Leisure Living with the Shih Tzu by Connie Limon

The Shih Tzu, enigmatic and regal, and a glorious long, thick coat is a glamorous and beautiful canine.

They often comes across as haughty and disdainful in appearance, however, their true character is a fun-loving clown who loves to provide its audience lots of happiness, smiles and laughter.
Be not mistaken by their sweet faces.....they are not actually an easy going lap dog. They can be strong-willed and assertive. They also are quite "nosey." They just love to know everything that is going on in a household, and they will do anything it seems to find out. They sometimes think the house actually belongs to them instead of humans and they are in control of all things therein. Owners should have a no nonsense attitude when it comes to training these guys, or else they may end up training you. One thing they generally are not is "aggressive."

Owners of Shih Tzu also need to become strong leaders of the pack, or else one of them or the only one you have will take this position. They do not realize humans have many other things to do other than just sit with them and pretend like a dog as they are. If this could be the case, I promise you, they would be in absolute heaven, and would never misbehave in any way whatsoever. They love their people and nothing is more enjoyable to a them than being in total oneness with their people.

However, we need to rise and take out the garbage now and then. Don't worry, he or she will have its nose in the garbage can, and then on your heels while you take the garbage out. When you come back in, there he or she will be at the cabinet where you are getting a garbage bag out. Now, walk over to the can and place the bag in. Watch it! If you step too quickly, you will step on their feet, he or she is now gazing up at you, standing by your side, as you slide the new garbage bag into the can. After a few times of stepping on their toes accidentally, most of them learn to watch your feet and get out of the way.

I have a puppy now that is only five weeks old. She knows somehow the sounds of when I am coming down the hall toward her area with food. I go down that same hall many times in a 24 hour period. This particular puppy never makes a sound. When I am coming down the hall with her food (maybe she smells the food) she starts to "quarrel." I can just hear what her actual words would be if she could speak words. She is probably saying: "yes, yes, I want my food, I want my food, right now, and I just can't wait to get my food, hurry, hurry." She turns around and around and around when I get to her and is just so in love with her food. She is a character already. I will have her on the web site for sale soon. She is the very tiny type, probably will be Teacup Shih Tzu size.

Grooming is another essential commitment. This is especially true if you want the long, flowing coats. I want them, but my gosh, what a chore this is to keep them in long coat. I go through periods with them, sometimes long, and then sometimes the puppy cut, and other times, especially hot summertime, shave them to the skin. It all grows back out and more it seems in no time at all. It takes a good 4 hours to groom a dog in full coat, if you do everything that needs to be done in one sitting. I should say it takes me that long.

For those who lead hectic lives, you can still enjoy their comical antics and keep their coat in a puppy trim or some other short hairstyle. This does not stop their wonderful personalities. To me, this breed of dog is just like no other animal in this world. It is my favorite. And did I say animal? I often refer more to them as people. They are so very intelligent, and compassionate. If you have a bad day, you can be sure your Shih Tzu will be right there by your side and eventually he or she will do something that suddenly makes you forget the world outside, and you enter back into their world of nothing but good and happy times. In my opinion, there are very good choices for people who need mood elevation or mood enhancement.

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Written by: Connie Limon. Visit us at Stain Glass Shih Tzu; add your name to our list for a future puppy and sign up for a FREE informative newsletter at http://www.stainglassshihtzus.com For a variety of FREE reprint articles visit Camelot Articles at http://www.camelotarticles.com

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