Category Archives: Health & Grooming

Shih Tzu Day 132: Nov. 8

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Candy spent the night with us last night. She stayed in one place all night, and wagged her tail when I turned the light on in the morning. As soon as the Treat Man left, the shih tzus came alive. I can’t understand why they do that. It’s not like he is strict.

I cleaned up bile off the floor again this morning. I think this is the fourth morning. I read up on it today and it might be because they are going to bed with an empty stomach, so I will feed them a little right before we go upstairs.

Nigel decided to pull off my sock again this morning while I was petting Flower and Dottie. Later, while Nigel and Flower were scuffling, one of them bit my ankle, so now I have ankle biters. I think it was Flower. Flower and Nigel had a rough scuffling session again today. I guess she likes it that way! Flower jumped up on the couch after that and barked at Dottie when she tried to get up. Today she is Queen of the Castle.

I have been getting very frustrated with Nigel. I tried to give Dottie a pig ear and he practically took it out of her mouth.

Candy galloped across the floor and back, across and back, when John came in. Definitely a shih tzu rodeo tonight! When he came in, Flower went as far as the chair and stopped before turning back. Dottie calmly sat by me watching.

Shih Tzu Day 130: Daylight Saving Shih Tzus

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two shih tzus on a bed. an extra shih tzu in our bed

I decided to see if Candy would sleep with us. I told Flower and Dottie goodnight and Nigel, John, Candy and I went upstairs. Candy’s shih tzu sisters must have been curious, because they came upstairs a little later. I had set Nigel and Candy on the bed, and Flower and Dottie came to the edge of it. Candy became  queen of the mountain. She leaned over the bed and growled at her sisters.

a shih tzu being bathed.

Candy didn’t attempt to jump down, like Dottie does, so I turned off the light to see what she would do. She stayed on the side of me, where I had set her. Nigel was laying between John and I, which is where he tends to lay, unless I move him. I fell asleep right away, but I woke up in the middle of the night. I’m a tosser, but when I went to turn over, there was no where to turn. Candy and Nigel were as close as bookends, and since they were on the bedspread, that made it even harder to turn. I woke up several times during the night, but tried to stay on one side as long as possible.

no Daylight Savings for the shih tzus

a shih tzu after a bath.

I awoke to Dottie’s moaning outside the door. The problem was that they were an hour early. We s

et the clocks last night for Daylight Savings. The furry alarm clocks didn’t recognize the hour change, so they came upstairs at their regular time.

Since I hadn’t slept well, John volunteered to get up and see if the shih tzus would let him feed them. It went well, except Dottie resisted going outside.

a wet shih tzu after a bath.

I asked John if Flower and Dottie tried to steal Candy’s food. He said they came over to check her bowl out, but Candy has figured out how to keep the other female shih tzus away from her food. She keeps her face in her bowl until she finishes eating!

All the shih tzus ran to greet  me when I got up. We decided three of the shih tzus needed grooming: Nigel, Dottie and Flower. Flower was the best when it came to

bathing and trimming. Dottie wasn’t too bad, but Nigel fought us again. We need a very deep sink for him, because he fights so hard to crawl out of ours.

 

 

Shih Tzu Day 129: Continued Grooming Improvement

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two shih tzus sitting on a porch.

gentle shih tzu grooming moments

We did some dog grooming on the shih tzus today. No clippers since we are letting their fur grow. Plus, John prefers hand trimming their faces, private parts and paw pads. I am amazed at how good Flower was, compared to the old days. She even lay down while we did her paws! I doubt if she was very relaxed, but for some reason, she did it.

A sister laying down on a grooming table. Dottie was the worst; she fought everything we tried to do. Nigel was better. John worked on him by himself while I was working. I know Lia at the Gentle Groomer says dogs get nervous when more than one pair of hands hold them, and that we shouldn’t let the shih tzus touch us, because that is a reward, but, as John says, whatever works. We could probably be more stern with them, but we are additionally using the grooming as an opportunity to pet the shih tzus, massage them and have some togetherness. That is especially important for John, since they are so standoffish with him.

We made sure they got a treat afterwards, to try to get them to associate grooming with good things!

fun shih tzu moment

Nigel can be so funny. This afternoon, I heard paws scurrying and looked up. He came from the kitchen running as fast as he could, crossed the living room floor to his dog bed, and darted back towards the kitchen. I asked John if he knew what he was doing. He said the back door was open and he was probably smuggling stolen dog bones outside.

Shih Tzu Day 128: Flower Kardashian

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a shih tzu in a Christmas dress striking a sexy pose

shih tzu malady

I’m a little concerned. I found throw up on the floor downstairs for the second day in a row, and I found some upstairs. I thought it was Flower, because of her breath, but John said he was petting Candy and she threw up. I don’t think it was a reaction to him, so I have to think it is something else! Candy does not act like she feels well. She bit my toes and fingers yesterday in our morning ritual, but she came to greet me today and didn’t do that.

