Tag Archives: dog dresses

Shih Tzu Day 179: First Christmas with the Shih Tzus

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Christmas morning grooming for the shih tzus

I got up at about 6 a.m. and finished wrapping presents. I got the stockings together for Dottie, Flower, Candy and Nigel. I put a stuffed animal and a lot of treats into each one. I added a light-up ball to Candy’s stocking. I don’t know which shih tzus might play with it, but I thought it was cute.

three <u/><u>shih tzus</u> with Christmas stockings.We had quiche and mimosas for our Christmas breakfast when John got up. Then, we got prepared to groom the shih tzus. We decided that Candy and Nigel didn’t need trimming, but we gave them baths. Candy was very still and we bathed her quickly, but Nigel squirmed constantly, so he took longer. He was a little better with the blow dryer. Flower and Dottie were very good, both during the grooming, their baths and drying.

After they were dry, we put Nigel in his Grinch outfit and the female shih tzus in their dog dresses. I swapped the red and white dresses Flower and Dottie wore when Deb took their pictures, but left Candy in the one with candy canes and ornaments. I thought we had a couple of hours to take some pictures with their new collars and dog tags and stockings, and to just spend some time with the shih tzus, but my stepdaughter called to say they wanted to come over early. We ended up hurrying to get pictures done and the living room cleaned up. We did get some cute pictures of the dogs with their Christmas stockings.

To add to the chaos, Flower must have been nervous because at some point, she relieved herself on the couch. She did it on a very furry throw, and it puddled on it. I was surprised but happy that it hadn’t reached the couch, but it did when I tried to move it. I threw the throw and the cushion cover in the laundry, so when company started arriving, I had to grab a different throw and cover the foam cushion.

Christmas guests

a shih tzu and a rawhide candy cane. Candy always seems the most nervous around guests, so I took her upstairs and sat her near our closet before anyone arrived. When Candace and her family arrived, the other two female shih tzus ran to Shih Tzu Central. While we waited for the other family members to show up, we sat around the dining room table talking. Dottie and Flower eventually made their way across the room to the dining room corner where Candy’s dog bed is. They didn’t socialize with the guests, but I think they wanted to be near me. They stayed there the whole time we sat there talking.

I brought Candy back downstairs later and sat her in Shih Tzu Central. I am trying to get the shih tzus all used to people, so I picked up Flower, Candy and Dottie at different times and held them for a while as I talked to different people. Nigel is usually Mr. Sociable Shih Tzu, but he wasn’t as people friendly as normal. It could be that he is not feeling well. He was panting on the bed last night. He could have just been hot.

The female shih tzus got back to normal quickly after everyone left. I took some of the rawhide treats out of their stockings, like the lollipops and gingerbread men, and spread them around. They were all chewing on them and on the rawhide candy canes, so I guess they liked them.

 

 

Shih Tzu Day 135 (Nov. 11): Shih Tzu Shopping

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in search of the perfect shih tzu treat

two shih tzus scuffling. People don’t seem to agree on rawhide and dogs. Petsmart has a whole aisle devoted to rawhide, but I know a lot of people don’t think rawhide is good for dogs. I don’t know enough about it, but I am trying new things to avoid giving them rawhide all the time. Today I bought a product called DreamBones made with dried chicken breasts and a bunch of other ingredients that might or might not be bad for them. I bought them once before, but I didn’t remember if the shih tzus liked them. Dottie and Flower liked them. I think Nigel took Candy’s.

a <em/><em>shih tzu</em> at a door.I have also been on a search for the best bully stick brand. The female shih tzus didn’t like the Cadet bully sticks I got from Costco, although I think Nigel will eat anything. They were too big anyway. They were meant for larger dogs, so John had to saw them into three pieces. I got a small package from Walmart to try again, because the girls liked them the last time I bought them. I have a feeling that in a taste test the Walmart one would win, which is too bad, since the big bag at Costco is more economical.

the shih tzu couch defiler

While I was out, Flower peed on the couch. At least I assume it was Flower. It was John’s side of the couch this time. I pulled the cushion off and soaked the spot with cleaner and the marking spray. While it was on the ground, Nigel decided it was his new dog bed and climbed up on it to chew on a bully stick.

Nigel does need a better dog bed. I guess the one from Ross doesn’t have enough stuffing. Maybe that is why he drags it around. He might be just driving to rearrange its innards. I did buy him another one from Ross to try.

shih tzu holiday clothes

two shih tzus sitting together. I also bought Nigel a grinch outfit, a red dog jacket and a red and white sweater. I bought the girls a black and pink checked dress with velcro on the neck and tummy from TJ Maxx. I wanted to dress Dottie, Candy and Flower up at triples some time during the holiday, and I found these adorable little red and green dog dresses with candy canes and other Christmas decorations and fur at the bottom at Ross. I found the same print at Target, but with extra fur, so I bought it for one of them. The red and green dress was eight dollars at Walmart but five dollars at Ross, so that extra fur really adds to the price!

Shih Tzu Day 36: Dog Clothes Dress Up Day

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What are you looking at?

shih tzu dog clothes

Come quick, Mom! I think I found an error on your blog!I can’t help it. I saw Boo, the Facebook “public figure” with 1.5 million fans, and I really wanted to dress up Dottie, Candy and Flower. Granted, I knew they wouldn’t look like that adorable Pomeranian; after all, they still won’t let me get that close with scissors or clippers (I’m hoping that changes after our grooming class next week!), and it is very apparent from their scruffy, little faces.I think I forgot to water my flowers yesterday.

I had seen cheap dog clothes at Ross Dress For Less when I was looking for dog bowls, so I decided to look there first. Not only are they cheap, but they have very cute dog clothes. I bought a green dog dress and an orange one there. I also found a dog tutu decorated with skulls for Flower and designer dog clothes at PetSmart. I got Dottie a Martha Stewart dog dress.I'm glad I got to wear the Martha Stewart dress, and not the tutu!

I waited until a little before John got home from work to try to get the dog clothes on the shih tzus, since I didn’t intend for them to wear them very long. Dottie sat there passively and let me put her dog dress on her. Candy didn’t run when I approached her, and dressing her was effortless as well. Flower attempted halfheartedly to escape me, but even she submitted pretty easily to letting me put the dog clothes on her.

How come I'm in a tutu with skulls on it and Dottie is in a pretty pink dress?After they were in their dog clothes, I took them outside and gave them their apple and chicken treats. Surprisingly, the shih tzus didn’t seem to care that they were wearing dog clothes. The change might have even improved Flower’s temperament. She seemed much more mellow when John got home from work.

Oh well. At least I got a treat!Yes, we know we're not supposed to get our clothes dirty. We'll just sit here.John got a big kick out of seeing them in their dog clothes. He thought Dottie looked the cutest, in her old-fashioned pink dress. He decided that Flower really did look good in black, although she wasn’t rocking the frilly part of the tutu. I wasn’t either, but I loved the black cotton part with the tiny skulls. Candy looked very sweet.

When we went outside for their evening treat, they wandered around the porch and garden, oblivious to the fact that they were wearing dog dresses.

Getting them out of their clothes, again, surprisingly, was easy, once I chased Wild Flower and Candy down. I’m not used to it, and I did have to be extra careful trying to get dog clothing off of legs and paws and over their heads. In all, it was much easier than I expected. I’m sure they didn’t consider it a fantastic time, but they didn’t seem to mind it either, and I sure enjoyed it! After cleaning up urine-stained carpets, seeing my little girls in their dog dresses was a pleasant way to end the day. I can’t wait to see how different they look next week after I learn how to properly groom them!