How to Keep Your Shih Tzu at a Healthy Weight

 

If you have a fat dog at home, you are not alone; more than half the pets in America are overweight or even obese, as per the Association for Pets Obesity Prevention (APOP). This can lead to a lot of health problems including heart disease, diabetes, various forms of cancer, and arthritis and can also reduce your dog’s life by many years. Veterinarians consider the excess weight as a preventable problem. When you take steps in time to keep your dog in ideal body weight, you can help them live healthy lives and keep away some preventable diseases in the future.

Since your Shih Tzu can’t feed or walk itself, it is your duty to manage how and what he/she eat and the level of exercise it gets each day. Here are some tips on how to keep your pet at a healthy weight:

1. Check Its Body Condition

Taking steps to help your dog maintain a healthy body condition contributes to it having a high-quality life. It is crucial that you start practicing these habits early in the life of the dog. If your dog is an adult, take a closer look at the shape, if you can feel the dog’s rib outline or see if he has a waist by observing from above or if the belly appears tucked when you view from the side, your dog most probably has an ideal body condition. However, if these three angles of observation don’t give you the above results, then you should visit a veterinarian first to rule out health problems. If your dog is at optimal health, your job will just be to maintain this through regular exercises and proper nutrition.

2. Visit Your Veterinarian

Since we are not all experts in canine health, it is prudent to regularly visit your vet who has a sound knowledge of your pet’s health history. Before making any changes to your dog’s life, for example, change of nutrition or increased exercise, you need to discuss it with your vet. There may be some underlying health issues causing the pet to gain or lose weight, and it’s your vet who is in a position to advise accordingly. They know the type of food to give your dog to recover its weight or to lose the excess pounds.

3. Watch It’s Diet

By sticking to a high-quality balanced diet, your dog can have a long and healthy life. As soon as you can, start the dog on proper nutrition to bring up to and maintain a healthy weight. If your Shih Tzu is a puppy there are puppy-specific formulas that provide the required nutrition to help bring its weight up at a steady rate.

Adult dogs need to eat the correct type and amount of food to help them stay at a healthy weight. An overweight dog should be fed a formula with a low-fat and low-calorie count so that it can lose the extra weight it is carrying. Look for dog food with labels like weight management or healthy weight.The packaging in most cases has guidance on how much to feed the dog depending on its breed and weight. You should regularly monitor the dog’s weight as you reduce the amount you feed him each meal until you reach the desired weight. If the pet continues to gain weight, the food should be adjusted again.

If you’re not sure how much food you should feed your dog, look at the labels on the food which will usually offer guidance on how much to feed your dog (this usually varies depending on its breed and weight). You should regularly monitor the dog’s weight as you reduce the amount you feed him each meal until you reach the desired weight. If the pet continues to its maintain weight or even gain weight, the food should be adjusted again. Your veterinarian should be able to advise you on this.

4. Exercise

The benefits of exercise for dog and humans are widely known. Other than discouraging destructive behavior in dogs when they are bored, exercise keeps the dog active and burns calories. The muscles are also worked regularly for a healthy body and cardiovascular system.

Talk to your vet before introducing a new exercise regime. The amount of training the dog should get must be closely monitored so that you don’t overwork it. Shih Tzus are well known not to tolerate too much exercise and they may overheat and have breathing problems if you over-tax them. Older dogs may not manage as much endurance as the younger ones.

An appropriate and enjoyable exercise routine should be introduced early in the life of your Shih Tzu. Try and stick to this routine, for example, a morning walk or evening jog depending on your lifestyle. Young dogs with lots of energy will probably enjoy a short jog, swim or chase balls or even playing at the dog park.

5. Give Plenty of Water

After meals or exercises, the dog will want to take some water. Ensure the water bowl is topped daily with fresh water. Encourage your dog to drink often and make sure you take him or her out regularly to use the bathroom as you don’t want to have accidents in your home.

