I am getting a puppy!

doggielover · Member Joined: 13 Sep 2004 Posts: 29

Hello, I am new to this group, I have been reading previous posts to learn more about small dogs. I am getting a shih tzu, I am taking my deposit to the breeder next week and meeting with her dogs. She seems really nice. I am paying $800 cdn for the puppy but atleast it's from a good breeder. The pups parents are show dogs, even though I just want a dog for companionship, atleast i am getting good genes. I need advice from you guys as this is my first small dog, I don't have any other dogs.
-how are shih tzu's with kids, I don't have any kids right now but i plan on having kids in the next 3 to 4 years.
-are they okay to stay home for about 8 hours while i am at work, my parents are retired so they will be home with them.
-are they okay with elderly people?
-how often do you bathe your dog?
-do they really eat their own feces?
-which is better male or female?
-and please help me pick a name for a male and female.

what a long post, any answers will be appreciated, I have done tons of research on the breed I just want advice from dog owners. thanks! Your the best

gwen13 · Posted: Mon Sep 13, 2004 4:18 pm Post subject:

I have never owned a shih tzu but have had multiple dogs my entire life so I can help with some of the general questions. One thing I wanted to clear up, my dogs have never eaten their own poo Shocked

The only reason a puppy may do it would be curiosity maybe, but they usually grow out of it after a few weeks or months. An adult dog eating it's own feces isn't normal, the dog is usually looking for something to fill a nutrition deficiency, and he might think thats the only way he will get it. It can usually be solved with feeding them a healthy diet or adding supplements if necessary.

Dogs in general may become jealous of new additions such as kids or other dogs if they have been the only dog. Until those 3 or 4 years you decide to have kids make sure the new puppy knows he is not in charge, and that he will *not* always be the center of attention. I know it'll be so hard to resist, but it'll be a lot harder when he suddenly feels ignored or left out. Shih Tzus are very sweet dogs though so I'm sure as long as you don't let yours take over the house he/she will be great with kids. (The kids might not always be so great with her however, they would need to be taught to treat the pet gently, no pulling on it's tail, chasing it, etc.)

Eight hours is an awfully long time for a puppy to be home alone. A puppy should never be left more than 4 hours by itself, and as a young puppy they typically need to be taken out to go potty every hour if you want to enforce housebreaking. Will you be using pee pads and crate training or taking the dog outside? Either way do not give the puppy free roam of the house until she is fully trained, it will make it very hard to control.

Here are a few links to helpful articles on bringing home a new puppy and any dog problem you could possibly think of:

http://www.peteducation.com/index.cfm?cls=2

http://www.canismajor.com/dog/bring01.html

http://www.purinaone.com/dogcare_cond_atoz.asp
(I wouldn't feed my dogs Purina but their website is infact very helpful I'll have to admit)

doggielover · Member Joined: 13 Sep 2004 Posts: 29

thank you for the info gwen13, yes these websites are really good, i am still looking through them!

PooGirl13 · Senior Member Joined: 19 Mar 2004 Posts: 677

Welcome & congrats on your new puppy! Surprised

Well, I have 1/2 of a shih-tzu! Laughing

Seriously, I have 2 Shih-Poos (shih-tzu/toy poodle mix), they are females and littermates.

Here's a very helpful web site that I used when I was deciding on the perfect puppy for me!

http://www.dogbreedinfo.com

You will learn about the temperament of the shih-tzu which should answer many of your questions.

We got Molly and Emma on May 27th and have only bathed them twice... they just don't need it! For some reason, they don't get dirty.. hee hee! I have read that once per month should be just fine. You don't want to bathe them too frequently because it could irritate their skin (although some have done this w/o any issues, I would not).

As far as male/female. BOTH make wonderful pets (I can't speak from experience in regards to males but I know many people who have male dogs). I personally wanted two females. My girls are the best of friends, they groom each other, they are playful, smart, loving, affectionate and SUPER snuggly! They are major lap dogs!! Here's a link that talks about male/female pets: http://www.in-my-heart.com/malefemale.html

Many dogs do tend to eat their feces, although not all. Molly has never eaten her feces but Emma has a few times. We watch her very closely to keep her from doing this and I'm hopeful that this will pass... it should, based on what I've read.

Do you know when you will be getting your puppy? Just be sure that you really observe the parents, as that is the best indication you will have in regards to what your puppy will be like. The parents of our girls were very calm and friendly and NEVER barked once when we visited the breeder's home!! My girls are the same way and they also never bark!!

I am a first time dog owner myself, and I couldn't possibly love my girls any more than I do! They are my babies!! You will be amazed at how much of your heart your puppy steals Mr. Green

Good luck and please keep us posted!

doggielover · Member Joined: 13 Sep 2004 Posts: 29

thanks for the info poogirl, i am getting them in Jan when their 12 weeks old, they will be born in oct sometime. I am visiting the parents in about 2 weeks.

PooGirl13 · Senior Member Joined: 19 Mar 2004 Posts: 677

You are very welcome!!! By the way, how many are you getting? You said "them", so I'm thinking you are getting more than one (which certainly isn't a bad thing!)!!

MyBabyShihPoo · Posted: Mon Sep 13, 2004 7:57 pm Post subject: Re: I am getting a puppy!

doggielover · Member Joined: 13 Sep 2004 Posts: 29

sorry but i forgot to mention i am only getting one of the shih tzu pups for now just i have never had a small dog before and would enjoy time to bond with just one pup right now, however maybe in a year or so i plan to get another one.

MollysMom · Member Joined: 16 Aug 2004 Posts: 78 Location: Colorado

I have 1/2 a Shih Tzu also....the other half is Bichon.
My pup is 13 weeks old...loves EVERYONE!
She has never eaten her poo. She has a great temperament, you can stick your hand right in her food dish when she's eating, and she's like..."Oh, you want some? OK!"
She also "shares" her water with the cats.

Congrats!

doggielover · Member Joined: 13 Sep 2004 Posts: 29

Sorry i don't know why I said "them" for now I am only getting one but by the sounds of the forum members it seems as though pups are addicted everyone's got more than one! I hope to get more someday but this will be my first small pup so I am too inexperienced to have more than one!