Category Archives: Dog Food & Treats

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 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 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: Dog Clothes Dress Up Day

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What are you looking at?

shih tzu dog clothes

Come quick, Mom! I think I found an error on your blog!I can’t help it. I saw Boo, the Facebook “public figure” with 1.5 million fans, and I really wanted to dress up Dottie, Candy and Flower. Granted, I knew they wouldn’t look like that adorable Pomeranian; after all, they still won’t let me get that close with scissors or clippers (I’m hoping that changes after our grooming class next week!), and it is very apparent from their scruffy, little faces.I think I forgot to water my flowers yesterday.

I had seen cheap dog clothes at Ross Dress For Less when I was looking for dog bowls, so I decided to look there first. Not only are they cheap, but they have very cute dog clothes. I bought a green dog dress and an orange one there. I also found a dog tutu decorated with skulls for Flower and designer dog clothes at PetSmart. I got Dottie a Martha Stewart dog dress.I'm glad I got to wear the Martha Stewart dress, and not the tutu!

I waited until a little before John got home from work to try to get the dog clothes on the shih tzus, since I didn’t intend for them to wear them very long. Dottie sat there passively and let me put her dog dress on her. Candy didn’t run when I approached her, and dressing her was effortless as well. Flower attempted halfheartedly to escape me, but even she submitted pretty easily to letting me put the dog clothes on her.

How come I'm in a tutu with skulls on it and Dottie is in a pretty pink dress?After they were in their dog clothes, I took them outside and gave them their apple and chicken treats. Surprisingly, the shih tzus didn’t seem to care that they were wearing dog clothes. The change might have even improved Flower’s temperament. She seemed much more mellow when John got home from work.

Oh well. At least I got a treat!Yes, we know we're not supposed to get our clothes dirty. We'll just sit here.John got a big kick out of seeing them in their dog clothes. He thought Dottie looked the cutest, in her old-fashioned pink dress. He decided that Flower really did look good in black, although she wasn’t rocking the frilly part of the tutu. I wasn’t either, but I loved the black cotton part with the tiny skulls. Candy looked very sweet.

When we went outside for their evening treat, they wandered around the porch and garden, oblivious to the fact that they were wearing dog dresses.

Getting them out of their clothes, again, surprisingly, was easy, once I chased Wild Flower and Candy down. I’m not used to it, and I did have to be extra careful trying to get dog clothing off of legs and paws and over their heads. In all, it was much easier than I expected. I’m sure they didn’t consider it a fantastic time, but they didn’t seem to mind it either, and I sure enjoyed it! After cleaning up urine-stained carpets, seeing my little girls in their dog dresses was a pleasant way to end the day. I can’t wait to see how different they look next week after I learn how to properly groom them!

Shih Tzu Day 35: Flower, the Poophead Princess

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Flower aka Poophead Princess

I wonder what a morning would be like without Flower raising a ruckus? She wouldn’t stop barking at John this morning.

To mix things up a little, I decided to feed the girls their food in front of their couch. They are very comfortable eating outside now, but I need to make them comfortable inside, around John, and need to get Flower to quit barking, which makes the others uneasy.

They all came up to their bowls and began to eat without a problem, but Flower kept looking around nervously. She eventually ate, so the others did top.

The Poophead Princess oversees her subjects from her throne.I love my little Wild Flower, but I am definitely losing patience with the little psycho baby/control freak. Beyond the barking issue, she has to really want your attention to accept it. I went to cup her face in my hands this morning, which I often do, and she bolted out of the pen like her tail was on fire. Less than thirty seconds later, she was back, as if to say, “Oops. I overreacted, but just don’t get so close.”

My new nickname for her is the Poophead Princess, although it should be stronger, like Shih Tzu Head Princess.

Mom’s In a Mood

I had “elegant egg salad” (egg salad with big pieces of eggs) for lunch and decided to give the dogs some. I hand-fed Flower, Dottie and Shiloh some, and they loved it, but as usual, Candy held back timidly, so her sisters ate any intended for her.

Is it safe to go back inside?I decided to put a little in each of their bowls. I set Shiloh’s in the kitchen and the girls in the living room, up near the dining table. Flower and Dottie went to eat theirs, while Candy was deciding if it was safe. Then, Shiloh rushed in and decided he’d eat Candy’s. I got irritated, since this is a habit, picked him up abruptly, said it wasn’t his food, rather loudly, and sat him down on the rocking chair. Candy flew under the table, and Flower followed her. I finally got Flower to come back out. The tension didn’t seem to affect Dottie.

I had placed a dog gate in front of the table to make it harder for Candy to hide under it, but she had found the opening. After the Shiloh incident, I ended up putting her bowl on the other side of the gate, with her, so she would be comfortable eating.  I figured if she was that stressed, I’d let her stay there for now, as Flower (and Shiloh) are the worst problems, and not her shyness or insecurities.

Egg on Your Face

After Flower ate, she had egg salad on her face, so I got a pet wipe, hoping I could get close enough to clean up her already usually scruffy face. Not a chance.

I followed her into Shih Tzu Central and attempted to gently put the cloth near her face, but she jumped back and forth, eluding me. When I tried to catch her and hold her, she acted like she wanted to nip at me. I gave up, exasperated.

Later, I caught her chewing on the vacuum cleaner knob. I really need to find some nice, hard, plastic toys suitable for dogs with plastic fetishes.

Flower avoided me for a few hours after the egg salad incident, but decided later to come back around. First, she lay down on the  carpet in the vicinity of my feet. She visited their corner for a while and then decided it was time to hop up on the couch and see what Dottie and I were up to.

Flower sat there for a while, staring at me while I petted her. When I stopped, she deciding to lie down.

Candy’s Home Under the Table

I have to hide this, or Flower will take it from me.Candy spent much of the day under the table. When she decided to come out, she grabbed one of the stuffed animals I got the other day off the floor. She initially stopped on the carpet with it, then started to go back to Shih Tzu Central, but instead, ran back under the table with it.

She stayed there for quite a while before deciding to join the others back in their corner.

Usually once or twice in the afternoon, the dogs communicate somehow with each other that it is time to rush out of Shih Tzu Central. Sometimes I know what pushes their buttons, like the Magic Mesh commercial, but today I don’t know what caused it.

I had my small camera next to me and decided to try to catch their antics on video, so I picked it up and hit record. Shiloh got a little carried away and knocked it out of my hand. Oh well. One day I’ll get them on video.

Head Stomping and Hell Raising

Flower usually checks to see where Dottie is on the couch before getting up, but I don’t know why. She still aims her jump at one spot. Today, that spot was where Dottie’s head was. It amazes me how resilient dogs seem to be. Dottie didn’t even flinch.

Flower raised hell again when John got home. Heaven knows what makes her that way. When we went outside to give them their treats, she tore through the garden, jumped up onto the porch, rushed back down, then back up, bumping into things along the way, until she wore herself out. Sigh. And worse, my camera was inside.

The funny thing is that the entire time, John never said a word. He did, however, get up and walk towards her several times, which fired her up even more, until she eventually calmed down.

Poor Dottie didn’t know what to do, so she ran wherever Flower ran, always a little behind. Candy just tried to stay in the background, out of the way.