All these plans and actions should be carried out under the advice of your vet. Making plans and changing diets without help may harm your dog or take you in circles without any meaningful change. Your local veterinarian knows how to keep your dog at a healthy weight and is the right person to lead you through it.

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Tick and Flea Prevention – The Best Strategy for Flea Prevention

When it comes to fleas and ticks on your pet Shih Tzu experts agree that natural flea & tick prevention should be the first line of defense. Ticks and fleas are an absolute menace for your treasured pet, and, when left untreated, a dog with fleas generally suffers from various skin irritating conditions, including dermatitis.

So, how do you know whether your pet has fleas? In this context, here are some most common telltale signs to consider:

1. Rough patches of dry skin
2. Sudden increase in biting & scratching
3. Flea Dirt on their skin
4. Flea eggs on their skin
5. Evidence of tick or flea bites
6. Dandruff

 

Prevention: If you suspect that your Shih Tzu is suffering from fleas and ticks you need to take the appropriate measures in order to help them to get rids of these pests as soon as possible to try and stop these irritants turning into potentially dreadful diseases.

Natural prevention can be as simple as thorough daily vacuuming of your floors and carpets. Make sure you use the bar-beater on your vacuum to loosen and pick up any eggs and flea cocoons. You should also vacuum your pet’s bedding regularly, since flea eggs may also reside in there. The key to using this method is to make sure you remove all of the vacuumed dirt and take it out and away from your house, otherwise all you’ve done is create a reservoir of a breeding ground for flea infection which can soon be released back into your home.

Although your veterinarian can provide you with prescription medicine to stop fleas and ticks, the most popular method of ticks and flea control most dog owners use are over-the-counter medications, such as Frontline, HeartGard, Capstar, etc. These medicinal products contain an active ingredient – an adult flea insecticide that efficiently helps your pet to get rid of dog fleas  (e.g. Frontline uses fipronil and (S)-methoprene and pyriproxyfen to make it relentless at killing fleas, flea eggs, and larvae, as well as ticks).

Different Stages of Flea Growth and Their Treatment: If you want to eliminate fleas – the dreadful parasite that drives your dog crazy with the incessant itching, then there are some key points to consider. And, the best way to treat the symptoms of fleas is to take adequate measures to eliminate fleas at all stages of their life cycle. Depending on the humidity levels and environmental temperature, a flea life cycle takes between a couple of weeks to several months.

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There are four distinctive stages of flea life cycle – flea eggs, larvae & pupae, and adult flea.

1. Flea Eggs: The lifecycle starts when the adult female flea lays her eggs. These eggs are tiny and may remain unnoticeable to the naked eye. These white tiny objects are laid on the pet’s fur in bunches 20 eggs or more. As your pet moves, these eggs will fall off and widely disburse throughout the entire environment where your pets spend their time, including the carpet of your home, the bedding in it’s kennel and so on. Depending on the environmental conditions, eggs can take between 2 weeks to 2 months to hatch.

2. Larvae: The next stage of the flea life cycle is when then they hatch from their eggs and turn into larvae. Flea larvae look like little white ping pong balls and they hate the light. This means that they try to bury themselves as deep down into your carpets and floorboard as possible in order to stay away from the light. During that time the larvae will feed as much as possible on organic dirt and adult flea droppings to survive If the environment conditions are quite favorable, these larvae will spin cocoons within 5 – 20 days and enter into the pupal stage of their life.

3. Pupae:  The flea pupae have a sticky outer coating which allows them to hide inside your carpeting. In addition, this sticky coating means that they can’t be easily removed by sweeping or light vacuuming. Flea pupae can remain inside their protective cocoon for long periods of time and will only emerge when there are signs that a potential host is present. Once this sign is triggered, an adult flea will emerge from the cocoon and take up residence on the host animal.

