Monthly Archives: August 2011

Shih Tzu Day 46: Short People on the Loose!

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a long, quiet day

I have to hide! But where?Flower, Dottie and I had a very long, lazy day. Mom and Father left the house pretty early. They said they were going to the mountains, whatever that means. I can’t tell time, but Dottie said she thought they left at 10:30. Before they left, we heard a lot of talking and laughing coming from outside.

If I sit really still, they won't see me.We roamed around seeing if we could find any treats Mom forgot to put away, but we couldn’t find any. I wrestled with Flower for a little bit, but then I went in my corner for a while and just thought about things. It looks like the little black and while male dog is gone. I wonder if he found a forever home? Mom said we did. It’s nice having a forever home. We don’t have to move again. Although Mom does make us do things we don’t like sometimes, like take baths and get fur cuts. Oh, and sometimes she tries to find us icky food.

I'd bite your fingers off, but I'm too scared.We kept thinking Mom and Father would come home, but it kept getting later and later. Dottie said they were gone for more than eight hours, and that is a long time if you’re a dog waiting for food and to go outside to potty.

We were so excited when we finally heard the garage door open and close. We wagged our tails and ran to the door, and there was Mom. She told us all hi, grabbed a dog treat bag and opened the back door. We all ran out, happy as can be. We were just getting ready to get our chicken jerky, and then some of those short people rushed out the door!

I did not "let" you pet me! I ran to the back of the yard. Flower ran back and forth, not knowing what to do. Dottie hid under the trailer. I was right in front of some vines and I had an idea. If I got really close to them, the short people wouldn’t see me. I know — like camouflage. I heard about that on TV.

I stayed really still, and I thought it was working, but then Mom went inside for a minute, and the short people all ran towards me, calling my name. I flattened myself against the vines, and they all started petting me, saying, “Hi Candy. Hi Candy.” I couldn’t breathe! I was so scared.

I was relieved when I saw Mom walking towards me, but then I saw she had her camera. One of the short people was shouting, “Look Grandma! She’s letting her pet us!” Letting them! Are you kidding me?

Mom couldn’t resist taking some pictures before she told the short people to get away from me. I’ll get even with her for that!

Thank you, no. Please go away. I wasn’t happy, but I felt really sorry for Flower when some male short people came out and started trying to catch her, waving around a toy gun, which was making way too much noise! She went flying off the porch, but not before she left them something to step in. Sure enough, one of them did. Good going, Flower!

Mom thinks we should be nice to the short people, and she gave them jerky to feed us, but none of us would take it. Some big people came out and started talking to Mom. Eventually, the short people left with them.

Mom let us stay outside while she told all the people goodbye. When she came back to get us, I wouldn’t look at her. Either would Flower. Dottie went up and got a treat from her, but it just wasn’t worth it. We went and hid under the table, in case the short people came back.

Shih Tzu Day 45: Foster Dog Difficulties

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our foster dog

I am still waiting for my forever home. We have been talking to Delores for a while about BFF Rescue finding Shiloh a more suitable dog foster home. I think that he would make someone a wonderful foster dog or “regular” dog. I don’t, however, think that we’re a good fit as dog foster parents for him.

Anyone who has come to visit over the three and a half weeks that Shiloh has been here has liked our foster dog. Everybody loves the fact that he is so playful. I like that he is playful, too, although I don’t like that the playfulness causes lots of scratches on my legs and arms.

This foster dog loves attention, and it is hard for me to divide my attention between the shih tzus and him. He also loves to ride in the car with me, but pet-friendly places are out, since he barks aggressively at other dogs. I like the fact that he wants to sleep with us, since the shih tzus haven’t shown that desire, but it does make for tension in the morning when I am trying to play with the shih tzus when they come upstairs and he jumps into the middle in his clumsy and playful way.

Delores agrees that the girls have waited for a good forever home for a while, and that things might be better without a foster dog around. She suggested we take him and another BFF Rescue foster dog, Oliver, to the farmers market in Golden and walk around, with the foster dogs in their “adopt me” harnesses, to see if anyone might be interested in adopting one of the rescue dogs.

