Category Archives: Dog Food & Treats

Shih Tzu Day 117: Flowerlicious & The Shih Tzu Madhouse

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shih tzu breath analyzer

I heard Dottie’s moan at a little after 6, but beyond that, there was very little sound until 7. Yes! I might slowly be training my furry alarm clocks to let me sleep a little later than the shih tzu sisters want me to.

one shih tzu on a couch and three shih tzus on the floor.Candy and Nigel stayed outside to tussle after breakfast. I am still getting used to Candy having a playmate, since she used to seem like such a loner, sitting outside on the porch or in front of the shed all alone. Maybe she didn’t really want all that alone time after all, but just wanted a little male shih tzu companionship.

I admit that my shih tzus are what people would call “beggars.” We feed them people food that we think is good for them or at least don’t think is bad for dogs. When we don’t feed them, the shih tzus sit and watch us eat. I admit that I eat in the kitchen sometimes to avoid those four sets of shih tzu eyes. Today, I had cinnamon toast in the kitchen. When I came and sat down, Dottie came very close and sniffed my breath, verifying that I was holding out on them. I made it up to the shih tzus later by giving them a small piece of bologna at lunch and giving Nigel some of my apple. I gave the shih tzu sisters one of their apple and chicken dog treats. Flower was happy with me, because she jumped up to see me afterwards.

Flowerlicious

Flower and Candy came and sat in front of my computer before John left. He decided to attempt to pet Flower and she didn’t run! Our progress is inch by inch, but it is progress.

a black and white shih tzu and a grey and white shih tzu at play.Since Flower and John had a bonding moment, I decided to give her the remaining supermarket bone. They come five in a pack, at five dollars each, and I only ever buy one pack at a time, so there is always one bone left over. Flower was on her couch, so I smuggled it to her. I knew Nigel couldn’t get it from there, since at least so far, he can’t jump up on the couch.

I was looking at Flower on the red blanket on her couch and a new nickname came to mind: Flowerlicious. I don’t know why that popped into my mind. Maybe I read something about Fergie “Fergalicious” recently.

a black and white shih tzu and a grey and white shih tzu at play.Flowerlicious has been a sassy shih tzu today. She gave Dottie some of her own medicine. She growled at her when she came up to the couch wanting me to help her up. Later, she sauntered over to Nigel’s bed, examined his loot and stole a retriever roll, although she had her own on her couch. Her stash on her throne prompted all the shih tzus to come see what she might be hiding.

Flower was sniffing around the dining room table this afternoon, standing up on her back legs and trying to access what was on top. I realized I had a treat bag there, so I moved it, even though I didn’t think there was a way to reach it. Actually, she could reach it, but I believe only if I left a chair out, because I’ve seen that happen when some foster doggies visited the house.

Flower took a jousting turn with Candy’s boy toy this afternoon. I looked down and saw her slide across the hardwood floor, at Nigel’s prompting. Candy wandered over to the couch while Nigel and Flower were playing, and I reached down to pet her. While I was doing that, Nigel and Flower play fought their way over to where we were. Flower left Nigel alone for a second to bite my hand, and Nigel promptly started biting Candy’s tail. Pretty soon, they were biting each other’s faces. Ouch. That always looks like it hurts. Fun at the Shih Tzu Madhouse!

We have been working on our Same Shih Tzu Different Day FLICKR photostream. Please visit us for additional Shih Tzu Romp pictures and others!

Shih Tzu Day 115: Flower Power, Play Dates & Leash Training

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 A blooming Flower

a black and white shih tzu nibbling on an apple.I get a kick out of Flower. Today, she walked up to the couch, licked my feet and then walked by. That’s the most licking I get from these shih tzus. What I do get, though, is some good entertainment. Like when Flower comes up, puts her paws up on the edge of the couch, stares into my eyes with her big eyes and then slides down. She did that routine twice today.

