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Shih Tzu Day 109: Touch and Go Leash Training: Flower Escapes!

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Leash training trials and tribulations

The girls started barking at 6:45 this morning. I got up a little after 7 so they would stop barking and John could sleep. Candy and Nigel played outside for a while after eating.

two shih tzus preparing for a walk. We decided it was time to do a little leash training again. Of course, Nigel needs no training. He would love to go walking everyday, and I hope we can accommodate him. Our leash training class continued this morning with Candy. There is a grass area behind our local Wal-Mart that is perfect for walking. She did okay, although ever so often, she stopped. i can’t say that she had fun, but she wasn’t as stressed out as she has been on previous walk attempts.

a shih tzu on a leash. We were brave and decided to continue our leash training with Flower. First, when I picked her up, I guess she knew something was up, because she pooped, right down my favorite light blue jeans. I didn’t want to postpone our walk, so I grabbed a microfiber cleaning cloth and water and scrubbed at the spot and then grabbed another one to clean off Flower’s butt. Once we rinsed her off, we put her in the harness we just bought from PetSmart.

a shih tzu resting on a porch.She seemed to be doing okay today, although I knew the leash training was stressing her out. She walked a little with me, very slowly, and then ran a while with John. Suddenly, though, she escaped her leash and harness. It was panic time. If she ran east, she would be running towards Sheridan, a busy street, and if she ran south, towards the apartments behind Wal-Mart. If she ran west, she would run towards our house, but have to cross one street and who knows where she would go from there. Running north, she could escape through an entrance leading to the back of Wal-Mart.

a black and white shih tzuI stayed calm, calling her name and trying to lure her with liver treats. She kept darting back and forth, while John tried to grasp her collar. I was standing near a tree, and she kept coming back to where I was, but if I took a step, she would run again.

In the meantime, I was still holding onto Nigel’s leash, and he was distracting me. John finally told me to put Nigel’s leash around a pole that I imagine was there to make the tree grow straight. I did that, and then concentrated on again luring Flower with the treats. She finally came close enough for me to grasp the ring on the front of her collar. I guess we will have to continue her leash training in our backyard for now. That was a little too scary.

The rest of the day

two shih tzusI was hanging clothes up upstairs after we got back when I realized that my little shadow Dottie was always one step behind me. She is such a sweetheart. When we went back downstairs, Nigel the bone collector had collected several of the girls’ bones in his dog bed. I took a few away and put them back at Shih Tzu Central.

I heard a pitter patter of paws a little later and realized that Candy and Nigel had another play date. They started their waltz-wrestle-boxing match near the dining room, but later moved on to Shih Tzu Central. Later, I noticed Nigel nuzzling Flower, attempting to get her to play. I wonder if Candy thinks he’s two-timing her?

Shih Tzu Day 106: Nigel’s Night in His Dog Bed

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People Bed vs. dog bed

black and white shih tzu in black and white dog bed.Nigel has slept with us every night since he got here. Most likely, he slept with his last humans and he is just used to it. Last night, however, I think he slept in his dog bed. Usually, he hears us getting ready to go upstairs and jumps up from wherever he is and follows us. However, he was lying in his dog bed when we went upstairs and didn’t budge.

shih tzu asleep in dog bedHe must have slept in his dog bed all evening. When I went in the bathroom at 5:30, I heard a sound outside the door and opened it to find him there.

I should put a dog bed in the hall, since Dottie sits outside the door for a while waiting for me to wake up each morning. I don’t know if she’d use it though. I have some blankets folded up there that Candy used to use when she escaped upstairs all the time. I have a feeling Dottie just stands guard in front of the door until I open it, so lying down in a dog bed while she waits probably wouldn’t suit her.

shih tzu in blue and white dog bed.Our Yorkshire terrier, Joey, never would sleep in a dog bed. She slept with us, and when we were home, if John was sitting down, she sat on his lap. She also liked to lie on the carpet. Our girls don’t get that privilege, since they still pee on any carpet they come in contact with. They get plenty of use out of their dog bed kingdom in the corner.

Shih Tzu Central is empty a lot more now than it used to be, though. Dottie sleeps in her dog bed every night, but I think Candy and Flower go between their dog beds and the couch. During the day, Candy spends a lot of time going between the various dog beds, but she also still likes to go in her corner in the dining room.

Flower spend a lot of time in their various dog beds, but she is getting more and more comfortable with sitting on my couch. Today, several times when Dottie jumped down, she jumped up next to me. Dottie only visits her dog bed occasionally during the day. She probably spends a lot of time in it when I am gone, but when I am here, she mainly sits with me.