It was a good idea, but Shiloh was the wrong foster dog to bring. He exhibited dog aggression, barking at random dogs. Delores suggested he might be barking at non-neutered dogs, and it did seem like that was mostly the case, although not all the time. We decided our foster dog wasn’t making many friends and ended up putting him in the car for a while. I think Lia is right in that Shiloh could benefit from discipline classes. Oliver, on the other hand, displayed a sweet disposition, and a few people stopped to inquire about him.

Dotty fights the leash again

Being at the farmers market and seeing all of the amiable dogs wandering around made me more determined to teach the shih tzus to walk on a leash. I brought Dottie out back and put the leash on her. She did go a few steps, in her attempt to get away from me, and then fought me. Candy was next. She actually ran around the yard a little, again, trying to escape, but making me believe that she might be the first leash dog. If it had been cooler out, I would have tried a little more, but I thought that was enough practice for the day.

Since Candy was nicely groomed and all ready on her leash, I picked her up and carried her next door, where the neighbors were having a post-wedding party. I didn’t set her down on the ground while we were there, but I did keep her there for about ten minutes. She didn’t seem to be nervous or afraid. I set her down when we got ready to leave, and she trotted back home behind us. Too bad I didn’t have my camcorder or camera handy.

When we came back home, I noticed that we had a call. Delores had talked to another foster parent and she was willing to take Shiloh in for a while. She came by and picked him up at 6. She asked if she could take the safety gate back that we had taken from Barbara’s. We had hooked it to ours to keep the dogs from climbing up the landscaped area in back and getting out of the yard, but we realized that Shiloh was the only one who could or would try. We unhooked it and rearranged the fencing

When Delores left, John cooked up the rest of the steak from last night’s dinner and used it for quesadillas. We shared a little of it with Candy and Dottie. For some reason, Flower wouldn’t come to get any. She is acting afraid of John again. When he called them, they ran right to him; she ran out of their safe zone with them, but ran right past, and then turned around and ran back to Shih Tzu Central. Some times I wonder if she’s just a little bit off — in a very cute way, though.

Shih Tzu Day 44: The Rest After Grooming School

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grooming school is over

So, maybe I can see a little better without hair in my eyes.And I think my paws feel better too!It feels nice to have the grooming school over. Granted, John and I still have to go through the grooming school videos, and Flower still needs a lot of grooming, but it’s still a relief, and I feel like I’ve accomplished something. My plan is to work on Flower little by little. During grooming school, Lia at the Gentle Groomer advised that I groom Candy and Dottie once every two weeks or so, to get them used to it, but that I groom Flower more often than that. I have to figure out what to do about a grooming table. Amazon and PetEdge sell several types, including some small ones that rotate. However, they look a little too small for the shih tzus. We’ll have to give that a little more thought. I also have to figure out if I want to keep the refurbished clippers I bought for the grooming school, or if I want to try to buy some that have a good case and are a little quieter. I know it will save money in the long run, but getting all the equipment definitely is an investment.

As soon as that is under my belt, I have to figure out how to get the girls, especially Flower, some training and some “people skills.” I enjoy our little shih tzus, but it would definitely be nice if others could see why I love them so much.

pumpkin for breakfast

I need to get as far away from that pumpkin as possible. Ick. Maybe the grooming school tired out the shih tzu sisters, because they didn’t come upstairs until John got up at 5:30 to use the bathroom. I played with them a little from the bed and they left, but then came back. I think I got up about 6:30.

Can you hear me now?

 

I am trying something new with the dogs’ breakfast today. I haven’t bought any more Natural Balance or cottage cheese, so I have been supplementing their dry food with yogurt. When Lia was discussing expressing dog glands during grooming school, she also said we needed to give Dottie pumpkin for her leaky anal glands, so I bought some at the store. My thought was that the dogs would like its taste and the fact that it was colorful. Hmmm. I added a heaping tablespoon into their dry food and mixed it up a little. The shih tzus sniffed it disdainfully, took a few bites and backed away from their plates. Shiloh went ahead and ate his, but he didn’t steal it from the girls’ bowls, like he normally would. I ended up throwing it out and giving them their yogurt and dry food mixture.

the scary vacuum cleaner

Candy continues to be more sociable. She came up to me on the porch to be petted. However, she flew up the stairs quickly when John got the Bissell Proheat vacuum cleaner out to box up (we opted for the Hoover SteamVac instead). It doesn’t even need to be on to scare her.

