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Take Your Dog to Work Day, Friday, June 22

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It’s been a while since we’ve posted! We’ve been very busy and Mom hasn’t been much help with our Twitter account and is behind talking about our lives at the Freeze home. She promises to catch up soon, because A LOT has been happening here!

In the meantime, we ran across this information on the 14th annual Pet Sitters International “Take Your Dog to Work Day,” which is Friday, June 22.

We’re lucky. Mom has an office at home, so, technically, we go with her to work everyday. Nigel and Dottie sit on the couch with her most of the time. I jump up to see what’s going on now and then. Since all dogs aren’t that lucky, we want all the Humans out there planning to take dogs like us to work to be prepared. Follow these helpful tips by celebrity dog trainer, animal behaviorist and radio host Harrison Forbes.

Practice Makes Perfect: Before to bringing your dog into the office, practice polite behavior by taking them out to public places. Letting Fido tag along on your next trip to the park, pet store or café patio will help them become more acclimated to new people, places and animals. This will help them learn proper behavior when greeting people and help them relax in new settings.

Plan, Prepare and Protect: Plan ahead and check with your co-workers to make sure everyone is allergy-free and comfortable with dogs. Also, prepare your work space by hiding electrical cords, and setting out a dog bed and water bowl. Most importantly, make sure your pet is up-to-date on vaccines and protected from fleas and ticks that can be passed from other four-legged office mates. Use a monthly topical treatment like PetArmor®, which is the fipronil-based preventative that offers the same protection as Frontline® at about half the cost.

Walk This Way: Learn leash manners before stepping foot into the building. A trick to combat leash pulling is to stop walking or stop and walk in the opposite direction. When the dog stops and the leash becomes loose, start walking again. Repeat this exercise until your dog learns to walk with you instead of pulling ahead. This can be a long and frustrating process, but it will be effective in the long-term.

Sit and Stay: Condition your dog to sit and stay on command. This is the proper way to greet co-workers, and will help ensure your work day is productive. Teach “sit” and “down” by practicing ahead of time out in public, and offering a small treat for every successful command. Keep training sessions short and gradually build up to an hour. Once at work, encourage your dog to sit or lie down in its bed while in you’re working in your office.

Getting to Know You: Avoid office disputes by asking permission before you allow your dog to greet another dog, and don’t force your dog to become ‘friends’ with another dog; let them meet in their own time. Try to keep a loose leash when introducing your dog to another. Pulling tightly on the leash may cause your dog to become nervous and to growl or snap.

Shih Tzu Week 48: May 24 (Day 330) – 30 (Day 336), 2012

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Day 330: May 24

Thursday

The dogs all took a vote. I don’t think they like the training pad holder. I put a training pad on the spot where someone always pees before we get up. This morning, there were two wet spots and a mound of brown stuff there. The training pad in the holder was clean, however.

I was brave and took the three little ones for walks. I am not sure how that is supposed to be done. They kept moving from one side to another, tangling me up, until I final cut it short. If I go to a dog obedience class, will I learn how to walk three shih tzus at a time?

It seems like I spend a lot of time these days making dog treats. Today, it was a new batch of chicken and apple and chicken and sweet potato treats.

It seems like the shih tzus spend a lot of time sleeping these days: Dottie because she is older, Nigel because he is younger, and Flower and Candy because they don’t know what else to do. Flower always looks so bored. Can suggest what to do to prevent shih tzus from being bored? 

Day 331: May 25

Friday

shih tzu on bed

Dottie followed Nigel in through the Magic Mesh screen door this morning. It doesn’t seem to work like the commercial says, because their weight won’t push it, but at least he knows to push and then duck under it.

I have been working in the spare bedroom, so Nigel, Flower and Dottie come to join me. Flower has learned she can jump on the bed, so she lies on it and watches me.

Day 332: May 26

Saturday

Flower hasn’t been barking at John very often. Today, she went to his side of the bed without barking and let him pet her.

Day 333: May 27

Sunday

Today was a red-letter days. Leticia and her kids and Chris and her son came over at 12:30 for a barbecue. Candy fled outside. The other two female shih tzus went to the dining room corner, as close as they could be to me, since I was in the kitchen. When we ate, Dottie positioned herself by my feet.

Cea holding out treat as Nigel Shih Tuz watches.Later, all the dogs tried to escape the noise inside by going outside. I sat down on the porch and Rema walked out into the yard a ways and held out a treat. Flower was hesitant, but she finally came and took one. She also took one from Chris’ little boy, who ate more treats than he passed out. Luckily, since I make them, I know what’s in them, and they are good enough to be people food!

