Category Archives: Fear Factor & Trust Issues

Shih Tzu Day 41: Gentle Grooming, My Paw!

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What’s Up With Shiloh?

I'm glad Mom hasn't been making me wear a harness or leash!Be patient, please, because Mom is still teaching me how to talk about my thoughts. First off, I don’t know what was going on with that dog named Shiloh that has been staying here. He usually sleeps with Mom and that man Mom says we should call Dad. Well, maybe Father.

Anyway, last night, Mom said Shiloh couldn’t sleep in their bed. Someone told her that Shiloh probably thinks he’s the Boss — I think they call it a Pack Leader — because he sleeps in their bed. I don’t know what that means. Oh well.

I do know that when they put Shiloh in his kennel, across the room from us, he moaned and barked. Big baby. They put him in the basement and he made so much noise that they moved him into their room, and just had him sleep in his kennel. Flower and I were happy about that, because when we went to wake up Mom, he didn’t jump off the bed and interrupt us, trying to get her attention too. In fact, he didn’t get out of the kennel until Father let him out at 7:30, so we had two hours with Mom without either of them.

I’m not sure why, but Flower didn’t bark when Father came downstairs. She usually does.

Mom is still making us walk around wearing a harness and sometimes she makes us drag a leash behind us. We don’t know why. We think it’s silly though.

Strange Place

I don't think Mom knows what she's doing!Mom took me on another car trip. But I wasn’t the only one. She picked up Candy and Flower and put them in kennels in the back of the Jeep. I got to sit in the front with Mom because I’m a good dog. When we got to where we were going, Mom took me inside. It kind of looked like where we used to live a long time ago. There were some dogs in kennels against the wall. Mom put me in one of the kennels and went out to get my sisters.

Do you think it's too short?When they came in, she talked to a strange lady for a while. Then, they picked me up and put me on a tall table. She told Mom she was going to teach her how to groom us. She said the first thing was to “rough us in.” That sounded like a bad thing to me. Well, Mom read the sign to me and it said “Gentle Groomer,” and as far as I know, rough is the opposite of gentle!

The lady, whose name was Lia, used those loud things on me; I think they are called clippers. I stood there quietly and watched as my fur fell off. She gave the clippers to Mom, but Mom couldn’t figure out how to hold them. It sounds like Mom wants to be able to groom us, so we don’t have to go to strange groomers. I guess I don’t care either way, because I’m braver than my sisters, but I know Flower and Candy probably do.

Don't say a word, Candy! At least I'm not dragging that thing around.My sisters sat in the kennel and watched them use me as a “guinea dog,” as Mom says. When we left, Lia told Mom that she had homework. She said she had to use the clippers on Flower and Candy, and that she especially had to clip their face and paws. She also said she wanted her to work on the “anal area,” whatever that means. She also told Mom I had leaky “anal glands” and that she should feed me pumpkin. That doesn’t sound good!

When we got home, Mom wasn’t good. She couldn’t figure out how to show Dad the video of the lesson, so he couldn’t help her with the homework. I heard her tell Dad that she really wants him to groom us; she just wants to help. She thinks he’d be better at it. I don’t know what I think about that. Candy and Flower probably won’t let him touch them with those loud things though!

 

 

Shih Tzu Day 37: Candy The Lap Dog – Kind Of

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Candy, the sort of lap dog

I have been wondering how the shih tzus would handle their next round of company: my mother, her niece, Becky, visiting from Midland, Texas; her daughter, Teresa; Teresa’s 16-year-old daughter, Heather, and her 19-year-old son, Alex.

When the visitors first arrived, the shih tzus exhibited their normal unsocial behavior. Candy fled to her corner in the dining room, beyond the table and chairs. Flower ran from Shih Tzu Central, jumped up onto my couch, jumped back down and ran to hide behind the dining table. And, yes, she did leave a trail of poop behind her, particularly on the couch where I had been planning on having my guests sit. I explained her problem and went around the living room and dining room, picking up poop.

Dottie stayed at Shih Tzu Central, growling her disapproval. It always surprises me when she growls, since she is so passive. Shiloh, of course, wandered around visiting everyone personally.

