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Email Us!Care Instructions For Your Shih Tzu
CRATING
Your puppy is accustomed to sleeping and eating in its crate. It is
its "den", a safe, quiet place to relax. If you can, put the crate in
an out of the traffic spot. Playing a radio or nearby television should
help settle the puppy when it must be left alone (the intercom/television
plays all day in the dog room here - all the different stations, from
hard rock to country to easy listening/all sorts of programs from
Disney, to sitcoms, to QVC, to football games, to get the dogs used
to strange voices and sounds.) It also helps cover up odd noises that
might frighten the puppy). When the puppy is comfortable in the house
and knows where to go when it needs to go outside, it will probably be
very happy sleeping in someone's room/bed.
If you want the puppy in the crate - naptime, dinnertime, bedtime - and it makes a big fuss that doesn't end within a few minutes - drape a sheet or large towel over the crate to block the puppy's view of the world. Usually, this will settle it down. If this doesn't work, close the door to the room if you can. Do not respond by taking the puppy out. It is not afraid; it simply wants its way and it's trying to find out if it can get it. If it is really persistent, don't shout or bang on the crate. Open the door, use one hand to hold the puppy in place and with the other hand take hold of its beard to force it to look at you and very firmly tell it, "Quiet!" Then, close the door and walk away. The puppy will probably be quiet for a minute or two and then may start again. Give it a minute and then repeat the command. If you find that the puppy is driving you up the wall and you want to strangle it, put the puppy, in its crate, somewhere else for the time being.
We use water bottles attached to the crates for drinking but puppies adapt to water dishes easily. The only problem is that the water tends to drip off their moustaches and beards all over their chests and the floor.
YOUR PUPPY'S DAILY ROUTINE
When the puppy wakes up in the morning it must immediately be taken
outside to relieve itself. You can carry the puppy out, or tell it,
"Outside!" and have it follow you. Give it time to find the "right"
place and to empty its bladder and bowels. Praise it when it is done
and take it inside. This reinforces the idea that the outdoors is the
right place to get relief. Do not leave the puppy outside alone. It
may wander off and not find its way back or it may go into the street
or into a neighbor's yard where another animal may attack it. Even if
it is raining, the puppy should go outdoors - under a tree or a patio
roof, etc. - you take the umbrella. If it is really bad weather try
placing paper on the floor of the garage. We do not paper train the
puppies, but they seem to be attracted to things on the floor anyway.
Breakfast follows the trip outdoors, and then a one-hour playtime - supervised, of course. Usually, the combination of food and exercise tires the puppy and it will want to take a nap. Put it in its crate in a quiet place for a couple of hours. When it wakes up, or when it is convenient for you, take it outdoors again. It can then play safely in the house for several hours. As your puppy gets older, you can lead break it and take it for short walks which get longer as it matures.
Dinner here is usually around 6:00 PM, served in the crate, and followed by a nap until 8:00 PM. Then, another trip outdoors, followed by playtime and bedtime at 10:00 PM. When bedtime is announced - "Bedtime" - the puppies are encouraged to go into their crates themselves by giving each an Alpo Burger or a "cookie." They are usually eager to jump in once they learn the system.
HOUSEBREAKING
If you prefer to paper train the puppy rather than have it go outdoors, you may find the absorbent bedpads more efficient. These are made of a material that absorbs the urine immediately. That means no wet paw prints all over the floor that usually accompany urinating on newspaper. At first, you may have to use a whole sheet, but you should be able to cut them in half once the puppy becomes accustomed to it. Confine the puppy to a small area with the newspaper or pad until you are sure it uses only the paper. Start the puppy off in the place you will be able to keep the paper so that, once it gets used to it, it will always know where to go.
Be on the alert for actions signaling a need to go outdoors - circling, excitedly sniffing a small area, or beginning to squat. Even if the puppy has started to urinate, pick it up and take it outside or to the paper immediately. Don't wait for an "accident" and then punish the puppy - it can't locate and open the door itself and it will not remember where the paper is at first. And don't expect a very young child to be responsible for seeing that it goes outside when it needs to.