The shih tzus eat a lot of rawhide bones, so is it that? I also gave them pieces of chicken last night. I had breaded it for a meal, but I tried to remove it all before I gave it to the shih tzu clan. Also, I gave them Alpo today, because I hadn’t made up any food. Candy acted like she wasn’t going to eat it at first, but I think that was because she is just finicky. All the shih tzus did end up eating it.

nudge, nudge

Flower was sitting with me this morning, but she jumped down from the couch. Pretty soon, I looked down and two cute little shih tzus, Candy and Flower, nudging my feet. Good! Candy must feel better. Nigel was next to me, so I sent Mr. Male Shih Tzu down to play, to see if Candy was up for it. I couldn’t decide if she came to visit me or him. She just stood there while he tried to play, but then started biting his face. My ailing shih tzu must have revived.

When Nigel tired of getting his face bitten, the rambunctious shih tzu wandered over to me and took my socks off, and then started biting my toes. Flower followed his cue and came up and started biting my fingers. What a bunch of little vampires!

Marcel, the shell, with shoes on

OK, this has nothing to do with shih tzus, but John called me today and told me he had been listening to Dennis Miller on the radio and he was talking about a super cute YouTube video about “Marcel the shell with shoes on.” He said there would soon be a book on Marcel. John knows I want to write a book about my experience with our former puppy mill shih tzus, so he wanted to tell me about it. Marcel is almost as cute as my shih tzus, but not quite, so check it out!

shih tzus tracking mud and shih tzus tracking squirrels

The shih tzus tracked mud all over the floor today. Then, Nigel decided to get on the couch, so guess where the mud went. Groan. You’ll have that with a house full of shih tzus!

Part of the reason that the shih tzus kept going in and out was that Candy kept sniffing out a squirrel. Squirrel patrol requires a lot of in and out activity. Out to check the whereabouts, and in — at least partially in the back door — to get shih tzu backup.

shih tzu turnabout is fair play

Flower spends so much time on the couch now that when Dottie asks to be let up sometimes, Flower growls at her. Meanwhile, in the kitchen, I wish I could teach Candy to scratch to come in like Nigel does. I get concerned about the amount of time our outward bound shih tzu spends outside. I get up many times to check. She might be on the porch, but when I reach to open the door, she sprints out into the yard. Today, however, she was sitting right by the door, and when I opened it, she came right in.

loud, quiet breathing!

There is something very cute about the way Candy and Nigel tussle. I will be working, and all of a sudden, I will hear breathing. It’s actually a kind of “quiet breathing.” But it is a hectic breathing. That heavy breathing will go on for many minutes, as the shih tzu puppies play near the dining room table. It is always a little frustrating, because when I reach for my camera, they go on alert and the little buggers move on, so I have no proof of how incredibly cute they are.

Flower Kardashian

Nigel is a very busy boy. Lately, he goes back and forth between both shih tzu “girlfriends.” Or are they sisters? I don’t know. But I wish I could get into the minds of these dogs. One of his girl friends looked particularly adorable today. I found the cutest little Christmas dress at Ross Dress For Less. It’s red, fur-trimmed, and has candy canes and ornaments all over it. I tried it on Flower, although it is a little too early for Christmas doggy clothes. I was taking pictures, and noticed that her dress was up, but I knew they would stop playing if I butted in and fixed it, so I just let it go. I was taking pictures of her on the couch, and she was facing towards Shih Tzu Central. She had a very cute butt beneath the cute dress and I thought of the Kardashians. Yes, she is my adorable little Flower Kardashian.

Shih Tzu Day 127: Chasing Tail

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two shih tzus on a couchwe’ve come a long way, Flower

I had lunch with a friend today and we were talking about the shih tzus. She said one of her children asked her if Flower still poops when she’s afraid. I thought about that. I guess we have come a long way. She hasn’t done that lately.

a shih tzu on an animal print throw. I had another shih tzu conversation with a friend recently. She found out I had adopted some shih tzus and told me that she really wanted one. She expressed that she was hoping to find a black-faced shih tzu. Her reason was that white-faced shih tzus get “eye goo.” I think she was actually referring to tear stains, which she thinks eye goo causes. I understand what she is saying, because I definitely would love it if the shih tzus didn’t have tear stains, but I don’t love my shih tzu sisters less because of it. They are beautiful in my eyes, tear stains or not. I know different things cause tear stains, though, and I will keep trying to figure out why Flower in particular has them, because I want her to be healthy.

tail-chasing shih tzu

a female shih tzu on a bright throwThe three youngsters were in a paw-boxing mood today. It started with Candy and Nigel, as usual, but then Nigel decided to take on both of them — or they both decided to take on him. I’m not sure which is correct. The shih tzus mellowed out for a while, but a little bit later I hears a loud squeak, which usually means, “Thief! That treat was mine!” I looked up, but couldn’t figure out what had happened. Dottie and Flower, on the couch by me, looked at me innocently, and Candy and Nigel looked up from the floor. Oh well. That’s one mystery that won’t be solved.

The shih tzus got restless again at about 7:15. It was time for another round of tussling. I looked up when I heard a noise like a stampede of horses crossed the dining room floor. It was Flower, with Nigel hot on her tail. Again, my guess is that there was a stolen treat of some kind involved. A little later, Dottie started to come up on the couch, and Nigel bit her tail and held it firmly in his mouth until I made him let go. That little male shih tzu definitely has a thing for tails!

When the house’s other male came home, Candy and Nigel rushed to the door to greet him. This time, Flower was right behind them. She can’t quite bring herself to go clear up to the door though. One of these days she will.