Candy either stayed in the shed John kept open for her as a giant doghouse, or near it. She let Rema pet her but wouldn’t take a treat. She did eat what Rema put on the ground after she left though.

granddaughters lure Flower Shih Tzu with treat.Flower and Dottie came in on their own, and I brought Candy in. Later, when people were still there, I noticed that instead of being huddled together in the large doggie bed, like they did before when they were scared, they were each lying in their own beds, so they are getting better.

After they left, Candy and Dottie were sitting next to me and Nigel next to John. I sat Flower on my lap, and her butt eventually migrated next to Nigel’s. John started petted her. She stayed there half on my lap, half between us for probably 20 minutes while he petted her, and she would look back at him when he stopped. That was a first. We truly have come a long way in 11 months. The funny thing is that Flower has progressed the most, but I still assume it’s her peeing in front of the TV.

Day 334: May 28

Monday

four shih tzus on leashesfour shih tzus on leasheIt is very amusing to watch the shih tzus in action sometimes. This morning, Nigel was perched on the couch with his chicken-covered rawhide stick. Candy barked from outside and he jumped down to find out why, leaving his stick on the edge for a brief second—just long enough for Flower to snatch it and run to Central. You would have almost thought they had tag teamed him. Later, however, I noticed Candy was minus a stick and Nigel had one, so I think he retaliated and took hers.

I bought the sticks this time from Target. They are a lot cheaper than what I get from PetSmart, but they aren’t covered with as much chicken, so the shih tzus don’t seem to like them as much.

John helped me take all of the dogs for a Memorial Day walk. They looked like a Shih Tzu Merry Go Round or dog sled team. It was difficult to keep them all together, going the right way, but we did it.

Day 335: May 29

Tuesday

I brought Candy up to sleep with us last night. She woke me up at 6 o’clock, prancing around the bed. I don’t know if that was a wee-wee dance or I’m-glad-to-see-you dance.

I had to wash my couch cushion cover today because Flower peed on it. It’s possible that she did it because Candy wasn’t downstairs. I don’t think she likes when things are not normal.

Day 336: May 30

Wednesday

John was eating a piece of toast this morning and Flower came up and put her front paws on his leg. That is the first time she’s done that. The only time she ever touches him is when he is walking into the kitchen to get food and she hits the back of his legs with her front paws.

I took Mom shopping. After I dropped her off I went to Petco and bought some Espree bright white shampoo, to see if it will make Flower’s fur brighter. I think it could be really pretty, but it looks dingy near something that is truly white. I also bought a coupler to see about walking two of the dogs on it.

Shih Tzu Day 210

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I brought Candy up to sleep with us last night. She curled up on the bed and didn’t peep all through the night. However, at 6 o’clock, we heard her retching. She vomited bile on the bed and on the floor. I haven’t noticed the dogs doing that lately, since I read they sometimes do that if they go to bed on an empty stomach and have been trying to give them a little food before bedtime. She seemed okay throughout the day, though.

Flower follows me down to the basement whenever I go to put anything in the wash. She sniffs around the exercise room and the spare room. I haven’t caught her peeing on the carpet again, but I do try to keep an eye on her when she wanders into a different room. I am glad that she is becoming more comfortable with the different areas of the house and doesn’t seem as fearful as she did a few months ago.

Crazy shih tzus

The dogs have seemed a little lackluster lately, but today, all four of them were jumping each other. Flower was being a little too aggressive with Candy. She acted like she was mad at her. Candy was standing up to her, but I finally said Flower’s name firmly and when she looked up, told her “No!” She came up to me shaking her head from side to side, and I shook my finger at her. She came up further and put it in her mouth, backed away and then came back and put her mouth on my finger again. It was more like gumming than biting. They are way too cute.

Nigel decided it was her turn to be picked on, and tore after her, so she went running. They are getting a little crazy these days. They ran too close to the TV tray stand holding my water and knocked the water on the floor. Thankfully, it was a plastic Starbucks glass with a tight lid.

Later, Flower jumped up on the couch, pawed at me, and then cocked her head back towards the dining room, as if to say, “This way. We need a treat!”

I got my laptop back after being without it for three weeks! Now that I won’t be using a loaner laptop, I need to transfer pictures to it and start putting them up with my posts again. I know they have been very bare without any.

Shih Tzu Day 150: Nov. 26

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I was so tired last night that I went to bed at 8. I still could not force myself to get up very early. I got out of bed a little after 6:30 and fed the shih tzus. Flower didn’t finish the food right away, because she kept running to the end of the back yard to bark at either the neighbor’s dog, a cat or a squirrel. She was also barking at the shed, so maybe there was a snake under it.

Later, Flower jumped up by Dottie and me and sat with us for a while. She had been spending more time than usual at shih tzu Central, but I think she is less stressed now. Candy kept dive bombing John’s legs today and rubbing against them. I am really glad that she is taking to him.

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.