Do not allow the puppy to have the run of the house unless someone is watching it. It will take several weeks for it to become accustomed to its new home and learn where the door to the outside is. Also, even a "housebroken" puppy can have an accident if it gets too excited. We have found that the dogs are not completely reliable (they cannot be left unattended for many hours) until they are about eight to ten months old - but there are always exceptions.
GROOMING
Sometime during the day, the puppy needs to be brushed. When it is small, it will take only a few minutes, but these few minutes are training for when the hair gets longer and the puppy gets bigger and the grooming session takes 30-40 minutes. Grooming can be done while you are watching television, listening to music, or just relaxing after a stressful day. People who complain that they have to send their Shih Tzu to groomers because they are so hard to handle have neglected this training. Most puppies do not want to lie still but they can be taught. You will need a pin brush and a metal comb with a combination of close-set and wide-set teeth; later, you will want to add a soft slicker, which is used to loosen mats. You also need a supply of tiny rubber bands, which sometimes can be purchased from orthodontists. If you like, you can also invest in terrycloth ponytail holders or ribbons.
Wait until the puppy has used up some of its energy playing, then take it on your lap and gently brush its head and back. Holding it against your chest/ stomach brush its underbelly and the insides of its legs. Then, place the puppy stomach down on a table and brush its face hair into a topknot and band it. At first you will only be able to make a tiny topknot just above the nose, but eventually you will be able to broaden it so that it starts at the outside corners of the eyes and ends halfway up the forehead. Tiny rubberbands such as those used by orthodontists work best. This will only take a few minutes, but, done every day, will accustom the puppy to the brush and to your holding it in position. Eventually, you will want to teach the puppy to lie on its side, on the floor or on a table, as you brush it. This is the same procedure you would use to dry it with a hair dryer after a bath.
BATHS
Speaking of baths, you can wash your puppy as often as it needs it.
Sometimes, only the face will need washed, but when you do a full bath
use a dog shampoo or baby shampoo, get the face very clean, rinse well
and then rinse again, and follow up with a cream rinse. Then, dry the
puppy with a hair dryer while you brush the hair. A shortcut here would
be to use a combination shampoo/conditioner such as Pantene. Avoid flea shampoos since they contain harsh chemicals that are very drying to the skin and hair, which can lead to excessive scratching.
In between baths, if the face gets wet or looks dirty, or if little girls have stringy/smelly bottoms, you can use cornstarch and/or cornstarch baby powder to freshen them up. Cornstarch is very effective on the moustache - it absorbs moisture and whitens at the same time, just don't get it in the puppy's eyes. Cornstarch baby powder is very good for little girl's bottoms - it will dry the hair and mask the urine odor between baths. There are occasionally little boys who benefit from baby powder underneath, also. If you want to wash the face/bottom, you can also use a self-rinse shampoo. This is a dilute shampoo that can be sprayed or applied with a cotton ball or paper towel directly on the offensive area, worked into the hair, combed out and allowed to dry without using any water.
Frequent bathing is very important to a housedog. When a dog smells good and looks good you want to spend time with it and you enjoy having it in your home. A frequently brushed dog has fewer problems with fleas, saving you the expense of flea control products, and is healthier overall. And, that same fresh, shiny clean dog is one which you can be proud of owning.
MOUSTACHE CARE
It is especially important to comb the moustache away from the eyes
EVERY DAY. The puppies are accustomed to laying flat on a table and
having this done. Dust in the atmosphere combines with their tears to
produce sticky globs that collect in the inside corners of their eyes.
If this is not removed daily, it will harden and be difficult to remove.
It will also provide a place for bacteria to grow and an eye infection
may result. Eventually the hair will be long enough to tie up in a
topknot and the hair on the bridge of the nose will lie down as a
proper moustache should. If your puppy seems to be afraid of the comb
or shies away when you try to comb the moustache, try coming at the
face from the chin - if the puppy was trying to avoid something coming
at his eyes, this should solve the problem.
