Category Archives: Training

Shih Tzu Day 74: Training Pad Improvement

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training pad use

John got up about 5:30 and tried to get the shih tzus to go outside, but only Candy would listen to him. When I came down an hour and a half later, it looked like the other two used the training pad.

closeup of a shih tzuI had about an hour to sit on the couch with Dottie before I had to get ready for church. I took the time to go through the iWork Pages tutorial at Lynda.com and drink coffee. Gabe and Crystal were riding to church with us. When they came in, only Flower growled, but the shih tzus mainly just sat in their corner, waiting for the company to go away.

I stayed inside with the girls all afternoon, while John and Gabe tinkered with the rototiller in the garage. It hasn’t worked for weeks, so the weeds are overtaking us in the backyard. They are especially high down the middle of the yard, where the water flows down. The girls seem to love jumping the water and the weeds. Candy and Flower jump pretty high for small dogs.

While I worked on my laptop, Candy amused me by doing stretches across the carpet. She’d stretch out, walk a few steps, stretch out, then walk a few more steps. I think she is bored. Later, she amused herself by taking bites out of the newspaper I put under the training pad.

three shih tzus on a large dog bed.How to get them to do their business on the training pad still remains a puzzle. Since we took our large area rug out to the backyard and drenched it with cleaner and rinsed it well, it doesn’t have that lovely urine scent. Still, I know that the girls use it at least occasionally. I had tried setting three training pads out next to each other, but only two training pads ever got use, so I stopped that. I started trying to put newspaper under the training pad, sticking out at the edges, since they seem to like to squat at the edge. Candy still prefers to run upstairs to our bedroom or the spare room and relieve herself, however, instead of using the training pad.

I have more ideas. We might roll up the big rug at night, to remove that temptation. Also, I am thinking of trying doggie litter in conjunction with the training pad.

 

 

 

Shih Tzu Day 73: Candy Takes to The Street on a Leash

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untrained shih tzu on a leash.playful Dottie

Dottie was in a playful mood this morning. After the shih tzus had breakfast and came inside, she stopped in the middle of the carpet, barked and danced around until I came to her. She had an Oinkies treat in her mouth, so I pretended I was going to take it from her, and we had a short tug of war game.

untrained shih tzu on a leash.leash training

In the afternoon, Candy, Flower and Dottie all looked bored. I was thinking that if they were dogs that could walk on leashes, we’d take them for walks. Since that’s not the case, the next best thing was continuing our leash training. I cut up some hot dogs and we ushered all three shih tzus outside. Candy seems to be the most pliable these days, plus she is the most trusting of John, so we decided to leash train with her.

We wanted to see how she would do with just the leash on her collar, instead of the harness. Candy was a little resistant during the initial leash training, pulling away from John, but with hot dog pieces as rewards, she moved forward little by little. I thought she was doing so good with her leash training that I told John I wanted to take her over to a quiet street with a nice, long sidewalk and see how she did.

shih tzu being trained on a leash.John carried her out front and let her down. She ran alongside him to the end of the cul de sac and then turned with John, walking the short distance on the street to the sidewalk. She kept looking at John to see what to do, walking sometimes, hopping like a rabbit at others, then running until he reined her in. From time to time, he’d tell her to “heel,” to get her used to the command.

shih tzu being trained on leash.Only one bicyclist went by while we were there, so Candy didn’t have many distractions. We probably went a block’s distance and then cut across the street to go back home. Knowing how far she’s come from being a puppy mill mom, I was very proud of Candy. I can’t wait until we have all three of the shih tzus on leashes, although I know it will take some time.

 

Shih Tzu Day 72: Cats and Scary Noises

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shih tzu – cat excitement

two shih tzus at a kneeOur new morning schedule is going well. John got up at 4:30 when he heard jingling in the hall and went downstairs to see which shih tzushe could get to go outside. He only succeeded in getting Candy to go out. I got up a little before 7.

two shih tzus at a kneeA big grey cat and a black and white cat added excitement to Flower’s breakfast. The other shih tzus kept eating obliviously, but the guard shih tzu had to keep running and checking the backyard.

I had to throw a dirt clod near the feline visitors to make them scatter, so she could finish her breakfast.

home alone

A <em srcset=shih tzu close up” width=”300″ height=”225″ />I left the shih tzus alone for about 6 hours while I took mom shopping. As I expected, they were excited to see me when I finally came home. I took them outside for their apple and sweet potato treats. Although I saw her relieve herself outside, about an hour after we came in, Flower squatted down on the carpet.

shih tzu with squished face.

 

I told her no, but by the time I pushed my laptop and table out of the way, she had already peed and scrambled under the table. I don’t know if this is what you’re supposed to do, but I blotted the spot with a paper towel, sat the paper towel on the training pad and pointed to it, since I couldnt’ reach her. I got out one of Cesar’s treats and lured her out, then took her to the pad. Who knows if she understood or not.

scary noises

Later in the afternoon, the dogs heard noises outside and rushed into the middle of the living room, barking like crazy. A little later I noticed that someone had pooped on the carpet. My guess is that it was Flower, since that’s what she does when she gets scared. I moved the poop to the training pad, hoping they would get the message.

The girls were all excited when John got home. Once we had finished giving them treats, he picked Candy up and held her for awhile. She seemed very relaxed.

Shih Tzu Day 71: Country Dog, Shake It For Me

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the shih tzus and the unwelcome guest

John went downstairs at about 4:30 to let the shih tzus out, but Candy was the only one that would go outside. After that, they were perfectly quiet. Their sharp doggie ears heard me get up at 6:45 and go in the bathroom, and the shih tzus started barking. When I opened the door, they rushed me excitedly.