The girls’ day

I didn’t hear any barking until 7 a.m. The shih tzus must have had some party last night.

a shih tzu rests on couch arm. The munchkins have started to play Nigel’s game. Today one of them stole a treat out of his bed and he was agitated. When Flower steals something, she jumps up on her couch with it, since no one else can jump that high.  Today she stole Nigel’s green dog, and he snorted his disapproval. It will wind up back on the floor tomorrow, and everyone will have lost interest in it.

Nigel would be able to reach Flower’s couch if I put dog steps there, like I have at our couch, but I think it’s best if he can’t get up there. That is Flower’s personal kingdom, including her refuge when she doesn’t want to play with him. But since she smuggles treats that don’t belong to her up there, when she has gathered enough, I redistribute them.

Shih Tzu Day 104: Dog Bone Wars and Dog Bed Relocation

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Dog bone Redistribution

three shih tzusa shih tzu dancingOnce the girls started barking this morning, Nigel started stirring. He sleeps so soundly that throughout the night, you would never know he was there, except for the lump that is his body. It was different with Joey, because she had a tendency to snore. Occasionally, though, he will sigh. I’m not sure why, but it is very cute.  When John got up to go to the restroom, Nigel wandered up to lay on my pillow. Well, he actually lay down on my head, which was on the pillow.

three shih tzus at bottom of stairsthree shih tzus at bottom of stairs.I kept the dogs occupied for a long time this morning with various dog bone and chew things. Of course, although Nigel had more than enough, he went to Shih Tzu Central to steal the dog bone I left on the dog bed for Candy. Flower also had two red and white rawhide minis, but she had to take Candy’s too, so I had to do bone redistribution again.

three shih tzusDottie isn’t much of a thief. She usually just takes what Mom gives her and chews away contentedly. Even after the redistribution, Flower went and took the dog bone Candy was chewing on and Nigel boldly pranced into Shih Tzu Central and came out with a mini rawhide to add to the collection in his dog bed. I had to shush everyone when the barking over dog bone property got a little fierce. Later, though, Nigel left a half chewed dog bone on the couch and Flower stole it. He watched her walk away with it without charging at her. That’s a good sign.

Bologna thief

The back end of a shih tzuI had a bologna sandwich today, so I gave each of the dogs a very small piece. When I got to Candy, however, who was in her dog bed, Flower ran up and nipped it out of my fingers before I could do that. When she sprinted away, I blocked the entrance of Shih Tzu Central with my legs so she couldn’t do that again and Candy could get her piece. I also shared some of my apple with Nigel. He is the only dog still interested in apples.

Dog bed relocation

two shih tzus greeting dad.shih tzu in a lap.I saw a very cute video a few months ago of a small dog dragging its dog bed all over a room. Nigel was doing that today. I don’t know what he was trying to achieve, but it was fun to watch him. Another thing I haven’t been able to figure out is why Flower likes to lay behind her bed, against the wall, instead of on one of the dog beds. Candy does that sometimes too. I thought maybe it was because the floor was cool, but it hasn’t been that hot lately.

Flower did abandon her wall to sit between Dottie and me on the couch for quite a while this evening. Once John got home, Nigel was content to sit in his lap for most of the night.

 

Shih Tzu Day 96: Couch Potatoes

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Nice Morning

It has been so nice in the morning. The girls didn’t start barking until 6:30. When I went downstairs I left Nigel with John, to give Dottie, Candy and Flower a little time alone with me. After I fed the dogs, we put Flower up on the grooming table to work on her tear stains a little more. We trimmed some of the stained hair, especially close to her eyes.

Nigel and the Girls

black and white shih tzuNigel is a funny, little thing. Last night, he ran around the yard with Flower a few times. He was a lot slower, most likely because of his stitches. If he had gone faster, I would have had to try to slow him down.

Today, he came up to the couch several times and puts his paws on it, but then just stood there. His paws seem big for his little body. They are very cute. When I put my hand down to pet him, he bites it. Not hard bites — just small, play bites.

two shih tzusThis morning, he strolled over to Shih Tzu Central and inspected their large dog bed, but didn’t try to get on it. That’s good, because the girls probably aren’t ready to get that close to him yet. It reminded me that I need to get him his own bed. I did fold up some blankets for him to use for now.

two shih tzustwo shih tzusWhile he was laying on them, Flower approached him. I don’t think he knew what to do, so he got off and went to stand under my computer stand. I think Flower might want to play with him, but I am not sure she knows how. She is only used to her sisters.

two shih tzusI was a little concerned about Candy, because she seemed a little withdrawn when Nigel arrived. She was spending a lot of time in their corner. However, this morning she came out and started prowling around, watching Nigel and Flower as they gnawed on bones.

