
My Shih Tzu developed allergies, ear infections and hot spots when he was two – see my comments on an earlier thread.
Bottoms can become impacted, the easy way to avoid this is gentle cleaning with non-perfumed baby wipes after a poo.
Make sure you have a decent vet, some of them are very old-school ‘dominance’ theory types too. Read reviews online.
Teeth – get him used to daily tooth brushing, and get his teeth checked as overcrowding can be an issue. Have teeth deep cleaned at the vet’s on a regular basis, mine was done once a year. But he had terrible teeth.
My second dog a supposedly ‘difficult’ Irish Terrier went to a decent APDT class, was groomed at home and had a very proactive, up to date vet and is the most easy-going dog imaginable. My Shih Tzu was a wonderful, charming eccentric but a nightmare to groom and hated vets.