Why do dogs dig? Well, there are a number of reasons that dogs dig, some want to bury bones or try to dig bones up, others dig out a shallow hole to have a cool place to sit on a warm day. For other dogs, it may be a way to get rid of pent-up energy. You might first try a vigorous play session as soon as you let him outside. Play a game of fetch. If he then starts to dig after the game of fetch, try redirecting his behavior. If he is trying to bury a bone take the bone to an acceptable digging place and encourage him to bury the bone there. If he does, then reward him with a favorite treat and lots of praise to try an reenforce a behavior that is acceptable to you. If he returns to the very same spot where you don't want him to dig, despite the attempts to redirect his behavior then try a firm "No" to discourage him, and show him where you will allow him to bury the bone or continue his digging behavior. If you don't want your dog to dig at all, play the game of fetch with him, then take him back into the house and give him a favorite chew toy. Fortunately, most Shih Tzu don't seem to be vigorous diggers. I have had a few Shih Tzu that dig, but because their paws are so small, they have very little strength to do a whole lot of serious digging. I have had them guilty of getting into the trash. The easiest solution is to keep trash out of his sight and reach. This is one way of puppy proofing your home before puppy arrives. Try to find another place for the trash, a place puppy won't find and ever be able to form a bad habit of getting into the trash. If this is not possible, try using a very tall trash can with a tight lid. This method usually works well with the Shih Tzu, since again, the Shih Tzu is usually a very small dog. However, I do have one 4 pound Shih Tzu (Holly by name) who I just found the other night "inside" the trash can. Believe it or not, there she was right inside the trash can. This trash can was in the bathroom. So I imagine she hopped on top of the kamode lid and then right on into the trash can (that I had left the lid off of). So, there are ways the smaller Shih Tzu can find to get into the trash. Just keep your lids closed tight! As for toilet paper and paper towels....beware of these wonderful inventions in the eyes of your Shih Tzu. They think there is no better fun than to unroll a roll of toilet paper and/or paper towels, tear it all into small pieces, or string it out all over the place in long pieces. Just whatever they can do to totally destroy a roll of toilet paper and/or paper towels is what they will do. Keep these items out of reach unless of course you like extra clean-up when you return home. I have come home several times to toilet paper and paper towels strung out all over the place and I was not a happy camper, believe me. So these are two other items you want to keep well out of reach of your Shih Tzu. Keeping these things out of reach is much better than spending your time trying to condition them to leave the toilet paper and paper towels alone. You can spend your time conditioning them to something more beneficial for the both of you. Why does our Shih Tzu seem to love our dirty clothes? They like my worn socks better than clean ones right out of the dryer. The answer to this I suppose is that any item their loved one has left their personal scent upon becomes an absolute treasure in their eyes. It is so much fun to a Shih Tzu to grab a dirty sock and run just as fast as they can with their newly found treasure. I have one little girl who I call Jane Jane who carries around a hair wrap (I use to wear in my hair) that has my scent on it and she carries this in her mouth like a pacifier. When I saw how cute this was, better than to carry around my dirty socks, I have tried to keep up with it and throw in the washer from time to time. When I return with it, you would think I had given her a bowl of ice cream. She just loves that hair wrap, sleeps with it in her mouth sometimes. I think she likes it so much because it has my scent on it and this comforts her. I am sure other breeds are like this as well. I only know about the Shih Tzu. Shih Tzu are extra clever I think, but I also think probably a lot of canine exhibit these same kind of behaviors.
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