Shih Tzu Day 221: Extreme Shih Tzu

Posted on by
Reply

shih tzu slam dance

a shih tzu with a rawhide stick.After I sent the female shih tzus outside this morning to eat their breakfast, I started my normal routine. First, I replace the soiled training pad with a new one, but this morning, the training pad wasn’t soiled. I didn’t see evidence that anyone had peed elsewhere. They really are all doing so much better in that area, although I expect at least one of the shih tzus to use the pad.

Next, I fill up their water bowls and if I have any extra time, I make my coffee. This morning, when I was setting down the water bowls, I heard a frantic banging on the door. I knew it was Flower. Nigel kind of claws at the door, and so does Dottie, although she usually waits for someone else to announce that they want in. Candy will sit there for hours, and then if you haven’t noticed she’s missing, bark once or twice. Flower, however, runs at the door like she’s slam dancing, and then claws on it, looking like a hamster running in a wheel.

extreme shih tzu

That made me think of how extreme Flower is. Maybe a little high strung. Flower was the one that showed fear in the most extreme way when they came, usually by her eyes being so big, and the fact that she pooped if you tried to get near her.

One of the new morning rituals is the passing out of the Dentley’s wrapped rawhide sticks, which is one of the few rawhide products they all like. Dottie trots up, takes it and walks away, usually back to Shih Tzu Central to enjoy hers. Nigel grabs his a little more quickly, and, since I corrected him several times, goes somewhere to enjoy his, instead of trying to grab everyone else’s too. Candy walks up timidly, acts like she is going to take hers, steps back in case a bully wants it, and then comes back, takes it between her teeth and backs away with it. When Extreme Flower has a lot of energy, she runs at my hand, quickly grabs the stick, and then runs off like a herd of elephants are chasing her.

Shih Tzu Day 220: Getting Out in the Snow

Posted on by
Reply

A shih tzu peeking over several inches of snow. We didn’t got to bed until midnight, and I was hoping the shih tzus would forget to wake us up, but they were right on time at 6:30.

Nigel had an abundance of energy this morning. He kept tearing across the floor then turning around and racing back in the opposite direction. I was so involved in watching him that I didn’t realize that Flower had moved over and was sitting right next to me, with her head resting on the laptop stand. Then, she moved it to rest on my arm. Later, she was using Dottie’s side as a pillow, and looking backwards at me. I thought it was so sweet. Moments like that, I think of when we brought Flower, Candy, and Dottie home, and how Flower flattened herself against the wall and snapped her teeth when I tried to approach her.

Later, Flower and Candy were roaming around, and Dottie was in her preferred position on the couch. Flower and Candy came up and put their paws on the couch, and Dottie snarled at them and growled. I corrected her and moved her over next to me. Flower was courageous and leaped up onto the couch.

John was going out to brave shoveling snow, after our biggest snow of the season. We decided to take the dogs outside. The snow is so high that it made a barrier to the street, so we knew they couldn’t get away. We put their leashes on their collars and I took them into the garage one by one, except Nigel, who dashed out the door after Dad as soon as I attached his leash.

The main reason I put their leashes on them is so they could get used to trailing them behind them, since it has been a while since we put leashes on them. Flower was the only one that really acted frightened.

Flower and Dottie wouldn’t leave my side at first, but once the sidewalk was shoveled, Candy walked up and down it, and then Flower and Dottie went to check it out.

What I wasn’t think about was the noise from the neighbor’s snow blower. As soon as it started up, they all ran back into the garage, except Nigel. Candy wandered back out and decided to explore under John’s truck. A little while later, I saw her trying to hop through the snow, which was at least as tall as she is. She made a couple of attempts and then went back under the snow.

A shih tzu near a snowblower.Once John and the neighbors had cleared enough snow away, Nigel wandered off to examine the neighbor’s garage and then trotted down the sidewalk, before we noticed. John went and got him and we kept a better eye on him after that.

Flower follow me wherever I went, until I decided they’d had enough adventure and put them back inside. Dottie mainly stayed in the garage at first, but then came over to me and stayed by my side.

Shih Tzu Day 219: Snow Day

Posted on by
Reply

We woke up this morning to lots of snow. There was a little area on the porch relatively snow free, so I still fed the female shih tzus outside and Nigel in the kitchen. The snow reminded me of the first snow day we had with the shih tzus, when I put them in their sweaters and sent them out to explore. They are used to snow now, so they ate and came right back in.

Con-Way called John at about 7 and told him that he had the day off. Even if they could get the trucks out to make deliveries, a lot of businesses would be closed. John was very happy. So was Nigel. He got to sit on John’s lap off and on throughout the day.

