A Chinese dog named Shih Tzu, legend has it, was a dog Buddha possessed. During his long journeys this little dog could turn into a fearsome lion to repel his enemies, or to let the master mount himself, when he was too tired to walk. It is hard to say whether it’s true or not, but what we know for sure is that these dogs are adorable – they are toy looking, they are pretty and they are funny to watch. And, as any other purebred dog, they demand special care so they lived a happy and healthy canine life.
Brush and Bath your Shih Tzu
You’ll need to bath the dog at least once a week. In order to prevent fur matting, comb or brush it on a daily basis. Because a Shih Tzu’s fur is more similar with human hair rather than with a common dog’s fur, it needs to be taken care of correspondingly, so that it didn’t turn into a knotted mess.
Trim and Groom the Dog
Hair of a Shih Tzu can grow unmanageably long. Unless you are showing your dog, consider short haircut and trim it every two or three weeks, but if you are regularly roll up and set sections of hair with curlpapers. Before curling the hair, rinse it with an oiled conditioner. It takes dozens of curlpapers and couple of hour to treat a Shih Tzu hair, but the result is worth the trouble – your Shih Tzu’s hair will be soft and velvety. Couple of times a month you should pay attention to the ears. Pull out hair from the inner ear cavities with fingers or forceps to avoid ear-related diseases.
Feed your Dog Properly
The first thing you need to know is that Shih Tzu is not supposed to eat lots of food, these dogs are not gluttons, so there is no need to panic if your Shih Tzu dog tends to eat less than other dogs of the same size. As for the nutrients, this particular breed especially needs organs like liver and heart, along with
- fish
- vegetables
- starches
- chicken
- lamb
Some specialists claim that pork is an absolute taboo for all dogs, since it may cause indigestion, diarrhea, vomiting and even death. Even though this theory has not yet been proved, you should better not take such risks. During the first six months of the dog’s life, feed him on a schedule about four times a day. After this period decrease this number to two times a day and start feeding the dog with dry food. A mature Shih Tzu is supposed to eat half a cup of dry food per day.
Potty Training
The main thing you should know about house training of Shih Tzu is that it differs in such aspect as punishment. The crux is that punishment doesn’t work on this breed, so there is no reason to rail. Only reinforcement will help you to make this dog do what you desire. In order to potty train a Shih Tzu dog, you should understand well your dog’s body language and be vigilant. If your dog
- licks his lips
- looks at you, glances away and then looks at you again
- sniffs the ground in a seemingly random way
- yawns very often
There may be signs of anxiety and an upcoming squat. If you notice one of them (and you should), immediately take the dog to a toileting area. If you always notice such behavior and act correspondingly, the dog will remember your reaction and his signals will be more vivid. Unlike old dogs, puppies urinate very often, about once an hour or half, so when in this age, you should be twice as attentive. After taking the dog onto his spot, wait until it starts urinating and then say a command word a few times. When it’s done, give the Shih Tzu a treat. He will remember this. Each time gradually say the command word earlier and earlier and start giving the treat alongside the command. Soon the dog will pee on the command. Since any dog wouldn’t like to toilet in a place he nests, provide your Shih Tzu with a comfortable nesting area, so he will be bothered with going somewhere else to pee.
What Can Cause Fail
Nevertheless, sometimes accidents do occur. When it happens, it is prerequisite to use a good odor eliminator to get rid of the urine smell, so the dog had no urge to return to the accidental pee point again and again. Don’t forget that his nose is stronger than yours and what you cannot smell, he can. Besides, the misbehavior can be a result of
- health problems
- illnesses
- hormones
- psychological issues
For solving these issues, you have to see a vet.
Conclusion
We hope that this little guide will be helpful for you and your picturesque dog. In conclusion you should memorize once and for all that among all necessary things for taking good care of a dog, love is the most important. No, this is not just a pompous cliché, a dog can really feel empathy; if he feels empathy, he feels more comfortable; if he feels more comfortable, any training can go without a hitch, the dog will cause much less trouble and bring about only pleasant moments for your family.
