Tag Archives: Shih Tzu Week

Shih Tzu Week 36: March 1 (Day 247) — March 7 (Day 252)

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Shih Tzu Day 246: March 1 (Thursday)

Stop cleaning!

Flower lounging in a dog bed. I have been busy cleaning house. I’m not sure where I got the energy. I cleaned the living room, kitchen, and bathroom today. The female shih tzus don’t like it when I clean, for a few reasons. One, if I am cleaning, I am not sitting in my place on the couch, with my laptop before me. They really don’t seem to like change. Plus, when I am moving around and not sitting, they seem nervous. Sometimes Flower follows me around, but usually, they stay inside Shih Tzu Central and watch me. Then, when I do sit down, Nigel, Dottie, and Flower are immediately there. Nigel climbs up his stairs, Flower jumps up, and Dottie waits for me to help her up.

Shih Tzu Day 247: March 2 (Friday)

China Awareness

In the past, I wanted to praise some of the dog food and dog treat companies who produce our shih tzus’ favorite products. However, I have to back up and say it appears I have been wrong in praising some of the companies. One of my wonderful readers wrote and mentioned that she thought some of the treats I feed the dogs are on the list of treats from China to be wary of, since, according to the Food and Drug Administration, they are treats that may have caused kidney failure, liver disease or Fanconi syndrome, in dogs in the U.S. and Canada. Ironic for us, since the shih tzu originated in China!

From what I have read, including at Vitals.MSNBC.com, it is mainly chicken jerky pet treats — my dogs’ favorite treat — that appear to be causing illnesses in canines. Sorry to say, out of more than 600 complaints by pet owners and veterinarians, several point to brands  I have fed my shih tzus for months: Milo’s Kitchen (produced by Del Monte), Canyon Creek Ranch and Waggin’ Train (both produced by Nestle Purina PetCare). That is a huge disappointment, and I am embarrassed that I didn’t look into this earlier after a mention from another reader about some Costco products that come from China. Thank God, though, my shih tzus don’t seem to have fallen victim to what other dogs have.  I guess now I know why so many coupons are readily available for Milo’s Kitchen and Waggin’ Train!

FDA regulators do say that repeated tests have not shown an absolute tie to any brand or manufacturer. As a result, the FDA hasn’t recalled any specific products, so they remain on store shelves. FDA regulators have asked consumers to report problems, and supply jerky treat samples and medical records of dogs that may have become sick or died after eating these products.

So, what does someone do when their dogs just love those treats? I guess you look for products made in the U.S. Believe me, I have checked shelves at local big box stores, grocery stores, and pet supply stores, and that is almost impossible. So, I am on a search for treats I know are safe. If you have any suggestions, please let us know, and we’ll start reporting what we find.

Shih Tzu Day 248: March 3 (Saturday)

My stepson Gabe, his girlfriend Crystal and her daughter Avi stopped by. Nigel ran to greet them, and, as usual, the females went to Shih Tzu Central and waited for company to leave.

I started my search for U.S. chicken jerky treats. Well, it was not named by the FDA as a concern, but the Dogswell Breathies Chicken Breast with Mint & Parsley I just bought is made in China, as are the Cadet duck treats, but I haven’t seen anything about duck being an issue? Also, the dogs love the Canyon Creek Ranch Yam Good product, which is duck fillet wrapped yams, so I need to figure out if that is OK? Help, if anyone knows.

Shih Tzu Day 249: March 4 (Sunday)

Shih Tzu Bath Time

Nigel stands guard at the back door. My organization continues. I organized the kitchen drawers and refrigerator. Then, we tackled the challenge of giving half of the shih tzus baths. We chose Nigel and Flower. Flower had a little too much hair in her ears, so she had a hard time, but she was very brave. As usual, our little boy didn’t want his bath, so we had to fight him every step of the way.

Shih Tzu Day 250: March 5 (Mon.)

