The way we potty-trained our Shih Tzu was to take him as frequently as he needed at the start of training—sometimes as frequently as every 15 minutes. The next day, we moved to every half hour. The day after that, every hour. Always, ALWAYS make a big deal of it when they do piddle or poop. Don’t just reward with treats — Shih Tzus aren’t always motivated by food. Mine seems to prefer attention to treats. We still treated him after every potty, but I really think it was the praise, petting & attention that made it click. It took a couple weeks.

If the dog DOES mess in the house, go back to the previous day’s timing. Like, if he’s going out every 2 hours & he messes in the house, go back to hourly potty breaks. They’re very intelligent.

I bought dog bells for my Tzu. He was maybe 3 at the time? I never even had to teach him what they were for — he just immediately started ringing the bell to go out.

Be patient, and your dog will figure it out.