Anyone who has seen me with my shih tzu-Yorkie mix Bruce understands that I am not the one in charge; rather, it is Bruce. He’s the boss, I am his human, and that’s just the way it is and the way it will always be. Resistance is futile. All hail, King Bruce!
While I have accepted my fate for the most part, I still occasionally try to switch up our dynamic in an effort to restore some semblance of peace and dignity to my life. In fact, I’ve even gone as far as to try different parenting techniques like gentle parenting. Has it worked? Absolutely not. But, hey, I tried, right?
As it turns out, I’m not the only shih zhu parent who has dabbled in gentle parenting while trying to raise my son. TikToker @enzoistheshiht recently shared a clip of a shih tzu named Enzo and his mom trying to gentle parent him into using his new stairs for his perch, and it is totally relatable to parents of shih tzus pretty much everywhere.
“Use your stair, baby! You can do it!” Enzo’s mom encouraged. From there, we hear the classic shih tzu growl, seemingly rejecting his mom’s wishes. However, he slowly but surely starts climbing up his new steps, despite his protests.
After a little “screw this” bark as he approaches the top, Enzo’s mom continued to urge him to keep going. Was Enzo interested? Nope! In fact, he even runs away and stands next to his mom, licking his lips and continuing to whine in defiance.
Eventually, the little guy finally makes his way up his new stairs and onto his perch. Good job, Enzo!
Related: Hilarious Clip of a ‘Classic Shih-Tzu Meltdown’ Is Relatable to Pup Parents of the Breed Everywhere
Just Shih Tzu Things
David Keller / Shutterstock.com
TikTok is loving this hilarious clip of Enzo and his mom’s very patient parenting style. It currently has over 38,000 views, 4,120 likes, and 84 comments.
“Extremely shih tzu behavior I fear 😂,” wrote one commenter.
“when he steps to the side and he’s like ‘servant! why have you put my treat out of reach? I demand to be lifted up there!'” joked someone else.
Whether you have a shih tzu or another boss dog, definitely check out this TikTok if you want to feel less alone and have a good laugh while you’re at it.
Related: Shih Tzu’s Hilarious Temper Tantrum After Being Given a Command Is a Whole Thing
This story was originally published by PetHelpful on Dec 15, 2025, where it first appeared in the Pet News section. Add PetHelpful as a Preferred Source by clicking here.