Later, Flower didn’t hesitate to go up to John for dog treats. John has taken the dogs out for their treats the last two evenings. They follow him quickly, which is great to see. In fact, Flower was following right at his feet like he was the Pied Piper. And Flower has been jumping up on the couch often. Beyond that, miracle of miracles, she let John pet her today.

Dottie

three shih tzu sisters on a couch.Even Dottie jumped off the couch and followed the Pied Piper. Then, this afternoon, we took Nigel and Dottie for a walk. Actually, I couldn’t call it leash training. John walked Nigel on the leash. I carried Dottie to the green area behind the Wal-Mart a block away, so she could “watch” John and Nigel, and hopefully get a hint that walking can be fun. However, when we were at a point where I didn’t think she would run off, I set Dottie down.

At first, she walked a few steps and then stopped. However, when we got to a place that was more like a path, she walked behind and beside me for probably a minute until she heard a voice from a nearby apartment. I let her stop a while and then picked her up again. We walked a ways and then I put her down again. She walked again until she heard another voice. That time, she started shaking. I picked her up and carried her back to the house, praised her and gave her a treat. She was so cute walking by me, but, sorry to say, I didn’t have my camera with me.

also 

Nigel is a real apple lover, unlike our female shih tzus. He also loves playing with Candy outside and inside. This afternoon John was holding Nigel and I couldn’t resist putting Candy on his lap too. They were so cute sitting there. It looked like they were on a date.

a boy and girl shih tzu on a "date."We now have several couch dogs. Today, Nigel was sitting between us, Dottie was next to me and Flower next to her, and eventually, Candy moved over near her shih tzu sisters. I was very excited when we bought our couch from American Furniture Warehouse last year, but it actually is a pain in the butt. It’s a sofa sleeper, and it is not very good quality, as far as we are concerned. Because of having John and Nigel on one side and Dottie and sometimes Flower on the other, I have to sit right in the middle, half of me on one cushion and half on the other. And, the cushions sink in the middle. It is a bummer to have to think about the As Seen On TV product, Furniture Fix, when we just bought our sofa six months ago. Instead of buying that product, we put a board under the cushions. It seems to be working right now.

Shih Tzu Day 114: Favorite Dog Treats: Whole Lotta Chewin’ Going On

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two very cute shih tzus on a couch waiting for dog treats.

dog treats – yum

four shih tzus waiting for dog treats. Today was one of those days that revolved around dog treats. In the morning, to keep the girls occupied, I gave out pig ears, one of the shih tzus’ favorite dog treats. In the early afternoon, they got a sweet potato and chicken treat and a small apple and chicken treat, other favorites. When John got home, they got a small piece of chicken jerky, probably at the top of dog treats.

shih tzu gnawing on an apple and chicken treat.Pig ears just seem to be pig ears, but I’ve experimented with different brands of sweet potato and chicken dog treats, apple and chicken treats and chicken jerky. I tried plain sweet potato treats, but they weren’t that popular. After that, I bought Canyon Creek Ranch Chicken Yam Good sweet potato treats, and the girls liked them. However, I discovered Costco carried Kingdom Pets sweet potato and chicken treats in a large value pack, so I have been buying them. I personally think Canyon Creek Ranch smells better, but the girls don’t seem to notice.

shih tzu chewing on a chicken and apple treat. As for chicken jerky, there are a lot of brands on the market. I tend to buy Milo’s Kitchen for a few reasons. First, I guess it’s relatively new, and I find a lot of dollar and two-dollar coupons for it. I also think Milo’s Kitchen dog treats smell really good. When I can find the value pack at Wal-mart, that’s what I buy. I will buy Waggin’ Train chicken jerky though. What I won’t buy is whatever chicken jerky Costco carries, although it comes in a value pack and is cheaper. The girls didn’t like it when I first bought it, and it looks dry to me.

a shih tzu with a sweet potato and chicken treat in his mouth.I buy Canyon Creek Ranch apple and chicken dog treats from PetSmart because although Wal-Mart is always cheaper on most dog treats, they don’t have a value pack. PetSmart’s value pack has been on sale for a while too. Having four dogs is like having four children: you have to find the bargains!

