Tag Archives: treats

Shih Tzu Day 23: Alone With Shiloh

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strange people invade the Shih tzus’ home

My niece, Nikki, and her friend, Clarke, arrived at 8 a.m. this morning, for their three-day weekend visit. Shiloh made instant friends when he ran to the door to greet them with his tail wagging. The girls stayed in their safe zone. Since they had driven all night, our visitors wanted to take a nap before lunch. Mom arrived at about 10. We decided to take Shiloh to PetSmart, so I wouldn’t have to kennel him before we left. He did very well, except he did decide he needed to lift his leg and anoint a crate. We did crate Shiloh for lunch and later, when we decided to take a long drive to the Castle Rock Outlet Mall, since I don’t know if I can trust him to not fight with Flower (or trust Flower to not fight with him). While Nikki and Clarke shopped, I went to Petsense. Delores had told me they had better prices than PetSmart and Petco.  I didn’t get the impression that dog food and treats and dog toys were that much cheaper, but I still have to check my receipts against what I bought. They do offer a ten percent discount to people who adopt pets from the rescues they work with, such as BFF Rescue. While I was there, I had a nice conversation with a woman who also has a shih tzu, and her daughter. They told me they buy stuffed animals from dollar stores for the shih tzu and that she loves to play with empty water bottles. They also pointed out Skinneeez, “stuffless” animals in the store, and said the shih tzu loved hers, although she had successfully torn it apart. I decided to get an ostrich and see if one of them would play with it. When we got home, I set down the ostrich to see which dog would get it. Candy got there first, and dragged it back to their corner. The Pork Chomps treat I bought at Petsense wasn’t a hit. They seemed hard to me, and I don’t know if that’s the way they are supposed to be or if they were just old. (I don’t know why I keep searching for the ultimate treat. They’re fine if I just give them Milo’s Kitchen chicken jerky or Waggin’ Train chicken jerky or chicken and apples, as well as some of the other treats I’ve brought home to them.

Shih Tzu Day 20: Treats and Chew Things

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The Shih Tzus Survey New Treats and Chew Things

Flower gives Mom a high five Flower and Dottie greeted me upstairs this morning, and Candy joined them at the bottom. Candy started to do the tribal dance for John this morning, but Flower intervened by barking and running around and acting spastic. I might be teaching them very bad manners by participating in their ritual, but I just love those little, playful bites on my hand, and I love to watch them jumping and flying around like maniacs — especially since they are so reserved most of the rest of the day.

When I went downstairs, someone had pooped on the pad for me, and Flower peed outside after eating. One less of each for the carpet!

Mini Taste Test

Now that we're up here, what do we do?I have tried feeding the girls “healthy” foods that people say dogs usually like, such as apples and carrots, but these girls haven’t shown an interest yet. They want their apples wrapped in chicken, as in Waggin’ Train Apple and Chicken Wraps. Maybe after they get used to that taste, they’ll realize real apples taste good.

Say Uncle and I'll let you up.Dottie and Flower turned their noses up at the Milk Bone I offered them, but Flower seems to be capable of eating anything. They all also liked the Waggin’ Train Chicken Wrapped Yams. I liked the fact that the only had five ingredients, with the first two being yams and chicken breasts.

In my mini taste test, the girls also sampled cheese flavored Pup Corn. Dottie wouldn’t touch her piece, probably, again, because of her teeth, although Flower ate it, and then, later, attempted to open the Pup Corn container and treat herself. Candy wouldn’t take it at first, but then she figured out how to break it apart, and chewed her piece after that.

Being cute all the time makes me tired. Orange dog too!What Flower always goes back to is the remnants of the first pepperoni flavored Pork Chomps they brought with them from Barbara’s. The bag is long gone.Treats don’t last long when you have three shih tzus. One thing that gives me a shock whenever I go look for treats is the price!

 What to Chew

Mom, Candy took the orange dog and I wanted to sleep with it!!I come home usually with something I didn’t need to buy. For instance, Flower found a small, round container of floss and eagerly began chewing on it. I assume that’s bad for her, so I took it away. I also took away the bottle cap, thinking she might swallow it. I invested in a chicken flavored nylon bone, which none of them had any interest in. I also brought home a Tire Biter Mini PawTracks tire, that I knew at least John would like! Again, no interest (except John did like it). I need to research household items that won’t hurt them that they will have hours of fun with.