4. Adult Fleas: Once emerged from their cocoons, a flea needs a host to start feeding. Shortly after their first meal, the adult fleas will breed & start laying flea eggs (within a few days). An adult flea has a regular flat-bodied appearance & it is dark in color.

Once they feed, they’ll soon become larger in size & lighter in color. Next, they take a recognizable flea shape and they spend a majority of their time living on their host where they feed, breed, & lay eggs.

As previously mentioned, the best method of tick and flea control is prevention, but this can be difficult regardless of how meticulously clean you are in your home because your pet can still come in contact with other animals when you take them out for walks. A good start would be to keep your pets indoors as much as possible and have a good routine for visually inspecting deep inside their fur.

Don’t have any gaps when giving your Shih Tzu flea control medication. If you’re in any doubt as to what is the best tick and flea medication to give your pet then you should consult with your veterinarian who will offer you the best advice for your particular animal.

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10 Interesting Facts About Shih Tzus

No one can resist adorable Shih Tzu puppies! That is just a fact! Whether you just enjoy watching videos of them or actually own one, Shih Tzu’s cuteness and charm always win everyone’s hearts. They are great companions and lap dogs. If you are thinking of owning one, here are some useful facts that can help you understand their breed as a whole.

Physical Characteristics

Shih Tzus are energetic snugly little dogs with a round head, black nose and plentiful beard and mustache. The hair on top of their nose grows upward and gives them a chrysanthemum face, which is a distinctive look among Shih Tzu puppies. They have a wide and round set of eyes that can be either dark or light colored.

Shih Tzus are categorized as a brachycephalic breed, which means that their muzzles are short, flat and smooth. Their large pendant ears are covered in hair and often blend into their body. Their tail is set high and curls over their back. A thick and long double layered coat that comes in all colors covers their entire body. Their coat can grow past their feet. They don’t shed a lot, making them suitable for people with light fur allergies.

Their average weight and height are usually around 9-16 pounds and 8-11 inches, respectively. Their length is slightly longer than their height but they are overall physically proportional.

History

Several documents from the 16th-century show pictures of dogs who look similar to Shih Tzus. They are said to have originated from the Pekingese, Lhasa Apso, and Tibetan mountain dog. Chinese royals used to value them a lot and refused to give them away for years.

First breeding started in England in 1930 when several Shih Tzu puppies were imported from China. Soldiers during World War II were charmed by their breed and decided to bring some of them to the US. Britain recognized them in 1946 and American Kennel Club (AKC) recognized their breed in 1969.

Health

The average life span of a Shih Tzu is usually around 11-16 years. Like several purebred dogs, they can be prone to a lot of hereditary ailments. Eye problems like retinal atrophy and tear production are the most common issues among these dogs. This can either result to blindness and proptosis where their eyeballs bulge out of its sockets.

Shih Tzu puppies can be born with renal dysplasia and it can affect them more than other breeds. This usually results in kidney failure and death during their early life. A genetic test can be done during their early age to manage this condition.

Diet

Like other young dogs, Shih Tzu puppies need plenty of food to eat during their first few months. A high-quality dog food is needed to assure that they receive all the nutrients they need. Lean meats, vegetables, fish, and starches are some of the ingredients that are vital in their diet. This should be carefully checked for in their food labels.

Age and weight should also be checked to determine how much serving the puppy needs to eat. During the first six months, it is recommended to feed them four times a day then two times a day after that.

Grooming

Grooming Shih Tzus often requires a lot of time and effort. Daily brushing is necessary to ensure that their hair doesn’t end up tangled. Brushing up to the skin is needed to properly remove all mats and tangles that can irritate their skin and develop into a skin problem.

Shih Tzu puppies’ nails grow quickly and have to be clipped regularly. Hearing clicks when they walk is a good indication that it is time to clip their nails. Hairs grow from the puppy’s ears as soon as they are born so it is a must to remove them to prevent infections. Ear cleaning should also be done on top of hair removal.