Dottie got her bath this morning. John and I started working out downstairs this morning to prepare for spring biking. Flower ran down like she normally does when I am down there, and then stopped and ran back upstairs when she saw that the Man was down there too. However, she couldn’t resist, and she was back five minutes later, sniffing around.

I spent a few hours trying to organize my pictures of the shih tzus. I have way too many files, since I was organizing them by day. Now, I have put them into weeks. I must have bored the dogs, because they all fell asleep.

Shih Tzu Day 251: March 6 (Tuesday)

Comfy Shih Tzus

John came downstairs this morning after getting ready for work, and Nigel and Flower calmly looked at him — from HIS place on the couch. Nigel went on chewing on his bone and Flower went on doing nothing. John finally sat down on the other couch after telling them they sure looked comfortable.

After John left, Candy came over wagging her head at me, and then the others gathered around. For some reason, the shih tzus think that John leaving the house means they get a treat. I usually accommodate them, but now I am trying to break them of the habit of coming up to me when he leaves, expectantly. Instead, I have been waiting until 11:30, and then I feed them small pieces of turkey.

So, instead of offering food, I petted Candy for a while this morning. A little later, Nigel mysteriously came up with a chew stick. He sat on the floor chewing away, while Candy sat next to him, just watching him. Flower, sitting on the non-Dottie side of the couch, leaned over and watched him too, as if his chewing was the most interesting thing in the world. I am not sure why his chewing was so fascinating to them.

When he was done, he climbed up his stairs and plopped down next to me, ready for his nap. He is such a baby boy. He couldn’t possibly get any closer to Mom. I remember when we first got him, and his behavior was sometimes very annoying. I admit, he does get a little too overbearing with the girls sometimes, but he is such a little lover and such a cutie.

Dry training pads

The female shih tzus stare at a broom as it nears them.I have been forgetting to say that I have only been throwing out the training pad once every day or so. For no apparent reason, however, Flower did pee on John’s side of the couch the other day. I think she was nervous, since I had been up and down cleaning a lot.

I did see some improvement in that area. John swept out Shih Tzu Central while they sat it it, and although they huddled together, the shih tzus didn’t look too freaked out about the broom coming so close to them.

Shih Tzu Day 252: March 7 (Wednes.)

Shih Tzu Pee Rug

In recent months, we kept a “pee” rug under the training pad, because of mis-positioning of shih tzu butts, resulting in wet hardwood flooring. It was washable, so I threw it in the washing machine every week or so. However, the unpleasant smell of urine always wafted up from the basement, and when I threw it in the dryer, that smell mixed with that of the rubber backing. I finally had a bright idea.

We have an anti-fatigue mat that doubles as a kitchen mat and a mat for dog grooming, because it cleans easily with a wipe of a wet rag. I bought one to put under the training pad, and threw away the tainted pee rug. It seems to be working good. Plus, one edge is straight, so I fold an edge of the pad under it, near the wall, and it keeps it in place a little better.

We still have some misses, so I just take a paper towel and wipe up the mess and the floor around it. It’s been working great, and no more pee smell, once I toss the used training pad.

Celery for shih tzus

I accidentally discovered that Nigel and Flower like celery. I dropped a piece of celery on the couch, and when I turned around, Nigel had it between his paws and was chomping away. Dottie and Candy, my particular shih tzus, wouldn’t try it, but Flower did. John was concerned, because he thought celery might be dangerous for dogs. I researched it and according to many cites, including Barf World, found that, indeed, dogs can eat celery! Good, since I need to find them healthy treats to replace Chinese chicken jerky treats!

Go away!

Candy's second home is under her trailer. Tish and the kids were ove for awhile. Evita and Dulcea cornered Candy and petted her, but I asked them to stop, since she didn’t look like she was having much fun. Dottie took a treat from Junior, and of course, Nigel would eat anything from anyone.

