I am hating my Shih Tzu...
kittenbites
14 years ago
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Jon Darling
6 years agoMolley Carter
6 years agoRelated Discussions
Shih Tzu picky eater
Comments (14)When I rescued my first shih tzu, she was 1-1/2 and I tried everything to get her to eat (different foods). I was fostering other dogs, and she took to the Nutro Lamb and Rice, so we ate that for a while. I used Biljac after that, and for years now I have used Solid Gold/Lamb and Rice (hundenflocken), having added 2 more shih tzus to our family. They all eat it and love it, but look for people food. I tend to put a little chicken, rice, or pumpkin (or other veggies such as peas if I have them) on top, just to add a variety and make it a little more enticing to them...I agree that eating the same kibble year after year seems kind of boring to me. I think several points were made and yes, your shih tzu will eat if not offered something "better" and they are hungry. I would recommend just using a really good quality food, and mine eat twice a day. My first shih tzu is now 15 and in great health except for her eyes which are getting cataracts and some stiff joints (hey, she's old! My joints are stiff too! LOL!) I know you probably worry, but if you consistently try and stick with the food and see if he will eat it. A few days of pickiness might wear off when he realizes that is what is being offered. I've also heard cottage cheese is a wonderful additive (the rescue I was with for years added some to the dogs food). It doesnt have to be time consuming to add a little dollop of something to kibble, and my dogs seems to think it's a real "treat". IMHO...See Moreold shih tzu terrorizes new mother
Comments (10)Honestly, at that age I'd probably cut her some slack. This is not a bratty 6 month old puppy we're talking about so the same methods don't apply. Unfortunately changes happen as they age and this is probably more distressing to her than to you. :( Also, since she has lost some of her hearing, I'm not surprised she's barking a lot - that seems to happen a lot to pets who can't hear themselves well anymore. Personally I think squirting her would be cruel. As someone already suggested, a nice slow walk to help her relax before bedtime is a good idea. Also, it sounds like some changes have been happening in your/her life and that can bring stress. And in her case also decreased activity (due to reduced walks and staying home instead of coming with you). If you can, I would increase her walks again - and being pregnant regular exercise is important for you so you can be in shape for giving birth. Another thing we've done with our dogs is teach them "go lie down" or "go to bed" which is essentially their cue to lie down on their dog bed - no pat on the head, no other talking, and we turn our back and ignore them. Unfortunately behaviours like these typically have what's called an "extinction burst", which means it gets worse before it gets better. And each time you give in "just this once" will be starting the process all over again. You need to sit down with your partner and talk about this - it needs to be ignored consistently for a while. And in the meantime you'll lose some sleep in order to get it fixed. As someone said, tell him it's practice for when the baby comes. ;)...See Moreneed help from shih tzu owners
Comments (6)I have a Shih Tzu, and had Shih Tzus all my life. Yes, yes, yes, You can cut, trim, pluck, sanitize anything you need to on your baby. I find that majority of Vets are big dog people-lol I remember when I got my first Shih Tzu when I was a kid. The Vet told me not to trim the hair around the eyes. He said that they're supposed to have hair over their eyes like sheepdogs-NOT! The Truth? You need to be vigilant with trimming, plucking, and washing Shih Tzus if you want them healthy. Most Shih Tzus have hair growing out of their ears, and everywhere else like crazy. You need to trim aroud the eyes so they don't get infections from the long hair and the debris (dust and goobers) getting into their eyes. Ear infections are not all that uncommon in Shih Tzus. My Vet sees Shih Tzus primarily for Ears, Eyes and Kidneys. Some have anal gland problems, but that's pretty common with any little dogs. Shih Tzus are high maintenance dogs. You need to keep their ears plucked and cleaned. You need to keep their genital area (pee & poo)trimmed and shaved so they are clean. I wipe my dog's paws when she comes in from the outside. I wash her paws after walks. I bathe her every 2-3 weeks, and that's additionally to wiping, sometimes washing her face after she eats or drinks. They can get food stuff on their whiskers, and their face will smell. You may need to trim her hair between her paws...The problem with small hairy dogs is that that can become a smelly ball of fur in no time. There is this powder for the ears R-7. You puff it into each ear 5 minutes before plucking. It seems to lessen the pain and the hair plucks easily. I do this every 2 months. I also use Nolvasan once a week to wash out the ears. It brings up the debris and dries it so bacteria don't breed. Shih Tzus have floppy ears with hair inside. That( heat and moisture trapped) promotes bacteria to breed. I also use the Nolvasan in the ears after her bath to dry them so no infection occurs. You may be lucky and not have these issues, but that would be a rarity with this breed. Cleaniliness keeps Shih Tzus healthier. I have learned many things over the years based on the illnesses they had. The one before this one lived to be 18. 1- It's NOT a good idea to spay a female too early. Acc. to my Vet, they can have complications with their vulva (peepee area)later in life. Something about how the folds develop. Anyway, I learned this when she had a perivulvar dermatitis. Her's was immune mediated (Thyroid). Dogs can get it for reasons such as: spayed too early, fat, or rarely-immune mediated. Sorry, I went of on a tangent because the dermatitis was a royal pain. She had it in her last year of her life, when she had no immune system left. Usually there is no cure but surgery. Just letting you know the lowdown. My Vet has done a few of those. Hopefully yours will be ok. I just wanted to let you know what I do. I believe in prevention. They are the best dogs, ever, and worth all the work ;)...See MoreNeed Shih Tzu grooming/care advice
Comments (14)I had Amos groomed twice - once in Feb. and had a Puppy cut done on him. It helped, then again in April we had him just about skinned down. He looked so funny and it wasn't until July that we started seeing and feeling mats. We did okay on most areas until a couple weeks ago. I guess his hair is chainging texture too, seems all of a sudden with the swimming and not getting all the mats out before hand we really had a mess of knots, that just got bigger and bigger. The main area was around his neck. But even the shorter hair on his legs knotted up. We have almost all either combed out or cut out now and have cut his hair short on his legs and about an inch long every else. He has been so good to let us work on him. He will just lay there and put up with the combing and the cutting. I just don't want to have him go through that mess again. We bath both doodles every week and it is usually the weekends that he swims. Our little girl doesn't mat. Her hair is more wiry and the only place I have found a mat I couldn't easily comb out was on her foot, where the hair is curly. The top of her head kinks up but it is easy to comb out. Poor Amos is curlier all over. Using the detangling tool seems to frizz the hair out so badly that we hate to use it, even though it works. The local pet shop said their other store may have some of the GLO COAT and if they do, they will bring it over for me. Another grooming shop said they use "THE STUFF" and it works as well as the GLO COAT. Thanks for the help. Will try the website if I can't get it locally....See Morekhristen2
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