Category Archives: Behavior & Emotions

Shih Tzu Day 88: Why Do Dogs Eat Poop?

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 Don’t Eat That!

three shih tzus on a dog bedWe had a nice, leisurely day. I didn’t get up until 7:30. A quick inspection showed that all the girls used the training pad properly, but someone had pooped on our hall runner. Also, I know that it is occasionally used for number one. Oh well. I can’t get rid of all the carpet. I considered throwing the runner in the washing machine, but read online that the rubber backing deteriorates over time, eventually falling apart and clogging up the drain and water lines. So, I guess I will look for an inexpensive, machine washable runner.

A few days ago, John mentioned that he was glad that none of our shih tzus had the bad habit Joey, our Yorkie, had, of eating dog poop. Well, he spoke too soon. This morning, after Candy did her business outside, she came back and started nibbling on it. We shooed her away a few times, and then I went and got a plastic baggy to remove it. We’ll have to keep an eye on her, and I need to research how to stop it, if she continues. I don’t remember what we ever did with Joey, but I don’t think she did it that often. Maybe Candy was just experimenting!

John finished putting the rototiller back together successfully. That means we can get rid of the weeds on the backyard. Yeah! When he got done with that, he made cinnamon rolls with his mom’s recipe. I mainly sat on the couch all done with my laptop and Dottie, when she wasn’t at Shih Tzu Central. Flower paid me the occasional visit, but Candy mainly lounged on one fo the dog beds.

 

Shih Tzu Day 84: Mommy, Come and Play!

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shih tzu a.m.

two shih tzus on a couchI don’t usually eat cereal for breakfast, but I have had Frosted Mini Wheats the last few days. Flower always jumps up on the couch to see what I am eating and if she can talk me out of any. I know I should discourage this, but it’s tough. I gave her half of a mini wheat. She stayed on the couch with me for a while. I was busy updating our blog, but I realized that the shih tzus were waiting for some time with me, so I stopped and gave them some attention.

shih tzu afternoon

shih tzu on a blue and grey dog bedAfter the shih tzus had their early afternoon treat, Flower and Dottie came in with me, but, as usual, Candy, our independent shih tzu, stayed outside. She sat on the porch steps for awhile, and then went and sat by the trailer. I don’t know why she is such a loner. I’m glad she likes it outside though. I wish Dottie and Flower would stay out more, because they get so bored inside.

I had some leftover pasta for lunch. Dottie was already sitting by me, but the smell of food brought Flower running. I gave them a few small pieces, but Candy stayed in Shih Tzu Central. Flower sat on the couch with us for a while before jumping down to find something more excited to do, like lying on her dog bed staring at us.

shih tzu and she really wanted one. She asked me if there was a shih tzu rescue in Colorado. I told her about the Colorado Shih Tzu Maltese Rescue. I told her that their adoption fee is $300, but also told her about BFF Rescue and that they have a lower adoption fee: $175 versus $300.

I told her about Nigel and that BFF Rescue gets other shih tzus in from time to time. However, she is like I was at first. She wants a dog under a year who is housebroken, healthy and has no big issues. I told her that might be a little harder to do. I also told her that our girls were definitely problem children when we got them, but we had worked out some of the kinks.

Candy and the couch

Itwo shih tzus on a couchn my campaign to get Candy to be one of the couch dogs, I picked her up Candy and put her between John and me after we finished eating. She stayed there for probably 20 minutes and then jumped down. However, about five minutes later, she came towards the couch; I thought she looked like she was thinking about jumping, and I held my breath. Then, she jumped up! Except for the day when a noise scared her weeks ago, this is the first time she jumped up on the couch with us on it. She lay down between me and Dottie and stayed for probably another half hour. I don’t think Dottie knew what to do initially. She tried to sit on her when Candy first lay down, and then lay down next to her.

Shih Tzu Day 82: Scavenger Hunt and Twitter Update

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three shih tzus searching for kibbleScavenger Hunt

The girls let us sleep in until 7! That was nice. I only saw two spots on the training pads this morning, and I forgot to put the gate up in front of the spare bedroom before going to bed, so I imagine Candy might have wandered in there. But I didn’t see any evidence.

I fed the girls their individual breakfast, and, as is now part of the normal routine, coaxed Flower away from the other bowls by bouncing pieces of kibble in her bowl or near it for her to find, to keep her happy and busy. Then, when Candy and Dottie finished, I threw the kibble out little by little, so they could scramble over the porch looking for it.

shih tzu with silly haircut.