All of our guests are dog people. Heather and Alec attempted to get to know all of the shih tzus. Dottie eventually took treats from them, but the other two kept their distance.

I did something I hadn’t ever attempted to do. I went and got Candy, picked her up and held her on my lap, even though, like her sisters, she is not a lap dog. She stayed there, calmly, for at least thirty minutes, before letting me know she was tired of company. When I let her down, she wandered back to the corner in the dining room, where she could watch at a comfortable distance. I explained to our company that, regrettably, none of the girls were lap dogs.

who stole the Milo’s Kitchen chicken jerky?

While our visitors were here, we watched YouTube dog videos they told us about. One particularly funny one was about a guy trying to find out which of two dogs had stolen the cat’s treats. The video was even more appropriate after I returned from a late lunch.

When I walked in the living room, I spotted a torn and empty Milo’s Kitchen chicken jerky bag on the floor. I realized that after letting Alec and Heather try to bribe the dogs, I hadn’t put away the treats. I don’t know where they had put them, but someone had found them. I thought that the 18 oz. bag had been at least half full.

I assume that the shih tzu sisters shared the bag, while poor Shiloh, in his kennel, had to watch them have all the fun without him. What surprised me was that none of them exhibited signs of an upset stomach. Of course, no one confessed to the crime.

Shih tzu poopy

While I was cleaning up poop earlier, my mother commented that she never expected to see me cleaning up after animals. I agree. This is all new to me. John was the one who mostly cared for Joey, a genuine lap dog.

I definitely am getting a lot of experience in the clean up area now. After company left, I had to give Flower’s back half a bath. After using plenty of shampoo and water and using the scissors to cut out some particularly problem areas, Flower was back to normal. I only hope I can keep her that way for a while.

I also made a discovery today. I know that at least one shih tzu uses the training pad regularly. I know Dottie does, although she gets as much on the carpet as the pad. This evening, I watched Flower squat down right next to the pad. I ordered her to stop, but before I got there, she had done her business.

We still have plenty of work ahead of us, including housebreaking and creating a genuine lap dog or two!

Shih Tzu Day 36: the Shihtz Hits the Fan

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Give us a treat or else!

John Stirs Up the Shih Tzu

I can almost taste the chicken and apple. Yum!Flower and Dottie made their usual visit up the stairs to the side of my bed to wake me, yapping, moving from side to side, their heads bouncing up and down. Later, when John went downstairs, Flower kept running around like a crazy person, until we decided it was time for John to try a “don’t do this unless you’re a professional” Cesar Millan maneuver. He tried to approach her, with his arms out, getting closer and closer.

She had too much room to work with and went flying across the living room, darting in and out of dining room chairs, back into the living room, up the stairs, down the stairs, into the kitchen, back out, all the while leaving small, brown droppings here and there.

We finally decided that we would get back to her issues later, and ignored her. I got out the cleaning supplies and went poop hunting. That all happened before they had breakfast.

I had John carry the food bowls outside to see what they would do. I didn’t think Flower would come outside rDottie already has her treat. What's taking you so long?ight away, but she darted out and started gobbling her food like demons were after her.

After that, she went inside and over to Shih Tzu Central, where she sat quietly, not barking or growling.

Although she had caused the other shih tzus to scatter, they calmed down quickly as well.

That Loud Noise Again!

It’s very hard to go many days without getting the steam cleaner out these days. I have been threatening to get a spy camera so I can tell who is doing what where, and try to correct it. Out-of-town relatives are coming to visit Friday, so it’s especially important to freshen up the house before then.

Freshening up included washing the dog beds and assorted towels and blankets from their corner. So, beyond having to listen to the awful sound from the steam cleaner, the girls were going to have to find somewhere else to lie down. Flower decided that the people couch would do for a while.

Yum, yum, yummy!

I had decided to try another Dog Whisperer trick. Cesar Millan says that if the pet is afraid of the vacuum cleaner that you need to position the dog near the machine and give it a treat. Then turn it on. Candy is the one who is the most afraid. She usually sees it coming out and runs towards the stairs. She will stay upstairs for long periods of time after the vacuum cleaner noise stops.