The dogs still don’t like when people come over, but they now get back to normal ten minutes after the door closes. In fact, shortly after they left, Flower and Nigel were play fighting next to me, and when I looked over, Flower was sitting on him. Such a cute little family.

Daddy’s home

When Dad comes home, Candy wags her butt, instead of just her tail. When he picks her up, she smells his face. I think she is starting to love Daddy.

Shih Tzu Week 35: Feb. 23 (Day 239) – Feb. 29 (Day 245)

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Shih Tzu Day: Feb. 23

scary wind

Wind frightened Candy so much she visited us on the couch.The wind was so strong last night that it blew part of our fence down again. The dogs huddled together in the corner. Later, with the wind still blowing and all of us on the couch, Candy came to the couch looking befuddled, so I picked her up. We were happy to have her join us, since that is a rare occasion.

When John got home, he had to rig up a temporary solution, since we couldn’t let the shih tzus outside with the fence down.

shih tzu sibling rivalry

The sibling rivalry continues between Dottie and Flower. Sometimes when Flower is sitting by me and Dottie wants up, Flower jumps right down. Today, when I was petting Flower, Dottie looked at me and jumped down and stayed down for quite a while. The problem is that Flower demands attention and Dottie normally doesn’t, so sometimes it’s easy to forget to pet her, since she isn’t growling for attention.

Shih Tzu Day: Feb. 24

Like My Dog

I was gone most of the day. I always look forward to coming home and seeing my shih tzu tribe. They are always so excited. It reminds me of the country western song, “Like my dog.”

Shih Tzu Day: Feb. 25 – 26

shih tzu kitty

Calm and lazy day for the dogs. Not much to report on. We have been getting a kick watching our shih tzu cat Candy pounce on things. When she is outside by herself, she often barks. I used to jump up and see if there was a problem, but any time we do, she is just jumping around on the porch, patting a toy around or chasing her tail. Such an independent little baby.

Shih Tzu Day: Feb. 27

shih tzu confusion

It’s becoming a common event for Flower to let John pet her. She seems very calm when he does. Dottie let him pet her too today. However, their confusion continues. He came down the stairs wearing a visor and glasses, and they went crazy sounding the alert about an intruder. He had to take off his hat and glasses to calm them down.

Sometimes I don’t understand why they get so confused at odd times. For instance, they line up in the same order every morning for breakfast: Flower, Dottie, and then Candy nearest the house. This morning, Candy went to Flower’s feed bowl, so Flower didn’t know where to go. I had to guide Candy back to her bowl.

shih tzu hiccups

I have been trying to figure out why Nigel hiccups sometimes. It happens probably once a week. I read that hiccuping is common especially up to 18 months. That reminds me that we really have no ideal how old Nigel is, although the vet thought he was about 18 months when we got him last fall. I guess if it starts happening more often I’ll take him to the vet, but for now, I’ll just keep assuming it’s normal.

Shih Tzu Day: Feb. 28

(Mr. Chewy Review)

Shih zu Day: Feb. 29

Flower is becoming more and more comfortable here every day. This morning, she jumped up and sat down very close to me, between Nigel and me. They left John a very small place to sit.

Shih Tzu Week 34: Feb. 16 (Day 232) – 22 (Day 238)

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Shih Tzu Day 233: Friday, Feb. 17

The chewing of Dentley's sticks is a familiar morning sound.The shih tzus are definitely looking shabby. Not that they care. It doesn’t seem to matter what we do with Flower’s face. It seems like two days after trimming the hair above her eyes, it’s falling down again — she looks like Dennis the Menace. After I gave the shih tzus their beloved Dentley’s wrapped rawhide sticks this morning, Flower jumped up on the Nigel side of the couch to wait for me to sit down. However, she dropped her stick, and it was a free for all, as Nigel raced to steal it and Flower to retrieve it. The chewing of the rawhide sticks is a familiar sound in the mornings. They are all chewing away now, except I think someone took Candy’s. One moment someone will be chewing away, and the next, a stick has mysteriously disappeared. Then, hours later, one of the shih tzus, usually Nigel, is chewing away. I think he steals them and hides them for later.

