Tag Archives: play dates

Shih Tzu Day 111: Candy and her Boy Dog

Posted on by
2

The trouble with boy dog friends

girl and boy dog friendsCandy and her boy dog friend have been frolicking again, inside and outside. I know she enjoys playing with Nigel, but there are times that she does not want his attention. I always know when that is the case, because she yips loudly and looks like she wants to bite his little boy dog face off. I have had several stern talks with him that when a lady says “no,” it’s not “maybe,” and he has to stop and not force her to play. If he learns that, she might like him better and go out on more dog play dates. Of course, it would also help if he stopped stealing her bones and the other girls’ dog treats. Then they might all like him better.

Nigel and the cable guy

I had to have Comcast send a cable guy out today because of trouble with my cable box. Nigel greeted him at the door with his tail wagging and was practically sitting on his lap when he sat down on the couch to do some programming. Not my girl shih tzus, of course. I was in the kitchen and heard a low growl. I asked him what happened, and he said, “I don’t know! All I did was make eye contact!” It was actually kind of funny. My girl dogs are definitely different than our boy dog.

I don’t really think it’s a case of girl dogs or boy dogs, however. It’s more likely because of their time at the puppy mill. From Nigel’s behavior, he probably had a good home at one point before ending up at a shelter, so he has a lot better social skills. He definitely wouldn’t make a very good guard dog!

A boy dog in Shih Tzu Central

a black and white shih tzu on a dog bed. After the cable guy left, I took Nigel for a walk to tire him out. I sure don’t have a lot of stamina since I stopped taking regular bike rides. Running up the hill beside him tired me out! When we came back, I had the back door open for the dogs and a bee came in. I was trying to figure out where it went and looked over at Shih Tzu Central; it was flying around near Nigel, and he was trying to bite it. I was thinking that he looked funny trying to bite at it, and then I realized something. He was “at Shih Tzu Central” trying to bite it. He was actually lounging on the blue dog bed.

Four shih tzusFlower and Candy didn’t seem to think anything about having a boy dog in one of their beds in their private corner, although Dottie seemed slightly put out. They all mainly just ignored him. Since that was the case, I thought I’d work on a little bit of togetherness and moved his bed in there as a test.

He lay in there for a while without any reaction from the girls. However, he didn’t stay very long and seemed lost without his dog bed being in the living room, so I moved it back out.

Dry training pad

The training pads I have down were dry all day. It’s possible that the girl shih tzus are learning how to hold it until they go outside. I didn’t find any evidence that they had gone anywhere else in the house. My fingers are crossed.

Shih Tzu Day 110: Dog Play and Dog Treats

Posted on by
4

Experimenting with dog treats again

a shih tzu near a dog bed.I experimented with dog treats again today. I still haven’t quite figured out which dog likes which dog treats. I threw several out on the floor, to see who would go for what. Flower and Nigel seem to be the most versatile as far as dog treats go. They all seem to like pig ears, and Nigel and Flower really like the bully sticks. It’s touch and go with the Greenbrier Kennel Club mini red and white rawhide bones, pressed rawhide bones and retriever rolls from the Dollar Tree. Sometimes these dog treats lie around for days, and then someone picks up one and begins to chew on it and all the other dogs want it. Then it’s back to bone wars.

a shih tzu pulling a sock off. Today, the other three grabbed a Beefeaters pig ear strip, but Candy chose a red and white rawhide bone. Dottie usually likes the rawhide bones too. Nigel doesn’t seem to discriminate between dog treats. He likes anything, and is expert at unraveling the Oinkies pig skin twists, but something has to be eliminated from his diet, because he has been stinking up a storm. My guess is the rawhide dog treats, which I have debated giving the dogs, because I have heard such mixed opinions about rawhide.

Overall, at the top of the dog treats list is a good-old fashioned, real dog bones from the meat department with real marrow in the middle. I bought some this week. Five minutes after I passed them out, Flower had collected three in her bed, so I had to confiscate two and redistribute. They are a little pricey where I found them, at five dollars for five small bone pieces. Not bad if you have one dog, but giving them to four dogs makes a difference!

A different life

a dog stretched out on a couch.I was thinking today how different life is from a year ago, when I edited or wrote alone in my quiet house, sometimes with the TV on in the background. Now, it’s normal to have to pet a dog on each side between making editorial corrections. I also used to worry about forgetting to take my eyes off the computer screen for long lengths of time.

a shih tzu chasing another shih tzu.Jumping up dozens of times a day to open the door when Nigel scratches at it, to either come in or go out, changes that. Plus, watching the shih tzus when they start playing also gives my eyes the opportunity to rest from the computer. Definitely, I laugh and smile more than I used to, because how can you help it with so much cuteness around?