I used Cesar’s dog treats for the experiment. I approached Candy and picked her up and took her over near the vacuum. I told her that I was going to turn it on and I gave her a dog treat. I turned it on, and she ran like crazy towards the stairs. Well, it takes even Cesar weeks to rehabilitate some dogs.

One good thing came out of the experiment. When she ran upstairs, John was getting ready for work. She has been responding more and more to him. They had some tender moments because of the steam cleaner. He came downstairs a little later holding her. She looked perfectly content.

Dottie and Flower aren’t as afraid of the vacuum cleaner, although they don’t like it. They cross the room, but they don’t run upstairs like Candy does. Shiloh, the visiting Boston terrier mix, could care less. He doesn’t seem to even notice when it goes on.

I did sit Flower next to the machine, gave her a treat and turned it on. She went back to her corner. She also jumped on the people couch for a while, but when I got near it, she jumped off and went to Shih Tzu Central.

Whenever I went near enough to reach her, I pulled a treat out of my pocket and gave it to her and Dottie. Of course, Shiloh got one, too.

Why does Flower always have to sit so close to me? She smells!

I finished the cleaning later in the afternoon. That time, I guess you could say there was improvement. Candy ran to her private corner in the dining room and stayed there, but she didn’t attempt to run upstairs.

When I got done cleaning, Flower and Dottie both sat with me for a while. Although Flower has her fits and malfunctions, she seems to forget easily. After John left, she came and sat by me, staring into my eyes as I talked to her and petted her. I wonder if she even knows she can be a royal pain in the bum.

Shih Tzu Day 33: Video Shy Shih Tzus

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video shy shih tzus

I was very excited about getting up, my new camera beside me, and trying to catch the dancing shih tzus on video. That didn’t happen. Dottie and Flower came up to get me this morning, doing their Sesame Street wobble and bobble at my bedside, putting their paws up on the side, and jumping up and down.

However, it was too dark, so I asked John to turn on his lamp. Of course, as soon as he did, the shih tzus stopped their routine. I tried to get them to start up again, by pretending I had gone back to sleep, but they just wandered off.

Next, I decided I would see if the “Candy committee” was waiting at the bottom of the stairs to dance and prance for me. She started to, but immediately walked away when she saw the black object in my hand. They wouldn’t perform their lion dance either, although Flower and Dottie did a few lackluster moves. I ended up getting some video of them dancing a little outside, but mainly eating. I was in the picture, and this is all about the shih tzus, so, I will try again another day.

We are trying to figure out ways to get the shih tzus more comfortable with John. When we came inside after feeding the girls, John knelt by the couch and petted Dottie. She seemed completely comfortable with it.

I left the house for a few hours to take my mom shopping. When I came back, I tried to video the shih tzus again, but they still seemed to say, “This is only for you, Mom. This is our private life.”

cheap dog toys for our shih tzus

I brought the grandchildren and shih tzus back two bags of stuffed animals I bought at a thrift store for three dollars. There had to have been at least 30 animals in the bags, including a couple of Beanie Babies. While I was putting them in the washing machine, the shih tzus barked incessantly — well, at least Flower was barking, but it sounded like at least one other. I had been gone too long and they were demanding attention.

When I came back upstairs, I took the shih tzus outside to give them a treat. Once back inside, Dottie settled in beside me on the couch, while Candy chewed on a Pork Chomp on the carpet. Flower was lying on the carpet, but she went back to Shih Tzu Central. Actually, she didn’t retreat quite that far. She took possession of the dog bed between the couch and their safe zone, where Candy usually hangs out.

Flower on the people couch

I decided I would try to approach Flower to see if she’d let me hold her. My chances are usually 50-50. She bolted out of the dog bed, but instead of running any of the places I would expect, she jumped up on the people couch, which is what I wanted anyway. She jumped back down almost immediately, but then she stole the Pork Chomps treat Candy had been gnawing on, and jumped back up. She jumped up and down a few more times. Either she really wants to sit by me, or she wants to tell Dottie that she’s claiming the people couch.

