Shih Tzu article DOGS AND PUPS

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The historical facts.".
The Shih Tzu l(ou means "Lion
Dog" and theywere l<nown as "holy
dogs" in Tibet. The first recorded
history of this breed traces bacl<
lo Tibet's first recorded history in
the 7th Century AD . The Shih Tzu
gained its name and present form
in ancient China and his ancestors
are l<nown to have originated in
Tibet. In fact, Shih Tzu is a cross
retween Lhasa Apso from Tibet
'''
and the common trait of all
dogs in the Utility group is
adaptability.
The mesmerislng loolt...
Shih Tzus are long-coated,
gorgeous lool<ing, small sized
dogs. They are 10 inches tall and
weigh no more than eight l<g.
Their large round eyes are widely
spaced, and are almost in level
from China.
Ihough most of us might thinl<
with the nose. Their nose bridge
is just about an inch long, and
the hair growing on their muzzle
grows upwards, resembling a
ust a lapdog, the breed actually
:omes under the Utility Group
chrysanthemum flower. They have
a thicl<, dense, overflowing coat.
They must have a warm, pleasant
rnd
Pel<ingese
and friendly facial expression.
They are slightly longer than tall.
And their balanced gait is also a
sight to be seen.
Shih Tzus come in a variety of
amazing colours and marl<ings
lil<e tricolour, brown and white,
blacl< and white, liver and white
etc. The eyes and nose are darl<,
including their eyelids, but a liver
coloured nose and a lighter eye is
l<nown in liver coloured dogs. And,
a dog
with symmetrical marl<ings,
with a wh ite blaze on the f orehead
and on the tip of the tail is highly
prized. The normal life span of a
Shih Tzu is about 13 - 14 years.
il
Dogs& Pups
oi,' Mar-Apr 2011
The amazing
derneanour...
Shih Tzus are very active, lively,
independent, gentle and outgoing
dogs. They are extremely intel ligent
and very easily trainable too.
Potty training them as puppies is
very simple and very quicl<. They
crave for human companionship
and hence mal<e excellent pets
for both adults and children alil<e.
But sometimes they do have a
tendency to Eet possessive of
their pet parent, if that happens
to be a single person. When a
family
is rearing them, they devote
equal love and attention to all
xe members. TheY are normallY
rdif{erent to strangers but do
rccasionallY barl< to announce
heir presence. The Shih Tzu is a
luicl< learner and his adaptability
o any situation mal<es him slmPlY
idorable.
r he puPPY care".'
Shih Tzu puPPies are full
of life
and love. TheY mal<e Perfect
play-mates. PottY training them
as puppies is verY simPle and
hours and after all the labour and
hard worl< You have Put rn, he just
takes a minute to roll in the mud
Place and lool< at
you with those mischievous eyes/
saying "Can we start the grooming
or in a dirty
procedure all over again Please?
I hate to be dirtY". BasicallY, he
loves that undivided attention you
shower on hrm and the bondlng he
has with you, during the grooming
SheisminG!!
lF hih Tzus can become highly possessive of any particular person
for
DrtU such is the case with Devil' He has eyes and ears only
bones
he mal<es no
my elder daughter Rishya. Though he loves us,
not lil<e anyone
does
He
about the fact that he only adores Rishya'
is very happy
he
whom
tall<ing to her, especially our house help, with
Rishya is not at home wlth him' The moment Rishya
with, when
isathomewithhim,hewillbarl<atthehelpasiftoadmonishher
and say, "Rishya is mine, l<eep away f romher"'
-Yashodhara
sessi ons.
very quicl<. As a PuPPY , You must
ensure that Your little Shih Tzu
gets a good balanced meal .
Socialisation is verY imPortant
for your Shih Tzu. lntroduce him
to people. Tal<e hrm to Parl<s. Let
him play with everYone.
A good brushing is necessarY
every day. ProPer care must be
tal<en to ensure that Your PUPPY's
eyes are clean at all times. Since
they have a long coat, You mrght
neglect his Private areas which
could create an obstruction for
him to pass his motions. Mal<e
sure
it
is clean and trimmed
well.
When you bathe Your PUPPY,
ensure that no water goes down
his nose . I(eeP Your PuPPY clean
and dry at all times. Ensure
that they drinl< PlentY of water
especially during the summer
months.
Grooming is fun...
The best Part of Shih Tzu, of
course besides their glamorous
lool<s, is that theY hardlY shed
their coat. Their coat is almost
hypoallergenic to PeoPle and
hence mal<e them excellent rndoor
pets. They love being made a fuss
about and enjoY therr grooming
sessi
o
ns.
Just as much as theY are fun and
enjoyable, theY can be a bundle
of mischief too. A good grooming
session of an adult Shih Tzu in a
show condition can tal<e You 2-3
Shih
Exerclse is play...
Being a small do9, their
for exercise
is
wall<
short
a
Just
minimal.
very
requirement
or simply running around the
house or in the garden is more
lzus atYash[ans
PlaY
"YASHBANS'i which has been
responsible for breeding some of
Gare for the eyes
and teeth...
They do not suffer from anY major
health issues other than cataract
in their eyes and tooth decaY. A
toyalty. These small
logs were thought
o share the lion's
ormidable Power.
well bred Shih Tzu wrll not
Ihey were Protected
pampered
guarded' After
Atter many
.hroughout their lives, accorded high honour and
:enturies, these traits are still seen in the Shih Tzus'
Puppies featurecl are bred by Yashbans l(ennels' Bengaluru
Dogs & Pu ps
have
any hereditarY Problems.
No wonder then that Shih Tzu has
become a verY PoPular breed in
India due to their gorgeous lool<s,
adaptability and the fact that they
have become the ideal aPartment
size dogs.
7rf Mar-Apt
2011
the finest Dobermans, German
Shepherds and Rottweilers earlier
in the country. TodaY, howeve4 the
you can.
ix years now. TheY
Lre incarnation of
and
than a sufficient form of exercise
games/ whether it is retrieving, or
hide and seel< or tal<e mY toY if
reeding them for over
(Yashodhara is a Proud owner
of one of India's finest
most reputed kennels called
for them. TheY love to
W:,:,il;,i:J
ind
Yashodhara with her Shih Tzu
lGnnel specialises onlY in familY
orientecl and child friendly breeds
like the St. Bernards, Golden
Retrievers, Siberian Huslcies,
Miniature Pinschers and the
gorgeous Shih Tzus. Her websites
are www.yashbans.com
and
www.fuzzywuzzY.in; She has won
covetecl awards like the'Dog of The
Yeari 'Reserve Dog 0f the Yeari
'Breeder of the Yeari 'Reserved
Puppy of the Yeari etc)