 

Shih Tzu Day 110: Dog Play and Dog Treats

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Experimenting with dog treats again

a shih tzu near a dog bed.I experimented with dog treats again today. I still haven’t quite figured out which dog likes which dog treats. I threw several out on the floor, to see who would go for what. Flower and Nigel seem to be the most versatile as far as dog treats go. They all seem to like pig ears, and Nigel and Flower really like the bully sticks. It’s touch and go with the Greenbrier Kennel Club mini red and white rawhide bones, pressed rawhide bones and retriever rolls from the Dollar Tree. Sometimes these dog treats lie around for days, and then someone picks up one and begins to chew on it and all the other dogs want it. Then it’s back to bone wars.

a shih tzu pulling a sock off. Today, the other three grabbed a Beefeaters pig ear strip, but Candy chose a red and white rawhide bone. Dottie usually likes the rawhide bones too. Nigel doesn’t seem to discriminate between dog treats. He likes anything, and is expert at unraveling the Oinkies pig skin twists, but something has to be eliminated from his diet, because he has been stinking up a storm. My guess is the rawhide dog treats, which I have debated giving the dogs, because I have heard such mixed opinions about rawhide.

Overall, at the top of the dog treats list is a good-old fashioned, real dog bones from the meat department with real marrow in the middle. I bought some this week. Five minutes after I passed them out, Flower had collected three in her bed, so I had to confiscate two and redistribute. They are a little pricey where I found them, at five dollars for five small bone pieces. Not bad if you have one dog, but giving them to four dogs makes a difference!

A different life

a dog stretched out on a couch.I was thinking today how different life is from a year ago, when I edited or wrote alone in my quiet house, sometimes with the TV on in the background. Now, it’s normal to have to pet a dog on each side between making editorial corrections. I also used to worry about forgetting to take my eyes off the computer screen for long lengths of time.

a shih tzu chasing another shih tzu.Jumping up dozens of times a day to open the door when Nigel scratches at it, to either come in or go out, changes that. Plus, watching the shih tzus when they start playing also gives my eyes the opportunity to rest from the computer. Definitely, I laugh and smile more than I used to, because how can you help it with so much cuteness around?

My couch gets more and more use these days. While I worked on my laptop this afternoon, Nigel rested on one side of me and Dottie and Flower on the other. Dottie seems to be getting used to the fact that she can’t always have the very end of the couch. She didn’t growl today when Flower sat there. Flower stayed on the couch for some time. Their body language is so different. Dottie lies down, her head down, Nigel cuddles up right next to me and Flower looks like she is always on guard.

Nigel still seems a little put off at times that he can’t always get them to play with him. He especially can’t understand that when I get up in the morning, they want to play with me. That is “our” time, from when I walk out the bathroom door until when I go into the kitchen and start putting their breakfast together. He lunges at Candy and then Flower, but they ignore him or yap at him. I always think of Rudolph not being a part of the “reindeer games.”

Since the girls were ignoring Nigel this morning, and I had gathered up all the dog treats, he decided to look for attention elsewhere. He sat at my feet and began pulling a sock off my foot. Sometimes I let him take them off, but sometimes I stop him. Today, I allowed him to pull one off before I retrieved it.

Candy and Goo Goo Doll

I was watching Candy trot across the floor today. With her fur longer, she reminds me a lot of the Persian cat we used to have, Goo Goo Doll. They could have been good friends.

two shih tzus on a couch.We got Goo Goo Doll, named after one of my favorite bands, at the same time we got our Yorkshire terrier, Joey. About a year later, we brought home a Rottweiler for my teenage stepson, who was living with us. Bo, who came from a farm, seemed like he got along with both Joey and Goo Goo Doll. However, our son kept him downstairs in the day when we were gone. One day, however, Bo got loose. Goo Goo Doll was dead when we got home. It broke my heart, and Bo went to a home without cats.

I think Goo Goo Doll even had the same type of temperament as Candy. After thinking about the similarities, I picked up Candy, hugged her and carried her around a while, and then I sat down and put her on my lap. She lay there for a while before she got restless.