<em srcset=shih tzu on dog bed looking bored.” width=”300″ height=”199″ />After I fed them and brought them inside, the shih tzus sat on the carpet staring at me, as if to say, “What now?” I usually leave them to themselves after they come inside, and start my work. This morning, I sat on the carpet with Candy and Flower for a while, rubbing those cute little shih tzu faces between my hands. I am trying to follow a Twitter friend’s website advice and give them daily, planned “love time.”

<u srcset=shih tzu eying a treat” width=”300″ height=”199″ />two shih tzus watch another get a treat.My stepdaughter Candace came over mid-morning to help me organize some papers. The dogs didn’t immediately growl at her, because she didn’t stop at Shih Tzu Central to say hi. The shih tzus did growl at her later, however, when she walked too close to them. After she’d been here about an hour, I ushered Candy, Flower and Dottie outside to see if they would let Candace give them a treat. I am starting to think Dottie will take food from anyone; she eagerly approached her. Candy and Flower stayed in the yard, staring at the treat and at Candace, but only taking a few steps towards her, then moving back. She ended up throwing them some chicken jerky, which they picked up and ate.

shih tzu getting jerky from porchAfter we came inside, Candy went up to her room to hide. When Candace and I left for lunch, I put the gate across the door, to prevent Candace from going in there and peeing on the floor, not knowing that she was already in the room. When we came back, I looked around the dining room and living room and couldn’t find her. I looked in the spare room, just in case, and found her sitting in the closet, resting on a purse.

shih tzu hiding in closet.Flower jumped up on the couch to see me several times in the afternoon. On one of the occasions, she brought her Oinkies pigskin treat with her. I thought I’d try the Hartz brand this time, because it has a sweet potato center. They seem to like it better than the other brands of that type of treat.

shake It, country dog

shih tzu shaking her buttI realized that we have been lazy this week — no grooming, no trying to get them on a leash. The only training I have been doing is still trying to get them to pee on the training pad and not on the carpet.

shih tzu shaking her butt in excitementWhen I came down this morning, there were three yellow spots on the two pads I put down, and even some poop, so someone is trying. Candy continues her habit of napping on it and chewing on treats on it, so I doubt if she is using the training pads for their intended purpose.

shih tzu shaking her butt in excitementBut good news. It’s official. Candy now gets excited when John gets home. Country singer Luke Bryan has a song called “Country Girl (Shake It For Me).” That is my theme song for Candy, only I sing to her, “Country Dog (Shake It For Me).” She is just so adorable when she shakes her little bootie.

Flower is getting better. She isn’t where Candy is, but when John got home tonight, she did act halfway excited. They now know that treats quickly follow after he comes home.

Although Dottie hung back, not one of the dogs growled. Outside, all three of them came up to him for treats readily, with Flower not giving a second thought to putting her paw on his knee. John held Candy for a while later. She seemed content. He also pet Dottie, and she let him, but she looked the other way the entire time.

Shih Tzu Day 70: Milo’s Kitchen Time Is Happy Time

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I could really get used to sleeping this late. I heard a few barks very early this morning, but then silence, allowing us both to sleep beyond 7:00! John especially appreciated the reprieve. I do miss the energetic romps in the grass, however. If we get up after 6:30, our former puppy mill mothers don’t seem to have any interest in exploring the yard.

three shih tzus waiting for Milo's Kitchen chicken jerky This morning, John was outside when they ate. Our chairs had gotten wet the night before, so he was standing in the doorway. Flower doesn’t like change, so she was on guard for sudden movements. She would take a bite, look up anxiously, take another, jump back, come to her dog bowl, glance at him nervously, and then repeat the actions.three shih tzus waiting for dog treat

I try to be very careful of not making sudden movements, such as crossing my leg or lifting my arm, because Flower and Candy jump when I do. In fact, they jump at most noises, including the sound of kibble hitting their aluminum dog bowls. My poor, small nervous dogs. As Nicolette Larson would say (and as I’ve probably already said before), “It’s Gonna Take A Lot of Love.”shih tzu with paw on knee waiting for treat


Once inside, Dottie took her place beside me on the couch, staying there while I worked on my laptop. This time, Candy lay by my feet on the carpet. Flower went to Shih Tzu Central and stayed on the communal dog bed for most of the morning.

shih tzu one eye showing fixated on dog treat The dogs came alive once again late in the afternoon. I sent them outside to play, but it didn’t work. Too bad they don’t like to fetch or any of those fun dog games.

About a half hour after they came back in, I saw Flower start to sit down on the carpet, but I knew that wasn’t her sitting stance. It was her peeing stance. I got up and told her sternly not to pee there, while walking towards her, but it was too late. I tried to pick her up and put her on the training pad, but she took flight, escaping underneath the table. I put a paper towel down on the wet spot barely visible on the carpet and sat it on the pad, hoping she would figure out what the fuss was about.

I guess I have been wrong for assuming Candy is the main culprit when it comes to peeing on the carpet. As fo Candy, she makes good use of the pad. She loves to take naps on it, or to chew on treats on it. I don’t know if she ever actually uses it for its intended purpose, however. Now that I caught Flower peeing on the carpet, I’m not really sure who uses the training pads. At least Dottie.

Candy wagged her tail for John again when he got home. When he gave out the Milo’s Kitchen chicken jerky outside, Flower got so excited she first used Dottie as a footstool and then broke her “don’t touch the treat man rule” and came up and put her paw on his leg. Another first. Every victory counts.

John has also been trying to get them to scratch at the screen door when they want in, so we can leave them outside unsupervised at times. Today, they were outside on the porch for probably twenty minutes until Flower finally barked to be let in.