Tag Archives: couch

Shih Tzu Day 208: The Shih Tzu Bone Thief is Back

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Things never seem status quo when you have four shih tzus running around. I have been saying how Nigel has been so good lately, and today I keep getting frustrated. I bought them real bones from the local grocery store, and when I passed them around, he tried to round them all up for him. This afternoon, he keeps going over to Shih Tzu Central, for what I am not sure. Now he looks like he is trying to corral Flower back to her corner, but she escaped and jumped up on the couch, breathing heavily.

I think that the winter is making them bored. I leave the door open whenever I can, in hopes that they will go outside and play, but they rarely do, even though it hasn’t been very cold. They mainly seem to wait around to see when the next treat will be delivered.

Nigel was licking his paw earlier, and I noticed it was bleeding. John was having trouble with the nail clippers, so I might have to invest in a new pair. I’m glad Lea at Gentle Grooming had put styptic powder on the “must have” list for grooming.

Shih Tzu Day 140: Nov. 16 (Catch Up)

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welcome committee

I heard the pitter patter of the feet of the welcome committee in the hall a little after 5:30. I wasn’t sleeping, however. I brought my laptop up last night and had been working on it since 3:30, doing some catch up. I stayed in bed a little, because I am trying to train them to eat closer to 6:30, but I got up a little after 6, since Dottie’s whining was getting louder.

I opened the door before I started getting their bowls together and Flower and Candy went out. They stood at the door and growled at me for their food. They are so cute to have vicious growls. After they ate, Nigel and Flower had a face off in the dining room, while Candy rested on the porch.

wild ones

A bunch of wild ones today. Candy barked and I opened the door to see if she wanted in; Flower and Nigel flew out, had a quick round, flew in the door and then flew back out. Candy stayed outside, but just watched their carousing. When Nigel and Flower came in, they tore around the living room and dining room for a while.

After that, the wild boy came up to me and started growling, and, at the same time, sneezing at me. How many dogs sneeze when they get agitated?  I couldn’t tell what he wanted. He just kept staring at me with those red, devil eyes.

Boots and Barkley

Boots and Barkley bully sticks are more of a hit than Cadet. Flower and Nigel inhaled theirs. Dottie enjoyed hers for quite a while, making loud, weird noises as she gnawed away. John called her an old lady, and Flower was looking at her like, “Wow, yours must have really been good!” I would still like to find a good bully stick that comes in a value package!

couch buddies

Flower and Dottie sat on the couch for a while. Flower doesn’t seem to care anymore if the Man is on the couch. Maybe they are getting more used to him because when he is home and up, he gives out the treats, following the advice of dog trainer Victoria Stilwell.

Candy the kitty dog

I call Candy our “kitty dog.” She acts as much like a cat as a dog. She pounces on things and bats them around with her front paws like cats do. She also really reminds me of the Persian cat, Goo Goo Doll, that we had years ago.

four on a couch

While John and I watched the X Factor, Nigel lay between us and Dottie on my side. Candy wandered up and looked around at everyone, so I lifted her up. Then Flower jumped up, resulting in all four shih tzus on the couch with us, which is very uncommon. Dottie must have thought it was too crowded and jumped down, but I moved Candy to dad’s lap and Dottie came back up. I would love it if all four of them sat with us more often.

Shih Tzu Day 138: Nov. 14 (Fan Tan Candy)

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John had today off. First thing this morning, we weighed Nigel. He is now 11 pounds. I think he was 9 pounds when we brought him home from BFF Rescue. I guess he is fully recovered from his pneumonia. He has probably put on weight from all the treats he steals as well.

I spilled coffee this morning and Flower and Nigel ran to lick it up. It made me think of Joey. She loved when someone dropped food or spilled a drink, and by the time we grabbed a paper towel, she usually had cleaned it up.

When I went upstairs to put some clothes away, Dottie came to find me. I picked her up and came out into the hall. Flower and Nigel were both there waiting, which is unusual. When we got downstairs, I went to set Dottie on the couch and Nigel attempted to bite her tail. She barked and growled fiercely at him again.

Flower seemed to be acting confused this morning. I think it was because I took all of the couch cushion covers off to clean them, after Flower did her pee on the couch routine again. All the cushions were standing up, so she had to stay at ground level. I successfully washed the covers in the washing machine, although I wasn’t sure if I should. I used a little bit of upholstery cleaner and regular detergent. It would be nice if I could find some type of waterproof cover to put over the couch, so I don’t have to keep washing the cushions. It would be even nicer if Flower stopped peeing on the couches!

Later, after the cushions were back in place, Flower came up to the couch, and Dottie growled again, hoping she would scare her away. Flower rebelled and jumped up anyway. Dottie growled and barked. This time, I formed my hand into a bite and firmly “bit her,” made a sound and said “no!” I still am not sure what my “no” sound should be. John said the dog trainer in Accidental Tourist advised clucking, but I can’t quite get clucking down.

I gave the shih tzus DreamBones today, which do not have rawhide. It’s hard to get them all to like one thing. For several minutes all I could hear was chewing. I think Dottie was the loudest.

Nigel and Candy were playing today when he discovered Flower had found a red and white rawhide twist somewhere. He barked incessantly, and when he had the chance, ran up and took it from her. I took it back from him and gave it to Flower. She took it to Shih Tzu Central so she could chew in piece.

Flower and Nigel were tussle partners this afternoon. He must have gotten too rough, though, because they seemed to be having fun and then Flower shot across the floor and hid under the table, the Grinch right behind her. A little later, when he ran up and started barking, I let Dottie growl and bark at him. I don’t know if I should correct her every time she does that. Sometimes I think he deserves it.

