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Shih Tzu Day 24: Mama’s Little Angel Devils

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Shih Tzu Confusion

John spent quite a bit of time in the garage, trying to figure out why the garage door would go down most of the way, and then go back up. Each time it went down and then back up, three little shih tzus would run out of their corner, dash halfway across the living room and halt, realizing that I was sitting on the couch. They associate the sound of the garage door opening and closing with me coming home, so the noise really played with their furry little heads.

When we left to go to the zoo with Nikki and Clarke, we put Shiloh in the kennel, to be on the safe side. After we got back, they left for date night downtown. I picked Candy up and set her down on the couch between John and me. She sat there patiently for a few minutes, before sauntering off the couch and going back to their corner. Then, for some reason, Dottie and Flower trotted out and greeted me, wagging their tails. They must have thought there was a treat waiting for them somewhere. It looks like we are getting beyond the stage of them staying as far away from John as possible. They might not greet him with dancing, like they do me, but they tolerate his presence better.

Shiloh, the TV Dog

Shiloh growls at the TVShiloh provided us with a little entertainment tonight. We had decided to watch “Bloodworth.” In the first few minutes, a dog begins barking at a mailman. Shiloh ran up, put his paws on the TV, growled and barked. When I rewound it to see what we had missed, he did the same thing.

The Shih Tzus Run to Mama for Protection

All three shih tzus on the couch at the same time for first timeWhen Nikki and Clarke got back from their date night, Shiloh mainly sat on the couch with them, enjoying his new friends. However, he was sitting on the floor with John for a while. Suddenly, we heard growling, like Shiloh had done earlier to Nikki and Clarke and to John.The growling turned to a strange howling when John swiftly turned the dog over on its back and held him down. He held up his hand and  showed us where Shiloh had bit him. Nikki and Clarke were shocked, so John explained that Shiloh was increasingly showing more signs of aggression and that putting him on his back showed Shiloh that he wasn’t the one dominating the situation.

When Shiloh began shrieking, three scared little shih tzus ran up to the couch and jumped for it, landing by Dottie and me. It was the first time all three of the girls had ever been on the couch with me. In fact, Candy has never jumped on the couch when I was on it. Flower does on rare occasions, although Dottie usually comes up to the couch several times in the day wanting me to pick her up. They sat there for probably ten minutes before Flower and Candy got back down.

In the meantime, John took Shiloh for a walk. When they came back, John sat down on the couch besides me and Shiloh jumped up and sat beside him. He was docile when he went upstairs with us to bed.

Shih Tzu Day 21: The Terrier Makes Himself at Home

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Shiloh, the Terrier: There’s a Strange Dog Following Me

Back to our Terrier guest, Shiloh. Once he had sniffed out his surroundings, he followed me all over the house. I hate to say this, but I wasn’t crazy about the idea of this dog following me everywhere. I admit it. Partially, I felt disloyal. After all, Dottie, Flower and Candy don’t yet feel that secure, so usually only Dottie follows me. Very quietly. Very slowly.

Having three shih tzus sitting in their safe zone in the corner all day, to emerge for brief periods of time, is much different than having an energized dog following you. I was getting a little nervous. I envisioned him needed lots of attention — more than I could give. My vision was he could pal around with John, since the shih tzus won’t.

Shiloh took it upon himself to take John’s seat on the couch and also to sit on Flower’s couch. Flower must not have wanted to fight him over it. She jumped on the couch next to me and Dottie.

Shiloh Enjoys a Brief Walk and Invades Our Bed

When John got home, Shiloh ran up to the door and greeted him enthusiastically, wagging her tail and putting her paws up on his leg. John was surprised. Although Joey, our Yorkie, was his darling, lately, he’s used to mainly having three sets of shih tzu eyes stare at him from afar when he comes in.

John took one look at him and said, “That’s not a Boston terrier.” Okay, this is an honest blog, so I have to tell you that John thought Shiloh was kind of peculiar looking. He determined that he might be a terrier/chihuahua mix. I guess I have to look at pictures on line to see what other dogs look like him.

John hasn’t walked a dog since months before elderly Joey died, so he considered putting the leash on him and taking him out. I told him that the doctor at Clear Creek Animal Hospital said he loved to walk.

Shiloh eagerly accepted the offer and followed him out the door. He said Shiloh did wonderful on his ten-minute walk and that it was obvious that he was used to someone taking him for walks.

Once they got back, the shih tzus mainly ignored him, except Flower. Unless you can keep a constant watch, it’s hard to see who is causing trouble, but a few times, I heard Flower growling at Shiloh and saw them circle each other, and a few times, leap towards each other, mouths open. I put myself in alert mode, hoping I didn’t have to pull them apart. They backed away. Maybe Flower was trying to size him up, or maybe to tell him that she was the pack leader, and he’d better not try to take that role.

Shiloh goes into his kennel easily, so he must be used to it. He crawled in there before bed, so I thought he would be fine, but then he started whining. As soon as I let him out, he ran upstairs and jumped onto the end of our bed. I gave in and decided I would let him stay there. After all, he probably hasn’t slept on a bed for a while. I do admit, though, that I didn’t like it. My girls don’t even sleep on the bed, so I really hated a “stranger” coming in and taking that position.