As mentioned earlier, cornstarch can be used to dry up and whiten moustaches. Some puppies' moustaches stain while they are teething but whiten up when all their teeth are in. Others have moustaches which always look stained. If you find that cornstarch is not sufficient or if your puppy has a chronically wet face that smells awful in between washing, my veterinarian has okayed the use of boric acid powder in the moustache area beneath the eyes. You would of course be very careful not to get the powder in their eyes. You can either take a pinch with your fingers or use a cosmetic brush and work the powder into the area on either side of the nose. Boric acid powder can also be combined with cornstarch so that you would be applying both at the same time. Boric acid powder works because it is antiseptic - it kills germs which produce the smell as well as the stain in the eye area. You will find boric acid powder in small bottles usually on the top shelf of the drug section in some grocery or drug stores. Keeping the ears clean is also important in keeping the moustache from staining. Bacteria in the ears can spread to the eyes and, through the tears, into the moustache hairs.
EYES
Shih Tzu are prone to eye ulcers which are frequently caused by hair getting into the eyes. These ulcers are very painful and can lead to blindness. They also necessitate a lot more care than just combing the hair away from the eyes. Do not allow your vet or your groomer to cut the hair between the eyes or on the bridge of the nose. Once this hair is cut it must be kept short on a regular basis -weekly, usually -or the hair will get in the eyes. It is much easier to let the hair get long and comb it away from the eyes. There are plenty of documented cases where the puppy moved when its hair was being clipped and its eye was jabbed with the scissors or of hair clippings lodging in the eye and causing an ulcer. Be on the lookout for redness in the eye, small white dots on the eye itself, constant blinking or rubbing; all of which could indicate a problem.
FINISHING - EARS, FEET/NAILS, ANUS
Besides brushing the coat and keeping the moustache in place, you also need to take care of the ears and the feet. Hair in the ear canal should be removed regularly. You can pull the hairs out with your fingers quite easily - especially if you use an ear powder - or you can have your vet remove the hair. This will help prevent yeast infections and ear mites in the ear canal.
The hair between the pads of the feet needs to be kept clipped short on a regular basis - if the puppy has a very thick coat, you may find it necessary to trim the feet every week. Also, trim the hair around the outside of the foot level with the ground. Nails need to be clipped at least twice a month - this way you only have to trim a little and you don't have to worry about hurting the puppy. Hold the puppy on your lap with his back against you. Clip off the "hook" of each nail and don't forget the dewclaw - usually only on the front paws. If you are worried about taking too much, just clip the tip of the nail - a little is better than none at all. You will find it much easier to clip nails if you have trimmed the hair on the feet first.
One last place to trim is around the anus, just beneath the tail. Trim the hair at least half an inch away from the opening and about an inch up the tail. Keeping this area clear of hair will mean a cleaner bottom if the puppy gets a runny stool from eating something it shouldn't.
If the puppy does develop diarrhea and its rear skirts are a disaster, you can of course wash him off under a faucet. DO NOT USE THE GARDEN HOSE! However, there is not always a sink where you would want to wash a dirty bottom. In this case, stand the puppy on a piece of newspaper and get out the baby powder. Sprinkle the dirty area liberally with the powder and, using a paper towel, rub the powder into the hair. Brush out the powder and repeat until the area is clean. This will not only remove the mess; it will also improve the odor. Then, just roll up the newspaper and trash it. If you watch what the puppy eats, you will not have to repeat this exercise often.
CHEWING
You will notice that your puppy uses its teeth when playing - seeming to bite everyone
and everything. Although it's cute in a puppy, this can become a bad habit - be sure there
are plenty of toys and chewing bones/pigs' ears around so that, when it starts to bite, you
can substitute one of them for the finger/chair rail, etc. Be especially certain to instruct
children of the importance of this since they usually find the puppy's chewing very funny while
it has tiny teeth but very scary when the teeth get larger.
FLEAS
Most Shih Tzu are very allergic to flea bites. If only one flea bites, they will scratch and bite and pull their hair out trying to get to it. And, fleas carry tapeworms, causing additional problems for your pet. Flea shampoos and powders and dips and pills do not work by themselves. You must keep the dog clean and brushed and you must treat your house with a spray containing PreCor. This product prevents fleas from growing up so that, even if a flea comes into the house and it lays millions of eggs, they will not mature. This will also protect you from flea bites. PreCor itself lasts a long time so you usually only have to spray twice a year except in areas where you scrub the floor (you only spray the perimeter of the room since that is where flea eggs settle). It is very safe (it is not a poison) and will not harm anyone; however, bear in mind that the flea insecticide it is mixed with is harmful. It is much better than poisonous sprays/powders/or dips on the dog! Many Shih Tzu owners find the newer flea control products such as those that are rubbed into the skin or those that are taken as pills to be useful on their dogs. However, be sure to discuss the different kinds with your vet and choose one which will not wash off every time you give your dog a bath.