Shih Tzu Day 234: Saturday, Feb. 18

I realized this afternoon how nice it is to leave the house without putting the coach cushions up, and not have a wet spot when I get back. Flower seems to be cured of her need to relieve herself on the couch when I am gone — or when I am here. I think I could probably start putting the cushions down on the other couch, but I am so used to having her sit on my couch that I hate to lose her to the other one. One independent doggie (Candy) is enough. What Flower does now instead is chew on anything she can reach. Well, I take that back. I know some dogs chew on shoes, but she doesn’t. I was doing taxes this morning, and she grabbed an envelope I had on my laptop table and started chewing on it. She loves chewing on paper, and she loves chewing on plastic. At last! We got Nigel, Flower, and Dottie trimmed, although they still do need a bath. Candy isn’t looking too shabby, so we skipped her for today. What a productive day! Getting taxes done and trimming three shih tzus! And they were all so good. I am particularly happy that Flower and Nigel were so good on the table, since it took a long time to get all that fur off. I don’t think I will consider trying to grow their fur long again anytime in the near future.

Shih Tzu Day 235: Sunday, Feb. 19

Flower was sitting on the Nigel side this morning, and John sat down. At one point, she would have ran. This time, she moved closer to me, but she did let John pet her for several minutes. Poor Nigel doesn’t seem like he feels well. Every once in a while, he will yelp, but we can’t tell why. My guess is it could be his teeth, or maybe an ear problem. I realized we didn’t pull the hair out of their ears yesterday, so we need to check and see if that might be causing the problem.

Shih Tzu Day 236: Monday, Feb. 20

We pulled the hair out of Nigel’s ears, and he seems better today, although he did yelp a few times for no apparent reason. He has been very active today, although he mainly wants to be on one of our laps. Flower followed the lead of Nigel and Candy and ran right up to the door when John came home, but then caught herself, ran back by me, picked up a brown dog on the floor, threw it in the air, like Candy does, and then jumped on the couch next to me. Strange children we have. I guess she was excited, but wasn’t quite sure why. Of course, Dottie, our bump on a log, just sat on the couch. She doesn’t like to move much. I hope I can get her used to activity when it warms back up.

Shih Tzu Day 237: Tuesday, Feb. 21

Flower came to get loving from Dad twice this morning. She got about a foot and a half away and stared at him. Then, she let him touch her chin and pet her ears. It’s probably good that Mom is busy on the computer and Dottie is on one side and Nigel on the other. She has to reach out to the Man. He loves it, since he hated thinking they wanted him to move out. I imagine I’ve said that I think my little shih tzu tribe is adorable. They are all so different. We have begun calling Candy our shih tzu kitty, because she is aloof like many cats, and pounces like cats. Nigel can be so mischievous, and then he climbs his stairs and plops down as close to Mom as he can get, depending on where the laptop is. He can rarely squeeze into my lap when I am working, but he does often put his head on it and go to sleep. There are probably plenty of dogs who regret the invention of laptop computers. Thank goodness he gets Dad’s lap when he is home, and that the girls aren’t lap dogs and don’t fight him for it. Every once in a while, he’ll tip his head way back and look at John or me. He’ll just stare for several sections, and then lay his head back down. I would love to know what he is thinking. I think Flower would be by my side all the time, if big sister and little brother weren’t there. But, she does come to see me often. Just now, she put her paw on my arm, reached up and licked my lips and nose quickly, and then back away. Of course, John doesn’t encourage letting them lick my mouth, but it happens so rarely, that I think it’s adorable. I had to go to the store this afternoon, and Candy was outside, so I knew that would be a problem. We have never raised a hand to her, so her fear must still be a learned reaction to her puppy mill days. As usual, I opened the door to ask her to come in, and she ran and hid under the trailer. Since I put Angels Eyes on thinly sliced turkey for Dottie and Flower each day (for their tear stains), I thought I could lure her in with some. I held it out to her, and she tentatively came to the door, but wouldn’t come in. Finally, I just had to leave her out there, like I have had to do a few times. I told John we need to put her on a leash when we let her outside, so we can reel her in, like his sister does with their cat. It doesn’t help sometimes, because I get exasperated after unsuccessfully trying to lure her in, and sometimes my voice raises, which makes her retreat further. I just have to plan it better, where I let her outside only if I know I won’t need to leave. When I came home, Candy came in, but it was Dottie’s turn to act odd. She went outside and wouldn’t come back in, which is strange, since her couch is inside. I finally had to go out in the grass and get her. She cowered down, so I was able to pick her up. I hate when they act frightened. Sometimes, too, they seem a little confused. I heard chewing coming from Shih Tzu Central this afternoon, and I looked around to see what paper or plastic product Flower stole from me. I was surprised to see she was chewing on a Christmas cane shaped rawhide treat. I wonder where that has been hiding for the last two months.

