Hi  Please can anyone help.  I have just took in a 16 week old shih tzu puppy from a neighbour who said the dog was dirty and kept peeing in the house!!!!.  How disgusted at the women was I!!!!  She didnt buy the puppy from a reputable breeder but form a puppy farm from the sound of it.  She said the women who she got it off had 9 shih ztus in cages ALL with pups!  As a previous owners of Large breed dogs I would like some advice.  What should I be feeding her, how big do they grow, is there any special requirments for them, when are they fully grown.

I am unterly disgusted at this womens behaviour however I dont want to get into that just now as my ultimate concern is this puppy and its requirments.  Obviously I am an  experienced owner of dogs however I have only heard of a shih tzu and never seen one before now?

Please help this poor dog.

Poor dog! Probably better off away from them. Shih Tzu's are approx the same size as Lhasa Apso's so they are not very big. I don't know of any special requirements that they would need other than a daily groom. As she is only 16 weeks old, I would put her onto either a good quality complete puppy food or feed her a natural diet according to her weight. Any change in diet could cause a tummy upset so if possible, do so gradually over the course of a week. You could always ask the neighbour what she was feeding the puppy and carry on feeding that(if it's suitable of course!)

Hi Eddie,
I have 2 shih-tzu's,they are the best and most loveable dogs in the world,just my opinion tho:D!
You did a great thing by taking this little dog in:) Owning little dogs isn't much different than having bigger ones they just dont eat as much,she should be having 4 meals per day,i feed mine home cooked BUT be careful as they can turn into fussy little brats if you let them,they are very good at wrapping their owners around their little paws!Be sure to start grooming her a.s.a.p to prevent nasty matts building up,some tzu puppies have hair like fairy floss which matts quickly + it's a good thing to get them used to daily grooming as it will have to be done at least every second day for the rest of their lives,i assume you will probaly get her clipped as it is much easier to look after. The average weight for a tzu is between 4.5-8.1 kilo their height is around 26.7 centimeters,they are usually fully grown by 10-12mths. altho some grow slightly until they are 2 years.They can be stubborn which could be why your horrid neighbour is having trouble house training her but by the sounds of things it doesn't look like she has put much time,effort or patience into her??
I'm not sure what else to say?Please post all of your questions and i will try and answer them all,i really want to help you and your precious girl.
Look forward to hearing from you soon.

christine

Thanks Christine your a star.  Thanks for your help.

She is turning into a little brat already lol.  She was on a complete puppy food untill I dropped some cooked chicken on the floor and thats it she wont entertain the dried food anymore lol  I "will" perservier though lol.  She has developed a sneeze and I am wondering if this could be normal or if she could be allergic to something in the house perhaps?

Hello,

Poor puppy, good for you for taking that poor little thing!!

I would recomend feeding Naturediet Puppy food, it is a fantastic food (completely natural) and will help build them up if they are a bit thin and will also reduce the poo and pee output.

Good luck

manda
x

One of my girl sneezes particularly in the spring and summer,they get allergies just like us.
I would feel much better if the vet gave her the all clear,i know how expensive vets are but if she has picked up something it's best that the vet nips it in the bud early.As you can probaly tell i am absolutely passionate about shih-tzu's,my girls are the love of my life:)Once again i think you are a gem for taking in this little gal,what's her name?I cant reccomend any foods as i live in Australia,i have heard naturediet is an excellent food but you must make sure she still has her dry food as she will quickly turn her nose up at dry,ooohheee your in for a fun ride when you have tzu by your side:D

Christine

how is she? we have a rescue boy who was turfed out when he wouldn't 'perform' any more so we had him neutered and clipped and he's a lovely boy. i've read all the other posts and agree.He is such a wussy eater but we,ve finally settled on Autarky autumn years with a little chicken mixed in. And stubborn! he'll hold a wee forever if it's raining. He's the smallest dog of our four but the most dominant.If your litle girl is as loving and as funny as Gismo then you're in for happy days.

Hi glad things are going well Eddie. I think I mentioned Naturediet to you on e mail and am sure you will find that it is a good complete food for her.

We nearly called our Molly Gizmo cos she looks just like a black and white Gremlin :) :)

Gina

Hi. I hope you enjoy your shi-tzu. I  can't add anything else about feeding . Just wanted to say I have one of average size and one really tiny one. Everyone thinks she is a pup although she is 4yrs old. I have mine trimmed every 7 weeks as they can matt up easily even with daily brushing, although I do love to see them with longer coats. As someone previously said they can be extremely stubborn especially when it comes to walking. They are terrific little dogs. very loving. (then most dogs are)

  Good Luck.    Maggie.

yes I have found this out I have been trying her on a lead arounf the garden and she squeels at the top of her voice as though she was being murdered any suggestions on how I can master getting her to enjoy the lead.... I have tried making it a game giving her treats but onthing works she just sits shakes her head and squeels.? Any help would be gratefully appreciated

I am not an expert but here are a few websites I found...

http://www.monsieurclub.com/shih%20tzu.jpg

http://www.families-first.com/pets/shihtzu.htm

http://home.att.net/~wdcusick/ShihTzu.html