TESTING
As with all dogs, whether they be purebred or not, Shih Tzu are subject to inherited diseases.
Some are evident at birth, but most turn up later. Though relatively few members of the
breed are afflicted, the most important ones to be on the alert for are eye problems,
kidney disease, and hip/knee problems. Regular visits to your vet should prevent your
being surprised by the onset of any of these conditions, but there are also tests you
can have done to avoid worrying.
EYES
For eyes, you will have to go to a canine opthamologist who will examine your dog's eyes with a slit lamp and microscopic glasses in order to tell you if there are any abnormalities present. If you want to go one step further, this veterinarian should be able to provide you with the form to have your dog registered with the Canine Eye Registry Foundation (CERF), which tracks eye diseases in dogs. They will send you a numbered certificate which must be renewed annually. Annual renewal of course means annual tests since some eye diseases do not show up until the dog is older. If your dog is clear, you can probably get a recheck every three or four years if your vet does not notice any problem. The registration with CERF is one contribution you can make to the good of the breed, since it helps us know how many dogs are clear of problems. (They do not publish the names of dogs that fail the test.)
KIDNEYS
Kidney problems beset all dogs with age. In Shih Tzu, the big problem is called kidney dysplasia. This means that the kidneys did not develop normally; therefore, they do not function normally. In most cases this problem shows up in puppies, and, depending upon its severity, results in early death. Testing dogs and finding they are clear of symptoms only means that they don't have the disease; they could have one or more of the genes which cause it. Since it takes two sets of genes to cause the disease, having one set usually means not having the disease. Checking your puppy is very easy; well, almost very easy. You need to withhold water the night before and in the morning collect a urine specimen. The way you do that is to follow the puppy around with a flat "dish" and hurriedly slip it under the appropriate place when it squats to urinate. It's rather comical, but it works. Place the specimen in a clean bottle or ziplock bag you have ready and take it to your vet for a "specific gravity test"; this test takes about a minute. What it measures is the kidney's ability to concentrate urine. (One of the first signs of kidney disease is diluted urine.) If there is any question about the results, this test should be repeated. In any event, you can repeat it as often as you like during the lifetime of your dog, maybe once a year when it gets its annual shots. If your dog ever fails its specific gravity test, repeat it. If it fails again, please contact me. There is also a cheek swab test to determine if the dog has a marker gene that has been identified as being present with the gene(s) that cause kidney dysplasia. This test is available from the University of Michigan group that if doing the research. The American Shih Tzu Club is funding research to discover which genes cause this specific kidney disease. All of my adult dogs have been tested for this marker gene at this time (2001).
HIPS/KNEES
Hip problems usually affect large breed dogs but they do occur in some Shih Tzu. Basically what happens is the socket in the hip where the femur fits in is not shaped correctly, allowing the femur to "slip" causing pain and lameness of varying degrees. This is the same cause of knee problems, which are more prevalent in toy breeds such as the Shih Tzu. The knee socket on the rear leg is too shallow to allow the tendons to keep the knee in place so the dog develops some amount of lameness. Dogs can be x-rayed at any age to look for this disease but are usually tested at two years of age for hip problems and one year for knee problems. The Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) pioneered testing for these and other inherited diseases in the seventies and has published findings that support the idea that as more testing is done, the fewer cases of hip dysplasia have occurred. This is true when testing is done by concerned breeders who do not breed stock that tests poorly. Anesthesia is required for these x-rays since the dog has to be completely relaxed. However, once this test is done it does not need to be repeated. You can have your dog registered with the OFA when it passes this test and provide breed fanciers with more data on the number of clear animals.
All this testing is not necessary for the health of your dog if it exhibits
no symptoms. It is a useful tool, however, in providing you peace of mind when your dog tests
clear or giving you advance notice of possible problems if it doesn't. Registering the results
with the appropriate agency is one of the few ways a pet owner can do something important for
the breed. Every dog that is tested, whether it is found clear or not, expands our knowledge
of the health of our breed. This contribution on your part will be appreciated by all.