Sometimes lately it’s been difficult to get them to get off the porch and do their business after eating, but this morning, they all wandered down and got it done. Then, as usual, Dottie and Flower came in with me, while Candy stayed outside to explore and just watch the world.

two shih tzu half sistersI only had to run one errand today (which included satisfying a craving for a breakfast burrito), so most of the day I sat on the couch and worked, with Dottie lying beside me. Flower jumped up when I was eating my burrito, so I gave them teeny pieces of potato. Later, Flower came up and looked at us several times, but then she wandered back to Shih Tzu Central.

700 Twitter Followers!

I have been faithfully tweeting for the girls, including tweeting about puppy mill articles I read, or about dogs I see on line that need to be adopted. When I was looking for a shih tzu, I signed up to have adoptapet.com email me when shih tzus were added to the list, so I regularly share those. l also check to see if BFF Rescue has new dogs, and tweet about them. It’s always nice when someone retweets them, because you never know what good it might do. Also, the Shih Tzu Sisters now have 700 Twitter followers, so more opportunity!

Jealous Doggie

Dottie twisted around on her part of the couch for several minutes this afternoon. I’m not sure what she was doing. Sometimes she acts like she doesn’t like the blanket I have there to protect the couch. Today, she scratched at it until she uncovered the couch and then scratched at it. I wish I knew what these dogs were thinking sometimes.

two shih tzus close together

Late in the afternoon, Flower and Candy wandered out from Shih Tzu Central and Dottie jumped down off the couch. They looked like they wanted to do something. I seldom see them playing with the toys I give them, I can only give them so many treats, and I can’t walk them until we can get them trained to do that, so I got down on the blanket on the floor and played doggie with them.

Later, after John got home, Dottie was on the couch, and I went over to pet Flower. Dottie jumped down, ran over and practically sat on Flower to stop me from petting her. She can be such a jealous dog. It’s cute, but I am trying to get her to share me. I took turns petting both of them, and of course, ok a picture!

Shih Tzu Day 80: Dottie’s Birthday Celebration

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shih tzu in a fur-lined tiara

A shih tzu Party with McDonald’s!

shih tzu in pink dress in car seatHello, everyone! Mom usually writes this blog, but she lets us blog when we want to. I want to today, because today is my birthday!

shih tzu wearing birthday hat, eating McDonalds burger and friesI didn’t really know it was my birthday today. The morning was just our typical morning. I sat outside Mom’s door until she finally opened it. We were really excited. We all jumped around, dancing, and I grabbed her hand with my mouth. We went down the stairs with her, and I went in the kitchen with her and waited while she got our breakfast together.

shih tzu wearing birthday hat and pink dressAfter breakfast, Mom and the Treat Man left for a few hours. When they came back, Mom made us put on dresses! I didn’t know why, because she only ever made us wear dresses one time before. Why would a shih tzu want to wear a dress! Anyway, then, Mom picked me up and took me into the garage. I started getting scared. Yep. I was right. She put me in the car in the front seat.

shih tzu wearing birthday hat and pink dressI couldn’t help it. I started shaking. I am one shih tzu that does not like car rides! Car rides usually mean bad things, like going to the vet or going to the groomer, or before in my life, going to a strange home. Mom kept talking to me, trying to reassure me that we weren’t going anywhere that would hurt me. That’s when she told me it was my birthday and I was 6 today. She said we were going to McDonald’s to get food for my birthday party.

shih tzu wearing green dress with hamburger bun in her mouthI still shook, though. She drove up to this window, and they handed her a bag that smelled good, but I didn’t pay much attention, because I was still afraid. Mom kept talking to me, and before I knew it, we were back home.

shih tzu in yellow dress with french fry in her mouthMom had all of us go outside, and then she put this funny thing on my head. She said I was a shih tzu princess and it was my tiara. She took some pictures of me and then she said she’d give it back to me later, but she wanted us to wear these silly hats. I stood still while she put it on me, but Candy and Flower ran away. She finally got a hat on Flower’s head, but not on Candy’s. She didn’t look very happy. I don’t know why, though. What shih tzu wants to wear a silly hats when she is eating?

three shih tzus in dresses and birthday hatsI could smell the food, and I was getting hungry! Finally, she cut a hamburger into pieces for me, Flower and Candy. Then, she put the hamburgers and fries down on the porch. We finally got to eat! Yum. It was really good.