Exercise

Exercise is necessary but no more than a stroll in the nearby park or around the neighborhood is required.  Physical activities can also be done indoors by playing games like fetching. Shih Tzus are more of a walking than a running dog. Despite this, they can still be good companions during bike rides as long as there is a basket for them to settle in.

Personality

Shih Tzu puppies are generally good-natured and affectionate. They are gentle with people so they must be guided by trust, tolerance, and kindness. They can be a playful and lively companion too. They love to delight everyone with their charms and cheerful attitude.

Training

Housebreaking Shih Tzu puppies can be a pretty tricky job. Lots of patience and consistency are necessary. Starting the training immediately is recommended so the puppies can catch on fast. Since they have a small bladder, you need to take them outside more often. Creating a consistent schedule is necessary. Shih Tzus are naturally affectionate dogs so giving them rewards and treats can make training sessions more fun and enjoyable.

Care

It is important to remember that Shih Tzu puppies are fragile. especially the area around their neck. Collapsed trachea is a condition that affects several small breed dogs like Shih Tzu. Not putting too much strain on their neck can prevent this condition. Tight leashes and collars can highly contribute to this so it’s better to use harnesses instead. The harness allows the pressure to be distributed over the puppy’s chest and back so when it’s taken out for a walk, injuries can be prevented.

Check-Ups

It is important to go the veterinarian for regular checkups. Veterinary care should start the moment the puppy is born. A checkup is a routine visit to the vet where they check over the puppy. You can ask questions regarding the best diet for him, exercise and other specific matter.

Shih Tzu puppies should visit the vet once a month until they’re four months of age. It is necessary to keep them updated on their physical development and vaccinations. They are also checked for illnesses like distemper and parvovirus through blood tests.

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How To Make Your Shih Tzu Pup Walk Nicely Alongside you

One of the toughest things I found when I got my Shih Tzu puppy was the walks I would ‘try’ to take him. Shih Tzus are renowned to be very stubborn and everyone I know that has one says the same thing… ”he/she just doesn’t want to walk!”.

With my little one, he would walk a few steps, sniff around and then just lay down in the middle of the path or grass. No amount of gentle tugging or coaxing would get him to move. In fact, the only thing that would entice him was his little dog treats. And when I gave them to him, he would walk a few more yards and just lay down again. In fact, I was convinced this was just a ploy of his to get more treats!

So that was the first problem I had with walking him. The second problem I had was that when he did walk he would be all over the place and I’d end up almost tripping up over him or he would have me doing twirls just to make sure I didn’t end up with the leash wrapped around my legs. So now I had a double mission! I was determined that I was going to get my little man walking as nicely as all the other dogs that were being walked that I saw. And secondly, I was going to do this without either looking like a ballerina or falling over and breaking something in the process.

I set about looking online for information on how to train my puppy on walking and there were two specific things I found that I need to do:

1) I needed to train my dog to walk on a leash
2) I needed to teach my dog how to heel

So now I have summarized the information that I found below, so hopefully, all you new Shih Tzu puppies owners will learn from my mistakes and will be able to enjoy your walks with your Shih Tzus much quicker than I was able to start looking forward to and enjoying mine!

Training Your Dog to Walk On a Leash

Loose leash training is something that you absolutely need to do while your dog is still a puppy. Don’t expect them to become adult dogs and automatically know how to walk on a leash. When you first start out you need to have huge amounts of patience. Please don’t expect to take him or her for a walk around the block and be back in 15 minutes just in time to settle down and watch your favorite TV program. In fact, I would suggest the first time you go for walks with him don’t have any set amount of time to complete the task and be back. Do expect him/her to stop and take plenty of breaks, and you’re going to need time to coax him/her to start walking again.

A lot of owners make the mistake of trying to drag or pull the puppy, but this is simply going to make the puppy more anxious and will not look forward to his/her walks. Part of getting your dog to walk nicely is having him/her enjoy going for them.