Shih Tzu Day 43: Dog Grooming Class Finale

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final day of dog grooming class

Dottie sat on my lap when I went to pick up Rema and Oriana for tonight’s dog grooming class. She didn’t seem very nervous. Candy probably wondered why I didn’t load Flower up in the back with her. I guess Flower did get her way, after all, since she didn’t have to go to dog grooming class with me.

The girls were enthralled with Lia’s Gentle Groomer shop, especially the fact that she had an indoor bird and chickens out back, including show chickens.

I'm not Flower, but she is my sister, and I can act like her!Lia started out the night’s dog grooming class session by clipping Dottie further, then using scissors for her face, pads of feet, paws and all over her body. I had a more difficult time with Candy, of course. I wasn’t firm enough, so Lia ended up doing a lot for me during dog grooming class. Whenever Candy would act up, she would address her firmly, and Candy would be submissive for a while. I actually think she liked Lia’s grooming techniques. First, she got some discipline, but Lia also played with her, showing me how to rub her face affectionately and how to praise her for being good. I did end up trimming her paws, her back and her ears.

Let's see. I think Flower flipped off the table over here...Rema was my dog grooming school videographer for a while, while Oriana talked to Lia’s husband about books and interests. Oriana took over later. When we finished the dog grooming course, I felt confident in many ways. One thing I am still uneasy about is getting the hair out between the pads of their feet. I am also not yet comfortable with clipping between their eyes, but I’ll work on it. John and I need to look at the videos a few times, and hopefully, we’ll do a good job working on them together.

I asked Rema to carry Dottie out to the car for me after the grooming class, so I wouldn’t have to come back and get Candy. She was reluctant, since DottAre we about done?ie has growled at her before. Lia showed her how Are we done with grooming for a while?to carry her, and Dottie refrained from growling. This time, I let Rema hold her on her lap. I took Rema and Ori to Dairy Queen for helping me. I put Dottie in the kennel with Candy while they ate their ice cream.

When we got home, Candy surprised me by being more sociable than usual. John was already home. He informed me that Flower had pooped on the stairs when he came in. I’m sure she was afraid because I wasn’t there. That’s probably the first time she was in the house with John without me there.

Shih Tzu Day 43: Practice for Final Dog Grooming Class

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dog grooming class: bathing is for the birds

two female shih tzus in a dog bedMy homework for the Gentle Groomer dog grooming class last night was to bathe Candy before grooming class today, and do a little tidying up before the finishing touches. I watched the video with John (after figuring out how to use Mac’s Preview), and we began by putting cotton balls in her ears to prevent water getting in them, and in ours, as a reminder to take it out of her ears later, as I learned in dog grooming class. We didn’t have our dog shampoo yet, so, per Lia’s instructions, we diluted no tears baby shampoo with three parts water in a large squeeze bottle.

Shouldn't I get more food, since Flower has been bad?We washed the dirtiest parts first, which happened to be the feet and legs. We carefully cleaned between her toes and scrubbed her legs, leaving the shampoo on while we finished up with her back and face, being careful not to get water in her nose.

I know that she hates the blow dryer, but I didn’t want to leave her wet, so I held her firmly and got her at least partially dry. We had to do a little clipper trimming later, and she fought us, but eventually calmed down enough to allow us to get quite a bit done. I also have to get dog toe nail clippers, so that will have to wait.

Flower shows her trust in mommy

I'm trying to trust you, Mom. Flower surprised me and John by letting me get near her with the trimmer. Although she was dismissed from dog grooming school today, I was determined to get further with grooming her, since Lia had left half for me to do. I brought the leash to Shih Tzu Central, and Flower halfheartedly attempted to escape, but then let me put it on her.

She tried to run when I gently pulled her towards me, but quickly stopped fighting. She stayed still while I ran the clipper down her back and trimmed her ears. She put her head down on my knee, and although I knew I wasn’t supposed to let her, I left it there and took the opportunity to pull a little hair out of her ears. I was going to try to trim the pads of her feet, but I couldn’t remember how to swap out the blades, so I decided to leave that for another day.

Lia had told me that the final dog grooming class would be a good opportunity to have someone come and videotape it, since we would both be working on dogs. Rema and Oriana thought it sounded like fun, so I told them Leticia I would pick them up a little before 5 o’clock for the final dog grooming class adventure.