I knew she had answered Nigel’s call to play a little later when I heard a rapid pitter patter of little paws and looked up to see her running by, Nigel behind her, with Candy’s tail in his mouth.

Flying Flower

two shih tzusI have a lot of nicknames for Flower, but John gave her a new one: Flying Flower. He calls her that because of the way she flies across the floor and leaps up on the couches, and because of the way she leaps and dances when I come down the stairs, when she is going to get breakfast and when I come home from somewhere. Sometimes she twirls around in the air in a complete circle before touching her feet to the ground again.

Shih Tzu Day 107: Puppy Play Date

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Puppy play date for Candy and Nigel

female and male shih tzu playingThis morning after all the dogs had eaten and I had taken my place on the couch with my laptop, I heard something in the backyard that sounded like muffled scuffling or pounding. My first thought was that something or someone was about to break in or a storm had begun. I was very surprised to look outside and see Candy and Nigel engaged in a scuffle on the carpet we put on the porch. All that noise was just a puppy play date! I came back inside and sat down. A half hour later, Nigel and Candy’s play date was still .

a black and white shih tzu on the computer. I am very happy about that. I think their play date is a good sign. I think of Candy as the “loner,” because she always stays outside by herself when her sisters come inside. Maybe she was just waiting for a little male shih tzu to come along and “knock” her off her feet.

Got Gas?

a shih tzu waiting for a treat. I am going to have to study Nigel’s reactions to food. The female shih tzus have never had gas, but he has bouts of it every day. I guess it could be that he was on medication until a few days ago. However, it could be some of the treats he gets. Today I gave them each a small piece of bologna, and I did read afterwards that bologna could give dogs gas. I also gave them all an apple and chicken treat at one point . Or he could be reacting to the rice, hamburger and vegetables I have been giving them. None of the girls ever seem to get gas. I also read too that younger dogs sometimes have more sensitive systems. I will just have to try to monitor what seems to cause it. After all, Nigel might not get another play date if he smells!

a shih tzu getting a treat.That reminds me that I still have to try the organic dog food recipe Sadie Shih Tzu gave me, if I can remember to get all the yummy ingredients. Her recipe is a lot more interesting than what I have been giving them, including elk or bison; I don’t think I would do that often for four shih tzus with big appetites, but she also uses chicken, turkey or beef. Plus instead of the vegetables I use, she sometimes uses organic butternut squash or frozen sweet potatoes, which would give them a good variety. Add apples, blueberries and eggs and the girls would probably love it. (Note to self to pick up ingredients!)

Puppy play date aftereffects

shih tzus waiting for a treat.Candy did something unexpected today. She joined Flower in coming up and putting her paws on the couch, in front of me and Dottie. I’m not sure if they wanted to see me or Dottie, but since Dottie is the one that growls at them, I am assuming they visited me. I tried to get them to come up, but they walked away. I am just happy that Candy was that bold. Her puppy play date with Nigel might have nudged her towards being more social.

Later, Flower jumped up for some loving. We had a quick petting session. Dottie was sitting on the floor, waiting for her sister to get down. Flower sat with me for awhile, but she doesn’t seem to know how to relax on the couch like Dottie. I always think she is just waiting for something (like me to pet her) or keeping watch. She did lie down for a while though.

While Dottie and Flower played musical couch position, Nigel sat on the other side of me, where the girls never sit, chewing his rawhide bone and getting it gooey.

Couch privileges suspended

Flower got couch privileges on “her” couch taken away again this afternoon. I am not sure why she feels the need to pee on it from time to time. Luckily, I had a training pad under the red blanket just in case. I have no idea how to stop her from doing that or why she does it. I sprayed both cushions with a cleaner, even though it hadn’t gone through. I stood the cushions up on end and put a plastic gate in front of the couch.

She paced up and down in front of it later, glancing up at me, and then glancing back. I didn’t give in though. As a result, she got up on my couch more often later in the day.