Shih Tzu Rescue

She has had Gizmo for 3 years, she rescued him from his previous owners who used to kick/beat and set him on fire!

He generally is a happy dog now, loves meeting people, has learnt a few commands which he does well, he just seems to have a problem when she tries to get him to lie down or to sit as he starts growling and showing his teeth, he has gone for her before as well.

I dont think its a question of dominance as he is quite a submissive dog otherwise. Does anybody have any ideas on what to do? Any tips/tricks etc.. gratefully accepted!

Thanks in advance!

He is obviously been tortured in the past, so it is very natural for him to get stressed out in certain situations. I also have a shih tzu who has had nothing but love all his life, and sometimes he can do the same thing.

For some reason smaller dogs can get quite moody and aggravate easily but if it is excessive, it needs to be addressed. Does he only do this when trying to get him to sit/lie? if so when he is already sitting/lying pat him slowly and gain his trust, he obviously doesn't have it in this situation. Once he becomes stressed stop training him immediately because if you continue trying he will associate the command with stress and the cycle will continue.

Unfortunately when dogs have been tormented, it can take a while for them to overcome it….. they have outstanding memory. Just be patient with him and only train him when he is relaxed.

Good luck, they are wonderful dogs

She has had Gizmo for 3 years, she rescued him from his previous owners who used to kick/beat and set him on fire!

He generally is a happy dog now, loves meeting people, has learnt a few commands which he does well, he just seems to have a problem when she tries to get him to lie down or to sit as he starts growling and showing his teeth, he has gone for her before as well.

I dont think its a question of dominance as he is quite a submissive dog otherwise. Does anybody have any ideas on what to do? Any tips/tricks etc.. gratefully accepted!

Thanks in advance!

He is obviously been tortured in the past, so it is very natural for him to get stressed out in certain situations. I also have a shih tzu who has had nothing but love all his life, and sometimes he can do the same thing.

For some reason smaller dogs can get quite moody and aggravate easily but if it is excessive, it needs to be addressed. Does he only do this when trying to get him to sit/lie? if so when he is already sitting/lying pat him slowly and gain his trust, he obviously doesn't have it in this situation. Once he becomes stressed stop training him immediately because if you continue trying he will associate the command with stress and the cycle will continue.

Unfortunately when dogs have been tormented, it can take a while for them to overcome it….. they have outstanding memory. Just be patient with him and only train him when he is relaxed.

Good luck, they are wonderful dogs

i rescued a little shih-tzu girl. she has an eye infection, where something or someone poked her in the eye and there is fluid build up in it. went to the vet. got some drops for her eye and getting a evaluation in a weeks time. she also has a hernia which will be operated on in 3 days. now she is on 1/4 cup of natural balance dry food and 1/4 of puppy dry food to put on weight on her as she is EXTREMELY skinny and has hardly any muscles. she also gets spoon full of can food in the evenings. she seems to be putting on weight well. slowly but that's expected.
but her pooh STIIIINKS!! like crazy! my rescued silky is on the same type of food but her's is nice and firm, non stinky etc. but the shih-tzu STINKS!! what can i feed her to make it smell less stinky! or what can i give her to make it smell better? as she is not toilet trained the whole house smells of her pooh right now!!
thanks!

Mix about 1/4 cup of rice with the daily food you give her. What may be causing this is the food she ate where she was living before coming with you. Since the rice has fiber, it will help her stomach get enough fiber and will also make poo less stinky.

I believe that it's the food that she ate, which could have had lots of fats and oil, or that the medicine has something that is causing this. It could be the puppy dry food you are giving her. Many times, puppy food has more fats than adult food due to the individual needs of puppies, such as gaining some weight, developing muscles, etc. Meanwhile, adult dog food won't be so saturated in fats because adult dogs aren't in growth and develop period.

You could mix some rice in her food, or change of puppy food to something that has less fats.

Other thing, is that you could try to tolerate the smell of her poo, and the smell will disappear when you take out the puppy dry food.

Even though it is puppy "dry" food, it will have lots of fats, and also the canned food. This fats are what are giving her some more weight and also some muscle.

I know that your other dog is on the same food, but many times, puppies' poop may stink, due to the fat.

The rice, if you decide to mix it with her food will absorb some of the fats, and therefore reduce smell.

i am looking for shih-tzus or lhasa apsos. preferably puppies boy or girl pure or mixed, however preferably small. i live in virginia, but am willing to travel out of state north and south. will adopt rescued or buy from breeder. any suggestions.

u should look in the classifieds in the newpaper.