Shih Tzu Day 19: Sleepy, Shabby and Psycho Shih Tzus

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 Shabby but Happy Shih Tzus

Being a big sister tires me out sometimes.I look at these shih thus every day and thing that they are a little shabby and need some grooming. John thinks they desperately need a bath. I know, it’s odd, but I don’t really notice that “dirty dog” smell. But, I will soon try to give at least Dottie a bath, to begin with. I have this dream of succeeding in making one of them look like a “real shih tzu,” with the hair down to the ground, but I don’t know if that will ever happen.

Fluffy Puppy Moments

The girls were sleepy heads earlier, but now Flower is raring to go. She has a new habit of running off with my socks. At the present, I think she has four in the pen.

Mom, do you want to see me do a back flip?I commented earlier in the blog that I thought wistfully of “fluffy puppy” moments that come with getting a dog shortly after it is born. However, we have lots of playful moments. They are so excited to see me every morning and when I come home. I do wish that they would want to come up and sit beside me or on my lap, though — for company, and not because they just want a treat.

Speaking of treats …

That Man says I look like a lion. Do I? Grrr.I continue my search for the ultimate dog treat. This time, I handed out Bil-Jac PB Nanas (peanut butter and banana treats). I thought Dottie would like it, since she can’t seem to eat hard treats well, but she sniffed and walked away. Candy did too. But I can count on Flower to give a paws up to most of the treats. She ate hers and theirs. Since Flower and Dottie didn’t want the Bil-Jac treat, I gave them all each of the Waggin’ Train Cowboy Steaks. They will always eat those.

The Safe Zone

I have to hurry! I think I heard Mom open a treat bag.I’m not sure why, but Dottie hasn’t come over to the couch to visit me today. Candy is spending a lot of time at the other end of the play yard, away from her sisters, on the floor, instead of a dog bed.

I shouldn’t really keep calling their area a play yard or pen. We have only been using two sections of it, so it’s more like a fence with a wide open area for them to walk through. Somehow, although it’s only about a fourth of a pen, they still feel it is their “safe area.”

Flower is being a little bolder these days. She goes and sits near the front of the play area and stares at me.

Psycho Baby

Daddy called me psycho, so I planted poop for him to step him when he comes down!Candy and Dottie took hamburger from John when we were eating, but Flower wouldn’t. She’s holding out. Although she seldom growls at him anymore, she barks when he comes in the door. He says she’s protecting me. He also says she’s out of control. He playfully calls her a psycho “female dog.” I call her the psycho baby. I also call her “Maybelline lashes,” because of her dark, long lashes.

Candy Gets Closer

Candy does seem to be taking to John. She came up to him repeatedly while we were sitting on the porch after the sunset and let him pet her.

Shih Tzu Day 10: The Lawn Mower Monster

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John and I didn’t go to bed until after midnight. Since the shih tzus have been leaving “gifts” on the carpet for John to find, we formed the Superyard into a closed pen, instead of leaving it open. However, I didn’t go to the trouble of securing it shut.

When John got up this morning, at about 6, at least one of the shih tzus was running around out of the pen, thankfully, without leaving any reminders. If we really don’t want them to get out of the pen, we will have to try harder.

I knew I should go downstairs, but I slept for about thirty more minutes. When I came downstairs, the dancing began again, even though John was sitting nearby on the couch. They must be getting a little more comfortable.

I didn’t see any evidence that they had done number one or two, so we herded them outside. The exercise pen was still muddy, so we used the safety gate from Barbara’s to make a smaller pen on the porch. However, again, we didn’t secure the end, so Dottie went around it and down in the mud. The other two stayed on the porch.

I fed them their breakfast outside. After that, they stayed quietly in their pen for awhile. When John was upstairs, Dottie decided to wander around. We went to lunch and to get the girls some more cottage cheese. I couldn’t find any Pork Chomps, so I got them some treats that looked like chicken wings. I gave them  each one when we got back. Dottie didn’t eat hers, probably because of her missing front teeth, but Candy and Flower did.

Later, we took the girls outside again, although they never seem to do what we want them to do out there. John gets them outside quickly, as long as I block off their “tunnel” once they get through it, since Flower always wants to turn back. Once outside, they were okay until they heard John start up the riding lawn mower in the shed. They scattered and then all of them came back to sit by me. They let me pet them while they watched John intently, and Flower let me hold her for awhile without fidgeting.

Candy didn’t seem scared, but just inquisitive. Flower seemed nervous and Dottie shook like a leaf. I put Dottie on my lap for awhile. They stayed on the porch with me for about ten minutes.