When My boy was young he would chew on anything he could get his teeth on. What I did with him was anytime he was chewing on something he was not suppose to, I would tell him no and give him what he should be chewing on. He was very bad at biting on your hands. Anytime he would get active and come near you he would try to chew/bite on your hands. I learned that in those cases I would always have his toy ready for him to chew on. At first he would still want my hand but over time he learned that the toy was what was to be chewed and not my hands. Even after 4 years if you try to play with him with your hands he will run off and get a toy. I have also always found rawhide chews to work best for my dogs that liked to chew on things.

 

Annie is biting more lately too. The other day I was trying to put her harness on to go for a walk and she was nibbling my hands the whole time. I think one thing I need to do is get her a couple of new toys to chew on. She's had the same ones for a long time. She does like the rawhide bones and I've been giving her one of those whenever she starts chewing on things she's not supposed to. I guess I just have to stick with it and be consistent in telling her no and diverting her attention. We have had to keep our bathroom door shut because she started going in there and pulling kleenex out of the garbage and chewing it up, or she grabs the toilet paper roll and pulls some of it off. I have a wooden clothes rack for drying clothes in the basement, and she even started chewing on the corners of it. Seems I have to watch her every minute!

 

In a word: supervision, supervision, supervision! When you cannot supervise, then contain her in a safe, puppy-proofed room w/baby gates, an ex-pen, or crate her. I have 4 dogs, one of whom is a puppy, who requires supervision to keep her safe, and my property intact. I work full time and live alone, so I have things to do, and cannot be watching her every second. I established a daily routine with her, providing structure, which makes dogs feel secure. Part of the daily, structured routine are brief (5-min.) training sessions, walks, games designed to help her think and problem solve, exercise, and mental stimulation. A bored dog gets into trouble, and develops behavioral issues. Like chewing, barking, digging, and other destructive behavior.

Saying NO does not teach your dog anything. Teach "leave it," "out" or "drop it," and work on obedience training. I would also implement NILIF into daily life, and not allow her freedom of the house until she's earned it. She can't get into what she shouldn't have if she does not have access to it. If you contain her in the kitchen, then remove the garbage so she cannot get into it. Keep counters clear of food and other items of interest, so she isn't tempted to counter surf.

Stop leaving toys out for her. To keep toys and chews high value, have designated toy times, and let her have only one or two at most. Take them and put them away before she tires of them, to keep them high value. Dogs are just like kids in that regard - they've got a whole room full of toys, but keep complaining that "there's nothing to do!" Teach your dog to put her toys away in a toybox. Reward with a frozen Kong, filled with yummy things, and give it to her in her crate, ex-pen, or on a mat or rug. This will keep her busy for a long time. For teething puppies, raw bones work, too, as do wet face cloths twisted, and placed in the freezer until stiff.

 

My puppy isn't always a fan of nylabones either, the one that she likes the best has little plastic nubby things all over it, it's blue. She loves rawhide too, but she gets them worked over pretty quickly and the ends fray so we have to take them away. Now that we found the blue nubby nylabone she's pretty content, so if you get tired of rawhide, try one of those.

 

Most of this is normal teenaged puppy behavior. How much exercise is she getting? While Shih Tzu ARE a toy breed, they do still need exercise- a good brisk walk and a chance to zoom around outdoors every day (does your girl like to fetch? I've known more shih tzu that like to than don't, as long as you don't throw the toy too far and use something soft.) really will do wonders for her indoor behavior.

Secondly, yes, there is one last chewing phase towards the end of the first year- it sounds like she's coming into that.

 

I had been taking her for a walk every day until we had below zero temps, and I know she misses her walks because she loves them. We play fetch with her quite often during the day, too. She does like to be outside when its not too cold, and she loves to play in the snow, so she gets some exercise that way.
I know I definitely need to teach "leave it" because I got a robot vacuum cleaner for Christmas and she likes to chase it and bite at the little brushes that stick out the side. I confined her behind a gate while the robot was running yesterday, and she barked and carried on the whole time, which about drove me nuts.
Thanks for suggestion about the nylabones with the nubbys. I'll have to try that.