Shih Tzu Week 33: Feb. 9 (Day 225) – 15 (Day 231)

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Shih Tzu Day 225: Thursday, Feb. 9

change of format

Anyone taking care of four dogs, working, and trying to make time for a family knows the feeling of always playing catch up! Because I have that problem, I am trying to figure out the best way to keep this journal up to date. For now, I think I am going to try to do one update  per week. We’ll see how that works out. It might seem kind of odd, because I am going from Thursday to Wednesday, but that’s because the shih tzu sisters first came to live with us on a Thursday.

closer shih tzu

Dottie used to sit at the end of the couch, facing forward, but now, she tends to sit at the end of the couch, but with her body facing towards me, so her head is right next to me. Her position means that Flower jumps on her half the way when she comes up, or else Flower comes up on the “male” side of the couch and then crosses over me.

Shih Tzu Day 226: Friday, Feb. 10

I had to spend some time in the spare room on the com­puter agan this morn­ing. Flower, Nigel, and Dot­tie fol­lowed me in there. I worked for about five min­utes before I smelled urine. When I turned around, there was a yel­low spot on the car­pet, but no shih tzu near it. I asked who did it, but, of course, no one answered.

I have to admit that my voice raised louder than it should have. Nigel doesn’t scare eas­ily, but he tore off out the door, and Dot­tie trot­ted off behind him. Flower just sat near the chair look­ing at me, like ‘Where are they going?” I don’t know if that meant she was inno­cent or guilty. When I went back in there later, I also found poop on the floor. I don’t think I missed it ear­lier, so I guess some­one just snuck back in.

I guess that car­pet is still too much of a temp­ta­tion, so I will have to put up the gate again when I am in the room. Partly, I think they are con­fused, because they aren’t used to me spend­ing much time any­where but with them in the liv­ing room, unless I am gone.

tem­po­rary lap shih tzu

Once I was back on the couch work­ing, Flower came to sit by me and started growl­ing at me. This time, instead of pet­ting her, which I know is what she wanted, I picked her up and sat her on my lap. I tried that once before, and she jumped right back off, but this time, she looked at me, star­tled, but then lay down on my lap and stayed there until about twenty min­utes later, when I had to get up. I would try to hold her more, but there isn’t much room  with a lap­top in front of me most of the time.

Shih Tzu Day 227: Saturday, Feb. 11

The shih tzus wanted me up at 5:30, but I didn’t budge until 6:20. I closed the gate when I went into the spare bedroom, but they looked so disappointed that I let Nigel and Flower in; however, I did turn position my chair so I could try to catch the culprit that likes to pee on the carpet. And  I put a box over the area that was being used as a training pad. No accidents.

