SATRISSE
Shih tzu
Puppy Care information
PLEASE REMEMBER that I am just a baby and do not come with a set of instructions!
I do not yet know your rules, but with patience and kindness I will learn
PRAISE good behaviour
IGNORE bad behaviour
Food and Feeding
Being a flat faced breed, they are not keen on putting their faces into deep food bowls. To begin with you could use a plate or saucer until he is bigger. Even when fully grown, a shallow bowl is best, I use cat bowls which are wider and shallow.
You will need to offer food 4 times per day and increase the amount as the puppy grows. I currently feed at 7am,
The quality of the food you give your puppy will affect his health over the long term. Please don’t be tempted to use cheap brands that are easily found in supermarkets as they use cheap poor quality ingredients. Some of these brands still use colours and a preservative that was banned from human consumption over 50 years ago as it was proved to cause cancer! I use Burns mini bites, together with Nature Diet wet food as I believe they use quality ingredients and your puppy has been weaned onto this food. You can reduce the amount of wet food as the puppy gets older until you just add a teaspoon or two to encourage eating the dry food. At the moment I put warm water on the burns dry food to soften the biscuits and add a spoonful of the wet food. You should continue to do this for some time. They do not yet have all their teeth and are not able to crunch the biscuit yet.
HouseTraining
This takes time and patience and just when you seem to be getting somewhere, your puppy takes a few steps back and you think he’ll never get the hang of it! Don’t despair he will learn, but only through kindness and patience. Puppies just don’t understand our rules, try to ignore accidents, but greatly praise them when they get it right and offer a treat immediately after they go to the toilet where you want them to. If you start to scold your puppy when he gets it wrong he’ll will become afraid and confused and you will damage the bond of trust you are trying to establish. Most importantly, it will NOT make him clean any quicker and will probably get you back to square one L Routine is vital to success, puppies need the toilet as soon as they wake up, after they have eaten and after play. They have been used to newspaper to go to the toilet on.
Exercise and Play
All dogs need to walk; just because they are small it does not mean they can do without exercise. Just like us, dogs need to get out into the world everyday to experience the sights and sounds and smells. It is vital for their mental and physical wellbeing. If you get your puppy used to meeting strangers, other dogs, walking down busy roads and give him varied experiences when he is young, you will end up with a relaxed and friendly dog that you can take anywhere and will be a pleasure to own.
Before your puppy has had his second vaccination, he should not go out walking. However, it is necessary for him to get out and see the world, so take him with you wherever you can in your arms. This will be a great start to getting him used to people and the world.
Do not over walk your puppy. From 0-6months he is growing very fast and too much walking can cause irreparable damage later in life. As a rough guide it is safe to walk your puppy 5 minutes for every month of his life. For example, a 3 month old puppy should have about 15 minutes walking per day. Between 6 and 12 months you can begin to increase the walks gradually.
Shih Tzu’s love their toys. They are a very playful breed and remain this way all their lives. They love soft toys, balls, squeaky toys, you name it! Your new friend will need lots of attention and playing is a great way to build a bond together.
Puppies put everything in their mouths, just like babies, including your hands, toes, legs etc. Their teeth are very sharp and it really does hurt! You need to help him to learn what it is ok to bite on and how hard it is ok to bite. So, if puppy bites too hard squeal “ouch” loudly. If he continues the behaviour, repeat this, then walk away to end the game. This is something puppies in the litter will do if the game gets too rough. Do not use your hands to play with him, instead use a toy, or the message will be too confusing for him to understand. Try not to let him get too excited, if he is getting really wound up, just stop the game or put him in another room for a few minutes to cool down.
Grooming and health care
This is a breed that requires a considerable amount of grooming. They have hair as opposed to fur and only shed as much as you might when you brush your hair. Their coats grow very fast and very thick, so you will probably need to have your dog clipped about every 8 weeks. Nails will need clipping and ear hair will have to be removed. This should be done by any qualified dog groomer. When you look for a groomer please ask if they are qualified. There is no legislation to cover groomers, so anyone can buy some equipment and set them selves up to groom. You need to make sure that you groomer has been taught how to safely handle your puppy and use the very sharp equipment without you dog being injured. A good groomer should be qualified (advanced city and guilds) and insured. Don’t be afraid to ask!
The Shih tzu has large eyes, that do tend to tear. The area under the eye should be cleaned daily using a cotton pad with cooled boiled water or a dog eye cleaner. This will help to reduce tear staining and smell.
Get your puppy used to being brushed and combed from day 1. This should be a short and gentle daily activity. Do not brush too hard or your pup will associate the brush with discomfort instead of a happy bonding time for you both.
Vaccinations and worming
Your puppy will have his first vaccination and a full veterinary health check before you take him home. At the age of 12 weeks you will need to visit your vet to have the second vaccination done before you can take you pup out for walks. Each year your dog will need a booster vaccination to prevent him catching one of the life threatening diseases that affect dogs.
He was last wormed on 13th February and will need to be wormed again at 12 weeks old. After that, worming treatment should be given once a month until 6 months of age, then every 3 months thereafter.
I would strongly recommend that you have your puppy micro chipped at the same time you have his second vaccination done. It is a full proof way of identifying your dog, should he get lost or stolen. I have all my dogs chipped
Socialisation and training
The book you have “The Perfect Puppy” covers this subject very well. I cannot emphasise how important it is to socialise your dog with other dogs in those early months. They need to learn how to play nicely, not to be afraid and they need friends being a social species.
Do not wait until your puppy has had his second vaccintation before you take him out of the house. Socialising is one of the most important things for your puppy. What he learns now as a puppy will determine how he reacts to situations, people and dogs as an adult. The window of socialisation is small, so you cannot afford to wait until he is 13weeks old before you take him out into the world. Take him everywhere you go, in your arms so he can experience all the sights, sounds and smells.
A Serious Note
I hope you will have a long and happy relationship with your puppy for the whole of his lifetime. If I can ever help with any advice you can always, phone, email or text me at anytime in the future. I take my responsibility for bringing these innocent little souls into the world very seriously. Life does not always go as planned, so if you ever find yourself in a situation where you can no longer care for your puppy/dog for what ever reason, I will either help you find a new home or take him in myself. Please, please do not put an advert on the internet and sell him on, that would break my heart and he could end up in the wrong hands!