Since it was a snow day for John, and there was too much snow to tempt us from going anywhere, we watched movies off and on. I did some work that didn’t require a lot of concentration.

Nigel and Candy, the most energized of the four shih tzus, provided some entertainment with their play fighting. At 2:50 p.m., Candy decided it was food time and started prancing around and barking. Then, Nigel ran up to John’s knee, put his paws on it, and growled his protest of their starvation. Dottie and Flower looked a little curious, but didn’t join in. I made them wait, because we were having an early steak dinner. They got a few small bites.

Shih Tzu Day 216: Poop Patrol

Posted on by
Reply

double feeding

John got up with a headache at 6, and since he was going downstairs, I asked him to feed the dogs. I didn’t think I went to sleep. I heard scratching at the door, and opened it to see Nigel, Flower, and Dottie sitting there, waiting for me to get up. John was indisposed, but I assumed he hadn’t been able to get them to go downstairs and outside, so I went to the kitchen and got their food bowls together, threw away the soiled training pad, and went to fill their bowls with water. One still had quite a bit in it, so I filled the other one.

When John emerged from the bathroom, he asked if the dogs had gone outside “again.” I said that they had gone outside, because I had just fed them. He looked surprised, and told me he’d already done that. Oops. Of course, they didn’t tell me they had full bellies. I guess they had eaten and immediately ran up the stairs to wait for me. I must have dozed off for a few minutes, so just assumed they had been waiting for me the entire time and that they hadn’t eaten. They were probably thrilled to get one over on me.

poop patrol

When it’s warm enough, I leave the door open, hoping to tempt the dogs to go play. Candy and Nigel will do that sometimes, which is why they weigh less than Dottie and Flower. I know they need a good exercise program, translate, lots of walks. I am waiting for the weather to be warm enough when John is home so we  can get on the ball again.

I was on poop patrol today, and I am embarrassed to say it had been a while, and we have a pretty big backyard, so I got my exercise. Flower and Dottie trailed behind me, and I’m sure they were wondering why I had a baggie on my hand and was picking up those small, brown blobs and throwing them in a plastic bag. Too bad they can’t help. Another item on my to do list is to figure out how to get them to go in one small area. The good news is that they do go outside, and not inside.

That reminds me how good Flower has been lately. I did find some brown blobs downstairs, and that was either Flower or Nigel, but it seems like an isolated incident. Flower also seems to have gotten over having to poop when she is frightened. John was working in the area today and came home for lunch. She was sitting on the couch and he was petting her. I told him she likes butt rubs, but when he moved his hand away from her face, she bolted, jumping over Dottie to sit by my side. At least that’s all she did. Oh. Her eyelashes have grown so long, and she looks so adorable.

green dog

I just heard a noise and saw Candy jumping away from something on the floor. My first thought was a mouse, but it was actually just Green Dog. She grabbed him in her mouth and trotted out the door. At least she is getting exercise, while Flower and Nigel are curled up on the couch. I also just realized that Dottie is just standing near my feet, waiting for her elevator lift up to the couch.

Shih Tzu Day 213: Jan. 28 (Sat.)

Posted on by
Reply

It’s amazing how the holidays combined with technology issues can throw a schedule out of whack. For example, I have been looking at Candy for days, thinking how badly she needed grooming.

Today was finally the day. We sat her on the grooming table, and she was relatively calm. She did try to pull her paws away from John a few times. Also, she is very afraid of loud noises, and I accidentally knocked the box holding some grooming supplies on the floor; she jumped and tried to scramble off the table. We finally calmed her down enough to continue grooming her.

She had a lot of mats under her hair. The other dogs weren’t that matted, but they don’t lay under the trailer in the dirt and mud like our tomboy shih tzu does. As a result, it took a lot longer than normal to get her in shape. We actually didn’t finish grooming her, although we probably got about three quarters of a way there. She was shaking a little, so we figured we should get her in the sink and get her washed.

She did well in that area too. She is terrified of the blow dryer, and since it took a long time to groom her, we decided to skip the blow dryer and just towel dry her the best we could.

I gave all the dogs some thin slices of Buddig turkey after we finished grooming her. Candy usually hangs back and waits her turn, but either she was very hungry or the grooming had her wound up, because she was acting like Nigel and trying to grab the turkey I was handing to the others. Later, she ran around frantically for a while. We cut her fur very short, so it was probably hard for her to get used to being naked.

I tried to keep her inside to keep her clean for a while, but she slipped out the screen door when I opened it. As I feared, she headed right for the trailer.