As a rule, a Shih Tzu needs to be exercised twice a day for several hours. This should ideally be done in the forest or where he can walk without a leash. The Shih Tzu needs enough physical and mental exercise.
Your pet needs daily exercise. In addition, your dog can romp around in the garden or you can go to a fenced exercise area.
Your dog needs to go outside at least twice a day.
Beyond that, you can decide according to your dog whether you go more often and how long your rounds will be.
Walking – When does the dog need to go out?
The question of how often a dog should go out depends crucially on its individual needs. Some dog breeds need a lot of exercise due to their special urge to move, while others are content with smaller rounds.
When a dog needs to go outside is also very individual. Decisive factors include cleanliness and walk training.
As a rule of thumb, however, dogs can last five to six hours before the next business is due.
This also tells you how often a dog should go out every day. According to this, you should plan at least four to five rounds per day.
Ideally, you should schedule your dog’s walks so that he does not have to go out at night. In this context, it is important that the most urgent walk is in the morning. The walk after getting up must be integrated into the daily schedule.
As a rule, a routine rhythm is established after a certain time, so that the morning round takes place at 6:00 a.m. every day, for example.
Dogs make themselves known when they have to go out
Normally, every dog makes itself known as soon as it has to go out. However, this only applies to dogs that have already completed their cleanliness training. It is not yet to be expected from puppies. As soon as the intervals between rounds become too long, dogs start whining, possibly barking, are restless and draw attention to themselves in other ways.
Some dogs may scratch at the door, others may put the leash at their master’s feet. Pay attention to how your dog makes itself known and don’t let it get that far in the first place.
Your dog will be in better health if you react before your dog even contacts you.
If you are going to be away for a long time and your dog has to wait for you at home, find out here how long your dog can be left alone.
Whether young or old – all dogs need to go out.
Puppies and seniors need more rounds
A puppy stays with the breeder until at least 8 weeks. At least with a good breeder. After that you can take your dog with you.
Once you have arrived at your new home, the first few weeks are especially important. During this time, you must pay special attention to the walks. Everything needs to be explored, from traffic to the forest.
Experience shows that puppies need more walks than adult dogs. Until they are truly house-trained, it is recommended that you take your fur friend out at least every two hours.
This way puppies learn that they have to do their business outdoors and not indoors.
The amount of time between each round can be extended individually over time. In addition to puppies, seniors also need to go outside more often.
Your dog is getting old and counts as a senior dog if your dog is over 12 years old.
With age, dogs get difficulties to control their urge for a longer period of time. It’s a good idea to cater to your dog’s individual needs.
You could take your dog out more often, but for shorter periods.
Variety of exercise
Shih Tzu’s are eager to learn and bright, so you should have a healthy mix of physical and mental tasks ready for your four-legged friend.
Often 30 minutes a day is enough for a varied learning session with your Shih Tzu. This will not only keep your Shih Tzu physically fit, but also mentally stimulate his mind. Both of these things support the health of your lion dog and your dog is also happy when you spend time with him.
Your bond is strengthened and you have fun together!
A good way to do this is to go for a normal walk and do some dummy training with your dog. This will increase his joy of retrieving, his alertness and his ability to work as a team. While the dog is distracted, you can throw the dummy to the side of the road and then encourage the dog to search. The Shih Tzu becomes much more attentive and will turn to you again and again.
If you fill the dummy with treats, your dog will be especially interested.
Another way to use the dummy is to ask the dog to sit. Then you throw the leash bag, make eye contact with your dog and only then let him fetch the dummy. This way he learns that you are in charge and not him. If the four-legged friend is particularly agitated, take short breaks from the game every now and then.
Your Shih Tzu will also have a lot of fun with toys. In the meantime, there is a huge selection. Tempting are those where you can fill openings with treats and close them so that your dog has to sniff and open them first to get to the treats.
With his natural instinct, your four-legged friend will probably quickly figure out how to get the food. That’s why it’s a good idea to keep changing the toys so that your dog doesn’t get bored.
A very popular game for dogs is tugging. You can use a rope, an old cloth or one of your dog’s toys. You will see how dedicated your dog will be to fighting with you for the object. Sometimes you should let your Shih Tzu win.
However, you can teach your dog certain tricks. With a treat in the air, you can lure him onto his hind legs and make him turn on his axis.
Or you can set up obstacles (books, bottles, etc.) and let the Shih Tzu run around them. This way he is challenged and has to make a mental effort. You should always include a portion of praise and reward.
If the dog doesn’t get out – What can happen?
If your dog doesn’t get out enough, he will sooner or later do his business indoors.
However, what is much more decisive and to the dog’s disadvantage – lack of exercise leads to considerable limitations. Dogs that don’t get out or get out too infrequently are often overweight, which affects their health.
Should your dog not get enough exercise, it can lead to depression in your dog. Likewise, if your dog doesn’t get enough exercise, he may become overweight or suffer from other diseases.
In addition, dogs tend to behave destructively in such cases, for example by destroying things or going crazy.
For example, shoes or furniture may be chewed up. Furthermore, the lack of exercise leads to aggression towards people and other animals in the long run.
Some dogs start to withdraw because they are not stimulated enough physically and mentally. In this case, the behaviour resembles a typical depression.
Other dogs, on the other hand, become hyperactive. Finally, the muscles of the affected dog can stiffen, which leads to considerable pain. Further illnesses of the four-legged friend are also possible due to lack of exercise and too few walks.
For example, bladder or kidney diseases can occur due to continuous stopping.
To prevent this from happening to your four-legged friend, make sure he gets enough exercise!
If you don’t have enough time, you can look for someone who will walk your dog for a small fee.
What kind of people does a Shih Tzu suit?
With its lovely nature, the Shih Tzu also makes a good family dog if you prepare for it properly.
If you give the Shih Tzu a lot of attention, you will have a good friend at your side for many years.
His attitude is rather uncomplicated, but he tends to get fat if he gets too many rewards from you. He is also suitable for indoor use, although he will be happy to do a bit of head work.
Here we have summarized our most popular articles in a great overview:
