Category Archives: Training

Shih Tzu Day 111: Candy and her Boy Dog

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The trouble with boy dog friends

girl and boy dog friendsCandy and her boy dog friend have been frolicking again, inside and outside. I know she enjoys playing with Nigel, but there are times that she does not want his attention. I always know when that is the case, because she yips loudly and looks like she wants to bite his little boy dog face off. I have had several stern talks with him that when a lady says “no,” it’s not “maybe,” and he has to stop and not force her to play. If he learns that, she might like him better and go out on more dog play dates. Of course, it would also help if he stopped stealing her bones and the other girls’ dog treats. Then they might all like him better.

Nigel and the cable guy

I had to have Comcast send a cable guy out today because of trouble with my cable box. Nigel greeted him at the door with his tail wagging and was practically sitting on his lap when he sat down on the couch to do some programming. Not my girl shih tzus, of course. I was in the kitchen and heard a low growl. I asked him what happened, and he said, “I don’t know! All I did was make eye contact!” It was actually kind of funny. My girl dogs are definitely different than our boy dog.

I don’t really think it’s a case of girl dogs or boy dogs, however. It’s more likely because of their time at the puppy mill. From Nigel’s behavior, he probably had a good home at one point before ending up at a shelter, so he has a lot better social skills. He definitely wouldn’t make a very good guard dog!

A boy dog in Shih Tzu Central

a black and white shih tzu on a dog bed. After the cable guy left, I took Nigel for a walk to tire him out. I sure don’t have a lot of stamina since I stopped taking regular bike rides. Running up the hill beside him tired me out! When we came back, I had the back door open for the dogs and a bee came in. I was trying to figure out where it went and looked over at Shih Tzu Central; it was flying around near Nigel, and he was trying to bite it. I was thinking that he looked funny trying to bite at it, and then I realized something. He was “at Shih Tzu Central” trying to bite it. He was actually lounging on the blue dog bed.

Four shih tzusFlower and Candy didn’t seem to think anything about having a boy dog in one of their beds in their private corner, although Dottie seemed slightly put out. They all mainly just ignored him. Since that was the case, I thought I’d work on a little bit of togetherness and moved his bed in there as a test.

He lay in there for a while without any reaction from the girls. However, he didn’t stay very long and seemed lost without his dog bed being in the living room, so I moved it back out.

Dry training pad

The training pads I have down were dry all day. It’s possible that the girl shih tzus are learning how to hold it until they go outside. I didn’t find any evidence that they had gone anywhere else in the house. My fingers are crossed.

Shih Tzu Day 109: Touch and Go Leash Training: Flower Escapes!

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Leash training trials and tribulations

The girls started barking at 6:45 this morning. I got up a little after 7 so they would stop barking and John could sleep. Candy and Nigel played outside for a while after eating.

two shih tzus preparing for a walk. We decided it was time to do a little leash training again. Of course, Nigel needs no training. He would love to go walking everyday, and I hope we can accommodate him. Our leash training class continued this morning with Candy. There is a grass area behind our local Wal-Mart that is perfect for walking. She did okay, although ever so often, she stopped. i can’t say that she had fun, but she wasn’t as stressed out as she has been on previous walk attempts.

a shih tzu on a leash. We were brave and decided to continue our leash training with Flower. First, when I picked her up, I guess she knew something was up, because she pooped, right down my favorite light blue jeans. I didn’t want to postpone our walk, so I grabbed a microfiber cleaning cloth and water and scrubbed at the spot and then grabbed another one to clean off Flower’s butt. Once we rinsed her off, we put her in the harness we just bought from PetSmart.

a shih tzu resting on a porch.She seemed to be doing okay today, although I knew the leash training was stressing her out. She walked a little with me, very slowly, and then ran a while with John. Suddenly, though, she escaped her leash and harness. It was panic time. If she ran east, she would be running towards Sheridan, a busy street, and if she ran south, towards the apartments behind Wal-Mart. If she ran west, she would run towards our house, but have to cross one street and who knows where she would go from there. Running north, she could escape through an entrance leading to the back of Wal-Mart.

a black and white shih tzuI stayed calm, calling her name and trying to lure her with liver treats. She kept darting back and forth, while John tried to grasp her collar. I was standing near a tree, and she kept coming back to where I was, but if I took a step, she would run again.

In the meantime, I was still holding onto Nigel’s leash, and he was distracting me. John finally told me to put Nigel’s leash around a pole that I imagine was there to make the tree grow straight. I did that, and then concentrated on again luring Flower with the treats. She finally came close enough for me to grasp the ring on the front of her collar. I guess we will have to continue her leash training in our backyard for now. That was a little too scary.

The rest of the day

two shih tzusI was hanging clothes up upstairs after we got back when I realized that my little shadow Dottie was always one step behind me. She is such a sweetheart. When we went back downstairs, Nigel the bone collector had collected several of the girls’ bones in his dog bed. I took a few away and put them back at Shih Tzu Central.

I heard a pitter patter of paws a little later and realized that Candy and Nigel had another play date. They started their waltz-wrestle-boxing match near the dining room, but later moved on to Shih Tzu Central. Later, I noticed Nigel nuzzling Flower, attempting to get her to play. I wonder if Candy thinks he’s two-timing her?

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.

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 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!