Maltese, pug, shih-tzu, chihuahua, Pomeranian, other small fluffy little dogs. I want an indoor dog so I can't have a large dog and I think these would be cute, energetic, and fun to cuddle with. I have a tiny, I mean very tiny back yard. I would hate to even keep one of those dogs out there because of the little amount of space. If you could give me links to any of those rescue pages that would be awsome! Thanks.
Oh and I live in western-ish Washington.
Thanks

google the rescues and then you can see if they have dogs in your area at foster homes

i am looking for shih-tzus or lhasa apsos. preferably puppies boy or girl pure or mixed, however preferably small. i live in virginia, but am willing to travel out of state north and south. will adopt rescued or buy from breeder. any suggestions.

u should look in the classifieds in the newpaper.

i rescued a little shih-tzu girl. she has an eye infection, where something or someone poked her in the eye and there is fluid build up in it. went to the vet. got some drops for her eye and getting a evaluation in a weeks time. she also has a hernia which will be operated on in 3 days. now she is on 1/4 cup of natural balance dry food and 1/4 of puppy dry food to put on weight on her as she is EXTREMELY skinny and has hardly any muscles. she also gets spoon full of can food in the evenings. she seems to be putting on weight well. slowly but that's expected.
but her pooh STIIIINKS!! like crazy! my rescued silky is on the same type of food but her's is nice and firm, non stinky etc. but the shih-tzu STINKS!! what can i feed her to make it smell less stinky! or what can i give her to make it smell better? as she is not toilet trained the whole house smells of her pooh right now!!
thanks!

Mix about 1/4 cup of rice with the daily food you give her. What may be causing this is the food she ate where she was living before coming with you. Since the rice has fiber, it will help her stomach get enough fiber and will also make poo less stinky.

I believe that it's the food that she ate, which could have had lots of fats and oil, or that the medicine has something that is causing this. It could be the puppy dry food you are giving her. Many times, puppy food has more fats than adult food due to the individual needs of puppies, such as gaining some weight, developing muscles, etc. Meanwhile, adult dog food won't be so saturated in fats because adult dogs aren't in growth and develop period.

You could mix some rice in her food, or change of puppy food to something that has less fats.

Other thing, is that you could try to tolerate the smell of her poo, and the smell will disappear when you take out the puppy dry food.

Even though it is puppy "dry" food, it will have lots of fats, and also the canned food. This fats are what are giving her some more weight and also some muscle.

I know that your other dog is on the same food, but many times, puppies' poop may stink, due to the fat.

The rice, if you decide to mix it with her food will absorb some of the fats, and therefore reduce smell.

My father's female pit-bull shih-tzu cross, approx. 3yrs old, has recently begun biting my elderly father and his mother-in-law. The dog was rescued by my father's wife from an abusive owner. The dog had medical eye problems, now corrected by surgery. The dog is very strong, and cannot be walked by my father (the dog is not obedient). She is let to relieve herself in the garage (because she's too strong to be walked).

My feeling is that this dog is inappropriate for my father's family, and that the biting is a result of the dog not being exercised regularly and also not being properly trained. (Their former dog was good as gold with the trainer and unruly at home. Owners not well-trained either!) I also feel that the circumstances are cruel for the dog. My instinct is that they should get rid of this dog and choose a dog suitable for their situation (they need some help here too, previously having chosen a german shepherd-rottweiler cross).

Not good. When a dog firsts starts biting you need to get it into control immediately as the problem can continue to worsen, if the dog bites and gets away with it the dog will think that it is okay to bite! Also, seems like the dog needs to be walked and get some of it's energy out! The owners might need to be trained themselves! It seems that maybe the dog and the owners are not a very good match! Good luck with this one!

I have recently took in my 3rd Shih Tzu it was in a pet shop for 4 months and I rescued it from another Day of lonelyness. I took it home and started crate traing it but, It will only go to the bathroom in its crate. I take it out all the time to the same place I have tried everything and My other 2 dogs are not happy with the new addition. iN FACT 1 of them has started using the bathroom in the house. I have tried everything is the anything else I can do? How can I get them to get along? How can I get the Puppy to start going outside?

Feed the dog and take him out at the same times every day, and for the puppy do the potty breaks often. She/he is probably used to peeing where it lives from being in the kennel at the pet store for 4 months so it has to relearn where to pee. Give it time–it might take a lot of work but stick to a schedule. And put him in a smaller crate if the one you're using is too big. It should only be big enough for him to stand up in, and be able to turn around in–anything larger is too big.

my parents say i can get a dog.but it has to be small.i'm ten years old and i have been around these dogs.and if i like them should i get it from a breeder or a pound or a rescue?
HELP!!!
and i hade a dog but it died a month ago…
i have to pay for half of it and my parents pay for the other half a nd the shots

Any breed is good for some people, you must match up your lifestyle, finances and exercise needs with a dog. Long coated dogs need frequent grooming plus professional grooming so you must have enough money to pay for that as well as vet bills, food, etc. A good rescue will match the dog to the people, not just adopt them the closest dog. Plus a rescue has the dogs in real homes so knows their likes and dislikes and the cost is reasonable. Usually for $200-$300 you get a dog who is neutered, UTD, on heartworm and flea preventative and often microchipped. A reputable breeder sells their pet quality pups for up to $1,000 and the dog has shots and possibly a chip but not neutered which will cost another $150-$300 depending on the dog's sex and size.Petfinder.org has many dogs needing a good home.