So here’s what you’re going to need to leash train your puppy:

• A collar or harness
• A 4-6ft leash
• A lot of small tasty dog treats (make sure they are small so your puppy can chew and ingest them quickly, and without having to stop and spend time chewing on them)

The first few times don’t plan on taking your puppy all the way around the block because they’re probably going to get tired, and again this will mean they won’t want to go next time. Instead start off walking 100 yards or so the first time, and then increase this a little bit each time you go out.

So once you attach your collar or harness to your pup, and then attach the leash, you need to start off with some kind of simple command that you’re always going to use to let your puppy know you’re going for a walk. You can use anything like ‘walkies’ or ‘let’s go’ or anything that feels comfortable for you, but the most important thing is to use the same words each time and to be consistent. That way your dog will understand much quicker what is about to happen.

Have some treats ready at hand so you don’t have to stop and look for them. That way you’ll be able to reward good behavior immediately and your puppy will know why he/she is being rewarded.

So now it’s time to begin your walk and you may need to offer the first reward just to get your pup walking. Don’t just reward with the treats though. Also offer words of encouragement, such as “Good boy, Hugo” or whatever words you use in the home to let them know you are happy with something that they’ve just done.

Things to look out for initially are:

1) Is your dog trying to get too far ahead and pulling the leash?
2) Does your simply stop walking and just simply refuse to walk?
3) Is your dog constantly crisscrossing in front of you?
4) Does he/she walk comfortably by your site in the manner that you wish?

If Your Dog is Pulling At The Leash

In this case simply stop, call your dog and reverse the direction that you are walking in, so now he/she has to work harder to catch up and get ahead of you. Once your pup catches up with you give him/her a small treat, use your words of encouragement and keep walking in the same direction. If he/she gets ahead again and starts pulling, do the same thing. Reverse your direction and get him/her to catch up with you, again reward him/her as he/she gets alongside you. This may take a few attempts, but eventually your puppy will understand that you want him/her to walk alongside you.

If Your Dog is Refusing to Walk

The best way to get your pup going is using treats as a lure and verbal praise when he/she starts moving. If your dog is lying down and refusing to get up, simply stoop down low, give the treat and some praise and begin walking again. In all likelihood in a few steps you’re going to have to do this again and it’s a cycle that you’re going to have to repeat a lot at first. However always stay positive and if after a few tries they still refuse, that’s fine! Simply give up, pick them up and take them home. Any progress at all is good progress. One thing you can do when you take them home is to leave the leash and harness on them while they wander around the home, so they familiar with the feel of the harness on them, and also get used to the leash as they drag it around. That way they won’t associate the leash and harness with something that is unpleasant and that they don’t want to do.

The next time you want to go for a walk on the leash you can place the harness and leash on your puppy 10 to 15 minutes before you plan on going outside and let them run around with the harness and leash in place, so they are less anxious about going outside with it on.

Another trick is to enlist the help of a friend who has a dog that is leash trained. When your puppy sees them walking nicely then they may just mimic that behavior and learn that much sooner.

One final piece of advice here is to always take your puppy on the same route at first when you walk them so they get used to the scenery and they are not anxious or afraid because they don’t know what to expect. Eventually, once they know the route and that it’s safe for them, then they will happily go with you.

If Your Dog is Criss-Crossing in Front of You?

This is when you will begin the ‘Heel’ training. This is a bit more complex than simple leash training but it is worth the time and effort to teach your dog to walk by your side on the side that you want them to because eventually, they should be able to do this whether they have a leash on or not. Secondly, this type of training will mean your dog is walking at your pace, and not the other way around.

Probably the easiest way to teach your dog to heel is to use a ‘clicker’. So in this scenario, if you want your dog to walk on your left side, you would keep a handful of treats in your left hand and the clicker in your right hand. You start from the ’sit’ position and then use your command to start walking. Keeping your pup on your left side, walk three or four steps slowly and start to use the ‘heel’ command. Hold a treat out in front of your dogs face to guide him/her along, and after only three or four steps (assuming they stay on your left side following the foot) click your clicker and give him/her the treat and some words of praise.

