Shih Tzu Day 43: Dog Grooming Class Finale

final day of dog grooming class

Dottie sat on my lap when I went to pick up Rema and Oriana for tonight’s dog grooming class. She didn’t seem very nervous. Candy probably wondered why I didn’t load Flower up in the back with her. I guess Flower did get her way, after all, since she didn’t have to go to dog grooming class with me.

The girls were enthralled with Lia’s Gentle Groomer shop, especially the fact that she had an indoor bird and chickens out back, including show chickens.

I'm not Flower, but she is my sister, and I can act like her!Lia started out the night’s dog grooming class session by clipping Dottie further, then using scissors for her face, pads of feet, paws and all over her body. I had a more difficult time with Candy, of course. I wasn’t firm enough, so Lia ended up doing a lot for me during dog grooming class. Whenever Candy would act up, she would address her firmly, and Candy would be submissive for a while. I actually think she liked Lia’s grooming techniques. First, she got some discipline, but Lia also played with her, showing me how to rub her face affectionately and how to praise her for being good. I did end up trimming her paws, her back and her ears.

Let's see. I think Flower flipped off the table over here...Rema was my dog grooming school videographer for a while, while Oriana talked to Lia’s husband about books and interests. Oriana took over later. When we finished the dog grooming course, I felt confident in many ways. One thing I am still uneasy about is getting the hair out between the pads of their feet. I am also not yet comfortable with clipping between their eyes, but I’ll work on it. John and I need to look at the videos a few times, and hopefully, we’ll do a good job working on them together.

I asked Rema to carry Dottie out to the car for me after the grooming class, so I wouldn’t have to come back and get Candy. She was reluctant, since DottAre we about done?ie has growled at her before. Lia showed her how Are we done with grooming for a while?to carry her, and Dottie refrained from growling. This time, I let Rema hold her on her lap. I took Rema and Ori to Dairy Queen for helping me. I put Dottie in the kennel with Candy while they ate their ice cream.

When we got home, Candy surprised me by being more sociable than usual. John was already home. He informed me that Flower had pooped on the stairs when he came in. I’m sure she was afraid because I wasn’t there. That’s probably the first time she was in the house with John without me there.

Shih Tzu Day 9: Dogs Gone Wild

John got up early this morning and went downstairs. He isn’t used to having to watch where his feet land, and took a few steps before realizing he was tracking poop.

Can you do this with your tongue?When I came downstairs, our shih tzu sisters were giddy with excitement. They danced around crazily, bumping against the side of their Superyard. They waited impatiently while I put together their breakfast: a mix of dry dog food, Natural Balance and a tablespoon of cottage cheese, which they love.

They stayed in their playpen until John left, as usual, and then one by one, started wandering around.

Barbara called after John left for work and said she could come over and do some grooming for Dottie. When she got here, I could tell that they remembered her. They didn’t growl or bark.

As far as the dog grooming went, Dottie surprised me. Joey, our Yorkie, trembled and shook whenever she had to get groomed. In fact, she trembled any tiYou think this Bird is Angry!me she got in the car. As a result, she only got in the car if she had to go to the veterinarian or the groomer, which reinforced her fear that something bad was going to happen to her. But Dottie sat there very calmly while Barbara trimmed her, with the clippers and scissors. She wasn’t so calm when it came to her face, but she was able to trim some of it. With her face trimmed, she reminds me even more of the faces of the Peace and Garcia Ty Beanie Babies I used to collect.

Flower surprised me even more. Although Flower likes me to pet her, she still bolts when I try to pick her up. This time, she tried to get away, but calmed down as soon as I picked her up and went to sit by Barbara. She handled the grooming almost as well as Dottie.

Candy was a different story. She struggled to get away once I picked her up and sat down on the floor by Barbara. Barbara was able to trim her more than she had been able to previously, but Candy fidgeted quite a bit. Barbara said she could tell the girls trusted me, or they wouldn’t have been as calm as they were.

After Barbara left, I realized how much the trim affected Candy. She went outside by herself and sat in the corner of the exercise pen near the house, where I couldn’t see her. It had been raiI told you clippers freak me out!ning, so she got lots of mud on her paws. Barbara had just cut the mud out of the pads of her feet and I didn’t want the new mud to harden, so I washed her paws in the sink and sat her back down.

She went and sat down outside the indoor pen, against the wall, so I knew she was still feeling threatened. I shouldn’t look at Milo’s chicken jerky as the cure for everything, but I gave her a piece. About 10 minutes later, she came around and got back in the pen with her sisters. I took the opportunity to take a group photo that included one of their Angry Birds dog toys.

I was concerned when it started thundering this afternoon, but the shih tzu sisters didn’t seem to notice it. I thought it might scare them. I guess if the noise comes from outside, it’s not a threat to them, even though Candy in particular is afraid of most things, including her shadow.

Men still terrify them. They didn’t growl or bark when John got home, but the three shih tzus ran for the backdoor when my stepson, Gabe, came over. In fact, Flower was so afraid that she ran into the kitchen and stood near my feet until I picked her up. That is the first time Flower wanted me to pick her up — she was that frightened.

I went outside with Flower, Dottie and Candy and stayed there for about 15 minutes. Flower sat quietly in my arms most of the time. Their fear, in particular towards men, makes me wonder what they went through at the puppy mill. It also could just be from other males they have been around, or maybe they are just more used to women. We will never know.

Things are a lot different than I thought they would be. When I first met these furry darlings, I thought Candy and I would bond the most, but she is the most aloof, and Flower seems to rely on me the most. She continues to nudge me to pet her if I pet either of the other dogs.