Shih Tzu Day 228: Sunday, Feb. 12

Valentine’s Day

We weren’t home most of the day. John and I had some shopping to do, and then we went out for an early Valentine’s Day dinner, since John gets off so late during the week. They were all very excited when we did get home, especially when they got their treats. Flower particularly seemed irritated that we left them alone so much. She stayed in her corner most of the evening.

Shih Tzu Day 229: Monday, Feb. 13

SHIH TZU APARTMENT

I have started to call Candy’s corner in the dining room, hidden from my sight, her “apartment.” For the most part, she lays in her bed in her apartment much of the day, especially now that it is cold outside. Once in a while though, especially when she thinks it should be treat time, she leaves her apartment and wanders over to the couch. For some strange reason, that is usually right when John leaves for work.

This morning when she came over and put her paws on the couch, moving her head from side to side, she got Flower, on the floor, and Dottie, on the couch, excited. Flower and Candy were dancing around, and Dottie was wiggling around on the edge of the couch and slid off of it backwards. It was a very funny sight, but I am glad that she didn’t have far to fall.

When John leaves, it usually has been about three hours since they had breakfast. So, when Candy comes up, I get up and either give them a chicken-wrapped banana treat, since they are so small, or a small chicken-wrapped sweet potato treat. Then, they usually go and lay back down for a few more hours.

Nigel resting.Shortly after I gave them their treats, I heard Nigel and Candy fighting near her apartment. I imagine she dropper her treat and he followed his rule, which is if anything falls to the ground, it’s his. Although I didn’t see what happened, I gave Candy another treat. My guess is that she stays so thin because of all the times the other shih tzus steal from her.

I felt bad again this morning, because Candy was outside for about an hour before I realized it. I wish she would learn to “knock” to come in, like the other dogs. But she just sits or lies on the porch until someone remembers her.

Every time she trots by me, I think she needs a little pearl necklace. She is so dainty.

surprise lunch visitor

Flower lounges on her fluffy sister.John is delivering in this area today, so he came home for lunch. He started the shih tzus; Flower jumped off the arm onto Dottie. Then, she sat on top of her for the next 20 minutes, using her as a lounger. Dottie didn’t seem to mind it.

Shih Tzu Day 230: Monday, Feb. 14

Valentine’s Day

I got up this morning and made Valentine’s Day cookies for John. I haven’t made cookies for years. He told Leticia later that he was really surprised, because when he smelled the scent coming rom the kitchen, he thought I was baking for the shih tzus. I guess that means I had better bake for him more. And, I think I will look for a recipe for treats I can bake for the shih tzus, since I haven’t ever done that yet.

shih tzu tummy petting

Dottie let me sleep until 6:38, when she barked to remind me that their breakfast was late.

Flower has figured out that she likes being petted. Although Dottie and Flower continue to act leery of John, he continues to try to get closer to them. Today, he went up to Flower, who was lying on her back next to me, and he started talking to her before reaching out to pet her tummy. Before, she would jump up, but she has learned that she loves her tummy petted, so she didn’t move.

When John stopped petting her and walked away, she looked at me and growled. She wouldn’t stop until I started petting her.

Shih Tzu Day 231: Tuesday, Feb. 15

grooming needed

Every time I look at my babies, I think how badly they need grooming. Flower, especially, really looks like a wooly mammoth, except she doesn’t have tusks. I thought we might be able to make Nigel look like a traditional shih tzu, with long hair to the ground. However, the first issue is that his hair is very curly. It would hang to the floor if it wasn’t. That’s probably typical. I imagine there is some kind of product people use, plus, do people style shih tzu hair to make it straighter? I don’t think I am going to have the time it takes, so we’ll trim his fur shorter again, as soon as we can.

Flower has been sitting on Nigel and John’s side of the couch a lot, when John isn’t home. I think she would sit next to me, if Nigel hadn’t staked his claim. I picked her up today and sat her on my lap again for a while. She sat still for a while, and then wiggled free.