My couch gets more and more use these days. While I worked on my laptop this afternoon, Nigel rested on one side of me and Dottie and Flower on the other. Dottie seems to be getting used to the fact that she can’t always have the very end of the couch. She didn’t growl today when Flower sat there. Flower stayed on the couch for some time. Their body language is so different. Dottie lies down, her head down, Nigel cuddles up right next to me and Flower looks like she is always on guard.

Nigel still seems a little put off at times that he can’t always get them to play with him. He especially can’t understand that when I get up in the morning, they want to play with me. That is “our” time, from when I walk out the bathroom door until when I go into the kitchen and start putting their breakfast together. He lunges at Candy and then Flower, but they ignore him or yap at him. I always think of Rudolph not being a part of the “reindeer games.”

Since the girls were ignoring Nigel this morning, and I had gathered up all the dog treats, he decided to look for attention elsewhere. He sat at my feet and began pulling a sock off my foot. Sometimes I let him take them off, but sometimes I stop him. Today, I allowed him to pull one off before I retrieved it.

Candy and Goo Goo Doll

I was watching Candy trot across the floor today. With her fur longer, she reminds me a lot of the Persian cat we used to have, Goo Goo Doll. They could have been good friends.

two shih tzus on a couch.We got Goo Goo Doll, named after one of my favorite bands, at the same time we got our Yorkshire terrier, Joey. About a year later, we brought home a Rottweiler for my teenage stepson, who was living with us. Bo, who came from a farm, seemed like he got along with both Joey and Goo Goo Doll. However, our son kept him downstairs in the day when we were gone. One day, however, Bo got loose. Goo Goo Doll was dead when we got home. It broke my heart, and Bo went to a home without cats.

I think Goo Goo Doll even had the same type of temperament as Candy. After thinking about the similarities, I picked up Candy, hugged her and carried her around a while, and then I sat down and put her on my lap. She lay there for a while before she got restless.

I knew she had answered Nigel’s call to play a little later when I heard a rapid pitter patter of little paws and looked up to see her running by, Nigel behind her, with Candy’s tail in his mouth.

Flying Flower

two shih tzusI have a lot of nicknames for Flower, but John gave her a new one: Flying Flower. He calls her that because of the way she flies across the floor and leaps up on the couches, and because of the way she leaps and dances when I come down the stairs, when she is going to get breakfast and when I come home from somewhere. Sometimes she twirls around in the air in a complete circle before touching her feet to the ground again.

Shih Tzu Day 107: Puppy Play Date

Posted on by
Reply

Puppy play date for Candy and Nigel

female and male shih tzu playingThis morning after all the dogs had eaten and I had taken my place on the couch with my laptop, I heard something in the backyard that sounded like muffled scuffling or pounding. My first thought was that something or someone was about to break in or a storm had begun. I was very surprised to look outside and see Candy and Nigel engaged in a scuffle on the carpet we put on the porch. All that noise was just a puppy play date! I came back inside and sat down. A half hour later, Nigel and Candy’s play date was still .

a black and white shih tzu on the computer. I am very happy about that. I think their play date is a good sign. I think of Candy as the “loner,” because she always stays outside by herself when her sisters come inside. Maybe she was just waiting for a little male shih tzu to come along and “knock” her off her feet.

Got Gas?

a shih tzu waiting for a treat. I am going to have to study Nigel’s reactions to food. The female shih tzus have never had gas, but he has bouts of it every day. I guess it could be that he was on medication until a few days ago. However, it could be some of the treats he gets. Today I gave them each a small piece of bologna, and I did read afterwards that bologna could give dogs gas. I also gave them all an apple and chicken treat at one point . Or he could be reacting to the rice, hamburger and vegetables I have been giving them. None of the girls ever seem to get gas. I also read too that younger dogs sometimes have more sensitive systems. I will just have to try to monitor what seems to cause it. After all, Nigel might not get another play date if he smells!

a shih tzu getting a treat.That reminds me that I still have to try the organic dog food recipe Sadie Shih Tzu gave me, if I can remember to get all the yummy ingredients. Her recipe is a lot more interesting than what I have been giving them, including elk or bison; I don’t think I would do that often for four shih tzus with big appetites, but she also uses chicken, turkey or beef. Plus instead of the vegetables I use, she sometimes uses organic butternut squash or frozen sweet potatoes, which would give them a good variety. Add apples, blueberries and eggs and the girls would probably love it. (Note to self to pick up ingredients!)

Puppy play date aftereffects

shih tzus waiting for a treat.Candy did something unexpected today. She joined Flower in coming up and putting her paws on the couch, in front of me and Dottie. I’m not sure if they wanted to see me or Dottie, but since Dottie is the one that growls at them, I am assuming they visited me. I tried to get them to come up, but they walked away. I am just happy that Candy was that bold. Her puppy play date with Nigel might have nudged her towards being more social.