I don’t think I should say she let me pet her. It’s more like she demanded it, because as soon as I would remove my hand, she would look at me like, “Put it back.” That got a little difficult, since I was trying to type on the computer. Also, if I petted Dottie, Flower would look at me, like, “Why are you doing that?”

I tried to move Princess Flower to the left side of me, so I could at least pet her with my left hand, but she didn’t want that. Instead, I typed as long as I could with just my left hand. I finally had to give up trying to please her, knowing she’d probably jump down. While this was going on, Shiloh decided to sit on the back of the other couch, looking bored or lonely; I’m not sure which.

analyzing Candy

I have been trying to analyze Candy. I am starting to think, or to get back to thinking, that she might hold back because Flower pushes her out of the way many times. I have definitely seen that happen. I will have to keep an eye on that.

I told John that Candy would have to be his project, since Flower was so jealous. After I learn about fearful dogs, I need to learn about jealous dogs! And I need to learn how to handle fearful/spoiled dogs that bark constantly.

Since Flower seems to try to block any overtures towards Candy, I stayed outside with her when the other dogs went in. I tried to pick her up, and she ran off a few feet, but then stopped so I could pick her up. I held her for a few minutes, showed her the rainbow that had appeared and talked to her.

When I passed out Pork Chomps Big Blast dog chews to the shih tzus, I was glad to see Dottie chewing on one. She doesn’t seem to like, or perhaps be capable of, chewing many of the treats. I never know if she’s just picky, or has problems eating them due to her teeth.

Shih Tzu Day 32: The Shih Tzu Sisters Scatter

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John causes the shih tzu sisters to scatter

I decided to bring Dottie upstairs with us, away from her shih tzu sisters, for a few minutes at bedtime last night. I closed the doors so she couldn’t run out, and I just talked to her. John said, “Do you think she’s going to answer?” because I talk to them constantly.

Life looks much better without a quesy tummy.When I got into bed, I put Dottie between us. She stayed on the people bed for about twenty minutes before she finally lay down. I could tell that her head was still up though, so she wasn’t completely relaxed. I turned over and set her on the other side for a few more minutes, and then I put her down on the floor and opened the door. She ran into the hall, but then she just sat there wagging her tail. I’m not sure if she went downstairs or not after I went back to sleep. I’m thinking about getting a dog bed to put upstairs and see if any of the shih tzu sisters give it a try.

The furry alarm clocks went off at 5:30, which was way too early, since we stayed up late. John was researching tools on his iPad, and I was working with pictures and updating my blog.

Who says puppy mill moms can't become fluffy puppies? Again, I tried to ignore the shih tzu sisters, but they kept coming back until I dragged myself out of bed at 6. John was reading the instructions for the camera we just bought, so he couldn’t help me get the bowls together, as he sometimes does. It took longer than usual, especially since Flower kept barking while I was trying to get everything together, so I kept stopping to go to the door and tell her to be quiet. I know she needs some discipline. We’re getting to that point. Inch by inch.

Our experiment with Dottie yesterday resulted in the shih tzus still acting afraid of John this morning. I think Dottie and Candy would have forgotten it, and maybe even has, but Flower has gone back to barking constantly at him. The result is that they all scatter whenever he gets near them in any way.

John and I went out for pizza after church, so we were gone for a few hours. When we got home, to try to get the shih tzus a little more comfortable with John again, he passed out the treats. It seemed to help.

they’re alive

It has been very hot, and the swamp cooler doesn’t seem to be doing its job. That might be why the girls have been on their beds in their corner so much this afternoon. However, at one point, all the animals came alive. I don’t know who hit the switch. Shiloh jumped up on our couch, and Flower jumped up on her couch, bringing one of the Angry Bird toys with her. Dottie had been next to me, but she jumped down on the floor. Candy stayed behind at Shih tzu Central.

twilight

John took a bike ride, with Shiloh on a leash. Shiloh did very well. When they came back, we sat outside in the twilight. Flower barked a little, but not much. They all wandered around the garden or sat on the porch. They all came in but Candy, so John went and picked her up. He held her and stroked her for a few minutes. She didn’t seem to mind.