puppy

[sandrajo]

I have bought my daughter a ***** shu (hope that's the right spelling), for her xmas, it will be 8 weeks old. Any advice on how to train it, and i hear they are very placid wee dogs is this true?

[{Dakota}]

I trained my dog from the day I got him (well, actually, the next day - I hugged and kissed him for the whole day I got him!) and I found that just being patient with him was the best method. I spent a couple of hours every evening teaching him to sit, lie, give me a paw and rewarding him with a little sweetie when he did what I asked of him worked wonders. The key is to be consitent and not change the rules each day.

Also, I took him to puppy training classes once per week as I wasn't sure how to training him properly on how to get him to walk to heel and come back to me when he was off the lead etc. To save you some expense I can tell you that the method the trainer used was to cook some liver and chop them into little pieces, we then had to place a little piece between our forefinger and thumb, and the dog would then follow purely because he would smell and want the liver. Eventually he would learn to walk to heel without the liver being there.

[CT]

I think it's Shih tzu, if i've managed to spell it correctly. Do you have a name for the puppy yet. Seems to be day for puppies. There was a report on the BBC news this morning with some black labrador pups and some older german shepherd's. awww, so cute. They were to be trained up as working dogs and they all seemed to be having fun.

[sandrajo]

CT- We have named her Teri, after my mum, it was a nick name she had in the army, didn't think her real name (beryl) would suit a dog. Thank for the spelling.

[maggie01]

Oh my favourite subject. I have two shih-tzus. What colour have you got? Got it in one, they are very placid but they are also very very stubborn. We took our older one to training classes but to be honest, it did nothing for her. Get her used to her collar and lead in the house for a few minutes letting the lead drag behind her (not one of the extendable leads). The most important thing it to teach her to come when called and you really won't have any trouble with that. When she comes as Dakota says, give her a small treat. Oh I am so jealous. I bet she is a bundle of fur. One other thing, you may get her to walk to heal but most that I know stop and start sniffing at everything in sight and they are usually a good few steps in front of their owners. Enjoy Her.

[HAnn521]

I'm sorry but a Shih tzu cannot be referred to as a "dog".

[maggie01]

HAnn I prefer to think of them as a pussycat in a dogs outer covering..............Whats your reason for not calling them a dog?

[CT]

Sort of remind me of my neighbours Lhasa Apso. If personailties are similar then the dog probably will be stubborn. Our neighbours dog (Muffin) loves to watch tv. She's fascinated by it.

[maggie01]

Lhaso's are very similar. I believe it's just their nose and jaw that are a bit more prominent. Temperament is very much the same.

[HAnn521]

Perhaps it would be a at least a little more attractive as a cat...but it certainly is not an attractive dog...

[maggie01]

HAnn Beauty is in the eye of the behold. If you think they are unatractive (I totally disagree). I can assure you they make up for it in their characters. They do not have one bad bone in their bodies. The most placid, loving affectionate dog I know. I know this can apply to a lot of dogs, but getting back to the original post sandrajo couldn't have chosen a nicer dog for her daughter. Just giving my two a big hug. They're beautiful!

[lankeela]

Did you hear about the man who went to a zoo, but there was only one animal there, a dog. It was a Shih Tzu.

[lankeela]

I think they are pretty little dogs, unless morons clip all their beautiful coats off, then they look like gremlins.

Please get your puppy used to being groomed early on, so you wont have to cut off all its coat if it gets matted.

Thats the beauty of having a hairy little dog. Keep it hairy!

[sandrajo]

Thanks for all your kind comments, i'm sure i've made the right choice. Maggie1, she is a sort of light beige colour, adorable.

[gessoo]

HAnn. Every breed of dog is attractive in its own way. I do think your postings are quite unnecessary on this thread when someone is asking for advice. How would you feel if someone called your dog unattractive (She is beautiful by the way) because they didn't like corgis?

Sorry for the rant. Please don't take ofence.

[maggie01]

Hi HAnn, we used to have a corgi as well. The're gorgeous too. See I love em all!

[drgnrdr]

Use the positive reinforcement approach for the puppy, get to a class as soon as you can. Puppies start with a clean slate, you can mold them into the dog you want them to be. Socialize them as much as possible. Look for a class that requires: At least 2 sets of puppy shots before anyone comes into the class, they allow dogs from 10-12 weeks old, they disinfect and sanitize their training area BEFORE every class, they don't allow prong or check chain collars, and they allow the use of treats. Watch a class before you sign up to see how they train and if you can see that people were learning and enjoying the class, if your comfortable with the trainer, if they do not let you watch, don't choose them.

Talk to others in the class (don't intterupt wait for after class lets out) and see what they say. I have trained many dogs, Shih tzus and Lhasa's among them, and the ones that were yippy yappy where the ones that the owners treated them like children and let them get away with too much, and had very little SOCIALIZATION with other dogs and people. You need to get them use to a 100 different things, people and dogs among it( not just your family and friends, and their puppy friendly animals, unless you know someone who has about 30-40 different breeds of dogs), before they turn 4 months old. 4 months is the period where they know fear and to get them use to things becomes more difficult, not impossible, just not as easy as if they were this young. More dogs die from behavior problems than they ever do from disease...at least here in the states. Good Luck...

[HAnn521]

Well...sorry if I offended any shih tzu lovers...didn't mean to be completely rude.. I would still care about a shih tzu, same as I would for any other dog...cause despite my bluntness and dog-favoritism, I promise, I am an all-around animal lover!

and thanks for your compliments about my corgi gesso and maggie!