Later, Flower jumped up for some loving. We had a quick petting session. Dottie was sitting on the floor, waiting for her sister to get down. Flower sat with me for awhile, but she doesn’t seem to know how to relax on the couch like Dottie. I always think she is just waiting for something (like me to pet her) or keeping watch. She did lie down for a while though.

While Dottie and Flower played musical couch position, Nigel sat on the other side of me, where the girls never sit, chewing his rawhide bone and getting it gooey.

Couch privileges suspended

Flower got couch privileges on “her” couch taken away again this afternoon. I am not sure why she feels the need to pee on it from time to time. Luckily, I had a training pad under the red blanket just in case. I have no idea how to stop her from doing that or why she does it. I sprayed both cushions with a cleaner, even though it hadn’t gone through. I stood the cushions up on end and put a plastic gate in front of the couch.

She paced up and down in front of it later, glancing up at me, and then glancing back. I didn’t give in though. As a result, she got up on my couch more often later in the day.

Shih Tzu Day 100: One Hundred Days at Our Forever Home!

Posted on by
Reply

three shih tzus

Our forever home and looking back

The girls are celebrating their one-hundredth day at their forever home with us! I think we’ve come a long way. If I look back to the beginning and how they responded to me, after spending their life in a puppy mill, there has been vast improvement. They are also getting more used to John, especially Candy. The grooming has gotten easier. Potty training is going okay, but the lease walking still needs a lot of work. I can’t wait to see what the evaluation is after the shih tzus have been at their forever home for a year.

We left the dogs alone with various things to chew on for most of the morning, because John and I had errands to do. When I settled down to work this afternoon, Dottie came to the couch and waited until I picked her up, then sat beside me all afternoon, as usual. Nigel sat with us too.

Possible Play Date

two shih tzusLater, Nigel stayed outside with Candy for awhile. I was a little worried, since he is kind of rough and tumble, so I went to check on them. They were running around the yard together at a good speed. It looked like Candy might actually be having fun. I’m a little overprotective of her, but she wasn’t squeaking, yipping or yapping, so I went back inside.

Nigel continues to think that anything that the girls have belongs to him. When they aren’t at Shih Tzu Central, he goes and rounds up anything he can chew on that is lying around and takes it to his dog bed, or carries it to the door and if it is opens, runs outside and hides whatever he smuggled out. I haven’t yet come up with a way to prevent that from happening. I wish he’d start taking them things instead. Maybe then they would like him more.

Shih Tzu Day 84: Mommy, Come and Play!

Posted on by
Reply

shih tzu a.m.

two shih tzus on a couchI don’t usually eat cereal for breakfast, but I have had Frosted Mini Wheats the last few days. Flower always jumps up on the couch to see what I am eating and if she can talk me out of any. I know I should discourage this, but it’s tough. I gave her half of a mini wheat. She stayed on the couch with me for a while. I was busy updating our blog, but I realized that the shih tzus were waiting for some time with me, so I stopped and gave them some attention.

shih tzu afternoon

shih tzu on a blue and grey dog bedAfter the shih tzus had their early afternoon treat, Flower and Dottie came in with me, but, as usual, Candy, our independent shih tzu, stayed outside. She sat on the porch steps for awhile, and then went and sat by the trailer. I don’t know why she is such a loner. I’m glad she likes it outside though. I wish Dottie and Flower would stay out more, because they get so bored inside.

I had some leftover pasta for lunch. Dottie was already sitting by me, but the smell of food brought Flower running. I gave them a few small pieces, but Candy stayed in Shih Tzu Central. Flower sat on the couch with us for a while before jumping down to find something more excited to do, like lying on her dog bed staring at us.

shih tzu and she really wanted one. She asked me if there was a shih tzu rescue in Colorado. I told her about the Colorado Shih Tzu Maltese Rescue. I told her that their adoption fee is $300, but also told her about BFF Rescue and that they have a lower adoption fee: $175 versus $300.

I told her about Nigel and that BFF Rescue gets other shih tzus in from time to time. However, she is like I was at first. She wants a dog under a year who is housebroken, healthy and has no big issues. I told her that might be a little harder to do. I also told her that our girls were definitely problem children when we got them, but we had worked out some of the kinks.

Candy and the couch

Itwo shih tzus on a couchn my campaign to get Candy to be one of the couch dogs, I picked her up Candy and put her between John and me after we finished eating. She stayed there for probably 20 minutes and then jumped down. However, about five minutes later, she came towards the couch; I thought she looked like she was thinking about jumping, and I held my breath. Then, she jumped up! Except for the day when a noise scared her weeks ago, this is the first time she jumped up on the couch with us on it. She lay down between me and Dottie and stayed for probably another half hour. I don’t think Dottie knew what to do initially. She tried to sit on her when Candy first lay down, and then lay down next to her.