When we came back inside, Mom said she wanted to take more pictures. Sigh. Candy had run upstairs to hide, but Mom caught her and brought her back to Shih Tzu Central, which is what Mom calls the corner where our dog beds are. Then, she put the hats back on all of our heads. She also gave me a bag of my very own treats. They were cold. There was a cute doggie on the front (I don’t think it’s a shih tzu!) and it said Dog Joy. Mom said she wasn’t going to open the bag, but the Treat Man wanted us to try one, so Mom opened it and split a treat between the three of us. It was good, but I think I like my apple and chicken treats better!

Mom said she didn’t buy me a toy, because I never play with toys. She did give me lots of hugs and kisses, though. I don’t mind kisses, but I hate when she tries to kiss my nose! I’d much rather she would just pet me!

All in all, I had a good birthday!

Shih Tzu Day 78: Love Fest For the Shih Tzus

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stubborn shih tzus

John tried to get the shih tzus to go outside when he got up this morning, but they wouldn’t budge. I got up an hour later, at 6:30, and escorted the shih tzus, dancing outside my door, downstairs.

I love our playtime in the morning. The shih tzus jump up and down excitedly outside the door. I reach my hand down, and each of them vies to play with it. Candy clamps down with her teeth, until I pull it away, and then Dottie and Flower grab it, mouthing it gently. Then, the cycle begins. Once we have played a few minutes at the top of the stairs, I tell them it’s time to go downstairs. The shih tzus run down as I walk, turning every now and then to run up a few steps, and then turning around again, to run down a few steps until we get to the bottom.

Once at the bottom, the hand game starts again. Here, though, the shih tzus try to grab my toes with their mouth, too. Lately, Flower grabs my hand, or foot, and then jumps up on the couch to gnaw on one of their Oinkies, and then jumps back down to join the fun.

It rained last night, so I could’t sit down on one of the chairs. I fed the shih tzus and came inside, leaving them outside to play and do their business.

the possessive shih tzu

shih tzu on dog bed.Dottie continues to be a possessive dog. Flower came and put her paws on the couch this afternoon, and Dottie, in their corner, ran over and crowded in. Later, I visited Shih Tzu Central with the idea of picking up Flower, and Dottie ran over and stood in front of Flower. I petted Dottie, picked up Flower, and put her on the couch on the non-Dottie side. Dottie came to the couch, and I helped her up. She tried to crawl over my lap, but I figured she was going to try to shoo Flower away, so I kept her on her side.

shih tzu love fest

I got back about 7:00 p.m. from picking up Spot Collins at the Denver Dumb Friends League and taking him to Mom’s. John got home a little later. After we ate, I decided to try an experiment — a love fest.

shih tzu on a couchA lot of people try to keep their dogs off the couch, for one reason or another. We, however, are constantly trying to get our shih tzus to be couch dogs. Of course, Dottie eagerly sits by me, and Flower visits from time to time. She visits less now than she did, but I do believe it’s because of Dottie. Over the last ten weeks, Candy has only jumped up on the couch when I was there once, when something frightened her. She jumps up regularly after we go to bed, because I have caught her when I’ve come downstairs at an unexpected time. She just doesn’t jump up on the couch when the humans are up and about.

<u srcset=shih tzus on a couch.” width=”300″ height=”199″ />I went and got Flower from Shih Tzu Central and sat her on the couch, but she wouldn’t stay for longer than a few minutes. Then, I got Candy and put her on the couch between myself and John. She lay down and put her paw on my leg and seemed fine. After being there about a minute, she slowly raised her head, gazed into my eyes, and then slowly lowered it again.

Candy seemed cozy next to John, so I went back and got Flower from their corner, lay down on her couch and held her on my stomach. She relaxed a little while I petted her head and her ears and rubbed her tummy. While I was on the couch with Miss Flower, Candy didn’t move away from John.

I tease John because I have slim fingers and small hands, and I always tell him his “fat hands” are better for massages. I asked him to give Candy his fat hand massage, and he complied, rubbing her face and tummy and massaging her back.

While we were with Candy and Flower, Dottie sat on her end of the couch, watching what was going on. After I thought Flower had received enough love, I brought her back to Shih Tzu Central and went and spent time with Dottie. I’m not sure how much Candy and Flower enjoyed it, but I like to think they did and I plan to schedule regular love fests.