Candy is so cute when she waltzes by the couch. Her tail looks like a fan and waves when she prances. I’ve started calling her Fan Tan Candy, after the Fan Tan Fanny song that goes, “Fan Tan Fanny was waving her fan,” from Guys and Dolls. This time, her body was bending in two, like a cat, as she waved her tail. Then she started barking at either John or Nigel. it must have been Nigel, because he jumped down to play with her.

Nigel’s shenanigans were trying John’s patience today. I was a little relieved. He often frustrates me and John doesn’t seem to understand why. I guess he got a taste today of my normal day with the shih tzus. After John spoke to him sharply a few times, he wandered over to the black and white dog bed, dragged it around a while and then threw himself into it and put his head on the side, a pouting look on his face.

(Pictures coming later)

Shih Tzu Day 137: Nov. 13 (Catch Up)

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Last night while John and I were watching TV, I kept smelling the distinct scent of dog urine. I finally realized it was coming from the cushion I was sitting on. There wasn’t a wet spot, so Flower must have relieved herself on it earlier and I didn’t catch it. I soaked it with cleaner this morning, and with the no-mark spray I have been using.

That left me with no where to sit, since I wasn’t thinking and soaked the other couch cushions for good measure. I moved my laptop to the kitchen table, but Dottie looked so confused.She is so used to sitting by me. She kept wandering around, glancing at me from time to time. I finally grabbed a throw and sat it in front of the couch. I used Nigel’s stairs for a laptop stand. I thought Dottie would come sit by me, but she went to lay in Shih Tzu Central. Nigel came and plopped down by me, though, with his bully stick in his mouth

Dottie eventually came up to see what we were doing, spotted my unattended coffee cup and snuck in a few sips before I caught her. After that, she cuddled up next to my side, which is unusual, with her head on my leg. I thought she was being affectionate, but then I realized that she was trying to get to the coffee cup I had sat between my legs.

Flower was sitting on the floor near us, but when the Man came down, she ran back to Central. Dottie got affectionate again after I grabbed a bagel and cream cheese. In fact, she was growling at me, showing her displeasure in my non-sharing mood.

The girls and Nigel had bully stick wars this afternoon. Nigel still believes that if I pass out four treats, they are all his. Flower can usually jump up on the couch to get away from him with her treat. However, Nigel somehow managed to jump up on it today, causing Flower to flee, bully stick clenched between her teeth.

Shih Tzu Day 121: Further Housebreaking Dilemmas

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shih tzu cat alert

Candy woke us up barking at 6. John went downstairs to investigate and said there were cats fighting in the backyard. Our guard shih tzu sounded the alert about three times.

Our housebreaking dilemmas continue. When I came downstairs, there was a big, wet spot on John’s end of the couch. My guess is that it was Flower. I hate putting pee pads on the furniture, but I did.

a shih tzu on a hardwood floor.When I talked to someone at PetSmart, he told me that we might have to just do what people do with puppies and kennel train her. I hate to do that. To be fair, I feel like I would have to only do that with Flower. I imagine her in her kennel watching her shih tzu sisters running around enjoying their freedom.

I’ve considered blocking off our couch or putting the cushions up before we go to bed. I think Candy and Flower like sleeping on it, so that would end that. Also, we could shut them all up in shih tzu Central at night. I like to give them the freedom to run around and to come up the stairs in the morning. I’ll have to think about it more.

dog bed habits 

When the shih tzu sisters came to live with us as foster dogs, BFF Rescue let them bring a blue and white dog bed and a grey dog bed with them. The grey dog bed was getting a litter tattered on the bottom, so I replaced it recently with a pink and white one. Candy normally lies in the pink one, but since she also likes lying down in the corner in the dining room, I put the grey bed over there. She has been getting use out of both of them.

Flower continues to spend some of the time in the blue dog bed and an equal amount of time “behind” the dog bed, resting her head on it. I’m not sure why she does that. Maybe she just feels “safe” behind it?

will the shih tzu sisters be lap dogs?

two shih tzus in conversation.When I interact with the shih tzus, I sometimes think of Delores at BFF saying that they will get in our laps at some point. I have serious doubts about that. They seem perfectly content at arm’s length. Nigel, on the other hand, likes to cuddle up next to me, which makes it hard to work. He definitely wants to be a lap dog. He climbed up on my lap today, and surprisingly, the way he was laying, I could actually reach the keyboard, so I let him stay there a while.

false alarm

I’m not sure what was going on outside this afternoon, but the shih tzus heard a noise and they all ran to the front door, I guess thinking it was the Treat Man. Candy was shaking her tail feather. About ten minutes later, they heard it again, and Flower, Candy and Nigel ran to the door together. It was so cute.

something even more disgusting

So, there might be something more disgusting than your shih tzu peeing on the couch — your shih tzu pooping on it. Yes, I know. Gross. But Flower managed to do it today, and since she wouldn’t clean it up, I had too. Since the spot had to dry off, there wasn’t much dog property. Dottie sat with me after the clean-up job. Candy lay on the floor, watching us. Nigel was chewing on a treat contently in his dog bed, and Flower sat next to the bed, watching him.

While I was watching her, I was noticing how much her eyelashes have grown back. I’m not sure if they were bothering her eyes, so I think I will let them grow back for a while. She is such a cute little Maybelline baby again. I call her Marilyn, but I know Marilyn Monroe didn’t poop and pee on couches and carpets!