I am struggling to get the girls to want to play outside. Whenever I open the door, they run to it, but then look at me expectantly, hoping for food or a treat. I guess that’s my fault.

I went outside with them at 11:30. Walks are out of the question since we haven’t gotten very far with the leash, so I ran up and down the length of the yard. Flower ran behind me. Once in a while she would get distracted, but then she would come back and catch up.

While we were doing that, Nigel wandered over by the shed, away from the girls club. He chewed on one of the bones he has dragged outside. Candy and Dottie mainly sat in the dirt or on the porch.

Couch Potatoes

Nigel keeps coming up to the couch, so I decided to give him some type of step, since he can’t get up on his own. I found a cute box filled with games for the grandchildren and put it next to the couch, on the John side, not the Dottie side. He quickly learned its purpose.

He sat on that side for a while, and then walked across my lap to go lay next to Dottie. She doesn’t appear too thrilled to have another dog trying to enter her space. She moved up to the arm of the couch to keep a little distance.

Candy and Flower roamed around together later in the afternoon. Nigel was on the floor chewing on something. They came near him, but not too close. Nigel got up and went and nuzzled Flower’s face. She backed away quickly. I don’t think they are quite sure what to think of him.

Flower hasn’t come up on the couch all day. I know Dottie keeps her away sometimes, but I think the Nigel factor contributes to her distance now too. Candy did walk back and forth in front of the couch, though, looking a little interested. However, Dottie stared her down and then Flower pounced on her, breaking her concentration.

Nigel aka Elvis was making it hard for me to work for a while this afternoon. He crawled into my lap, which made it difficult for me to reach the laptop keyboard. I let him stay there for a while, then put him back down beside me. I guess I am lucky that the girls aren’t lap dogs. I would never get any work done, unless I abandoned my home office and got a real office job!

Shih Tzu Day 90: Kitty Invades Shih Tzu Central

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Muddy Buddies

shih tzu with muddy feetshih tzu with towel on her headWe woke up this morning to the sound of Spot Collins meowing in the bathroom. Shortly after that, the dogs started barking. I headed out the bedroom door to greet the dogs, and John picked up Spot Collins to take him downstairs.

shih tzu with towel on her head

When the girls came back from romping in the grass after breakfast, I realized it was bath time for the dogs. Grass and mud covered all of their paws.

Dottie and Candy are better at baths than they are with blow dryers or clippers. They both shook, but we bathed them without them getting too traumatized. Flower was very good.

I took the dogs upstairs separately, beween baths, to blow dry them. As unexpected, they all tried to run, but they couldn’t go far, since the doors were shut.

Wherever they went they were close enough where I could point the blow dryers at their bodies at least. I left their faces alone.

Spot Collins Visits Shih Tzu Central

shih tzu with towel on headWhen all of the dogs were finishing drying at Shih Tzu Central, Spot Collins wandered over, drank a little of their water and then jumped onto the dog bed occupied by Dottie and Flower. Dottie stared at him a few minutes and then decided to get in another dog bed. Flower just kept staring at him like he was from another planet.

two shih tzus and a kittenSpot Collins is better. He drank lots of water and ate his kibble. When John took a shower, he set SC’s carrier nearby, so he could get his prescribed sauna. He is still sneezing quite a bit.

shih tzu with kittenWhen John left, SC kept crawling up on my lap. I let him stay there for a while. Flower stayed away from the couch. Dottie wanted up, but instead of sitting on the couch, as usual, she sat up on the arm.

shih tzu and kittenFlower started getting more aggressive towards Spot Collins after John left. She was growling at her, so I ended up putting the kitten back in her carrier for awhile. When I let him back out, Flower was too busy chewing on her bully stick to notice.

Flower jumped up on the couch for her massage-scratch-petting session. As soon as I started petting her, Dottie showed interest, too. Their fur was so soft after their bath this morning. Flower just sat next to me, so I could scratch her chest and haunches. Dottie, however, rolled over on her back for a tummy rub.

Candy never comes up for petting action. However, when we were watching Dancing With The Stars, I sat her between John and me. She actually relaxed and lay down, one paw on my leg, and stayed there for probably twenty minutes while John petted her.

Google Alert

I have Google Alerts set up on words involving my work, as well as words that will pull up articles to tweet about, such as puppy mills and shih tzus. I also have an alert for the Denver Dumb Friends League, because I like to tweet info about animal shelters and rescues. Today, my Google Alert gave me three articles on the Dumb Friends League; one was my post on Day 77, telling about Mom’s adoption of Panda and Spot Collins. It was a pleasant surprise, because I never expected to get an alert on my own articles.