Continue doing this and again you’re only trying to go three or four steps at a time before clicking and giving the reward and words of praise. The idea here is for your dog to associate the clicking sound with the rewards. Also be sure to use the ‘heel’ command every few steps so they associate this with what you’re teaching them.

If you find your pup starts to veer away or lose focus, simply use the stop and sit command. Refocus him or her and start again.

After a few days of doing this, increase the three our four steps to 10 or so, and then reward in the same way using your clicker. This time instead of stopping and making them sit if they veer instead use the heel command, and if they come back to your left side, click, reward with a treat and give verbal praise.

Eventually, you will be able to increase the 10 steps to 25 steps, to 50 steps and so on. You will need to cut back on the treats and simply rely on the clicking and verbal praise after a while.

At a more advanced level, you should be able to test your dog by changing direction during the walk and making sure they also change direction and walk by your side. Then you can try and graduate them to the honors class by removing their leash and have them follow the heel command.

Here’s a more detailed video on how to teach your dog how to heel

Does Your Puppy Walk Alongside You?

Hey! You’ve got it made and you’ve got it made! All you have to do now is encourage and reward this behavior so they don’t deviate from it.

Never rule out professional puppy training. By enlisting the help of a professional you haven’t failed in any way. You’re simply taking the short cut to getting to the point of being able to enjoy your puppy and having far fewer frustrating moment when you can’t get your puppy to do what you want him or her to do.

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Woman suspects coyotes killed Shih Tzu, issues warning to fellow pet owners

HARVEY COUNTY, Kan. It happened fast. One moment, a small Shih Tzu named Mimi was outside on a potty break. The next, she was gone.

Newton resident Sarah Villa says she and her family are heartbroken as she suspects coyotes took off with Mimi.

Villa says it all started about 11 p.m. Saturday when her family came home and let Mimi out. She says she saw a deer run close by, but didn't think much of the animal being startled with so many deer in the area.

It was then, Villa says, she saw a larger, dark grey animal with a bushy tail.

"I yelled to my husband, Luis, 'I think it's a wolf. Get Mimi inside,'" Villa says.

It was dark and Villa says she and her husband couldn't see much as they walked to the other side of their house to where Mimi had run.

They also saw a pack of seven or eight deer chased by a pack of three coyotes, Villa says.

"We called out for Mimi, scared to death. And that's when we heard the horrible screams from Mimi," Villa says. "I was beyond upset at this point, yelling for Mimi, scared. I remember just saying, 'No,' 'No,' over and over again."

As her husband searched for Mimi in a nearby field, Villa says he spooked one of the coyotes that ran into the woods. The other two soon followed.

"Hoping to find (Mimi), my husband ran to get his flashlight from the house," Villa says. "By then, it was very quiet. We searched for her for almost two hours (Saturday) night, walking around the field, and the outer skirts of the wood line, calling for her."

Villa says Mimi was nowhere to be found.

"No body, no collar, nothing," she says. "Not even blood."

Villa says the search for Mimi continued Sunday morning.

"We drove around looking everywhere, and found nothing," she says. "Our family is heartbroken. I feel like I just lost one of my children. Me and Mimi were very close. She was an amazing dog, and great with my girls. She was very loved and showed a lot of love in return."

Villa says she hopes her story can help serve as a warning for other pet owners.

"If we can help in any way to (alert) people of the dangers these coyotes can be, it only takes a second for them to run off with a pet or a small loved one. It is terrifying to think about what could happen," she says. "...This has been a traumatizing experience for all of us, and we just hope no one else has to deal with a situation like this."

***PHOTO COURTESY OF SARAH VILLA***

 was found from : http://www.kwch.com/content/news/Owner-of--412602593.html