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Hi:I have a one year old neutered male Shih Tzu. He still pees and sometimes poops on the floor. I think I have him going well in the house training and then he will slide back. I find this exhausting to be searching the living/dining room to see if he has done anything. He eats his own poop too so I won't find it but I do see little bits of it that he didn't get. I leave him with my husband while I go out in the mornings to fitness class and my husband falls asleep and I think that is when it happens. We are retired. I am getting very disheartened with this dog and his habits. I had a male Shih Tzu prior to this one and he would stay in the house 8 hours at a time if we went to the city to shop and he never messed in the house.
This boy is going to ruin my hardwood floors. He sleeps in a crate every night and rides in a crate in the car. Will I have to put him in a crate when I leave him with my husband? He will put up a fuss and there won't be much sleeping done. Is there any hope at all? No one has worked harder at training a dog than I have for the past 10 months.

Hi! I too have a neutered Shih Tzu - he's 7 months old and spent the first 4 months in a kennel.
I've had problems housetraining him too - at first he refused to pee or poo outside at all and only saved it for inside the house!
Now, he's fairly reliable but forgets himself from time to time so I know how deeply frustrating it can be. Especially when you think you've cracked it and then find another poo on the floor!
What I try to do now is keep taking him outside for walks - even if it's just down the street. He goes outside first thing in the morning, then another proper walk at 8 ish, lunchtime, teatime and last thing at night. Exhausting but it seems to work.
Perhaps your husband could take him out for a quick walk before he sleeps to stop the problem?
The only thing is, mine doesn't yet know how to ask to go out - I had some kind advice from people on this site who said to take him to the door and get him used to showing he wants to go out.
It's often a maturity thing and they all say it can take a year for the penny to drop, so to speak!
I know you must feel like giving up - but don't! Try regular little walks outside at 2-3 hour intervals and see if that helps!
Good luck!
Alison

HI Alison4: I do feel like giving up sometimes but I will not do this for 3 reasons 1. I don't want the pee/poop on the floor; 2. I love him already so there is no question of getting rid of him one way or another, 3. I want to see him happy and well trained for his own sake so he doesn't have the hassel of the repremands when I see he has just done something. He looks very sad when I scold him and he is very happy when I praise and treat him for doing it outside. Happy is best. You bet I will keep trying. There is no giving up on this one. thanks for your input.

Hi marjie
Alison is giving you very good advice. Taking your dog out at regular, short intervals should help. The more times he toilets outside, the quicker he will learn that this is what's expected of him.

I know it's easy to say but try not to compare him too much to your other dog. No two dogs behave the same, even those of the same breed.

Your problem is a frustrating one but things will get better, I'm sure.

Best wishes
Joyce

I would kennel him when you are out if you can't trust him, after a couple of days he will be use to it and won't whine. Was he paper trained? My aunts Shih tzu goes outside, bit when she is not home she goes on paper.

Hi Dollface: I tried to paper train him from the day we got him at 12 weeks old but he wanted to shred the paper. I even bought the pads that look like paper diapers to lay on the floor and he had a great time tossing that around. I didn't do well at the attempt of paper training him. Just took him outside and praised him when he did it. I would talk nicely to him all the time we were outside, even in blizzards, and when he did something, I paid him on the spot with a treat and praised him. I am still doing that and for the most part it is working. I have been doing this for 10 months, since we got him. However, if he is left alone or with a sleeping person, he will pee on the floor without caring a hoot that he did it. One night he got up on the Chesterfield and peed on it. He had never been up on it before because it is newly upholstered. I scolded him loudly and he hasn't been up there since either. I feel in my heart, that he will get this one day but how long can it take?

Hi Joyce: I know it is not right to compare him to Charlie becasue Spud has good traits that Charlie didn't have. Spud isn't afraid of storms, loud machinery, or huge trucks, like Charlie was so that is a relief. Also, Spud will come when called so I don't have to worry that he will run out on the road and get hurt. He has lots of pluses. Only this one minus. I will be using his crates a lot more, and walking him on a little more frequent intervals. WE have snow here now. It just came today and when he comes in, he goes into the laundry tub immediately to melt the snowballs on his feet and legs. This snow will not stay just yet and we will have more great weather before winter actually comes to stay for 5 months. It will not be all sticky stuff either. Thanks for your support.

Hi and welcome :)
There's some excellent advice on here already posted :) Don't lose hope.

When you leave for your exercise, is it early morning? Or does your husband have an odd sleeping schedule? If it's early morning, perhaps you could take your dog for a quick outside trip and then give him something to do in his crate, such as a kong w. treat, a biscuit, or a pig ear...just to get him used to returning to his 'bed.' Do it even on those days that you don't go out.

When you leave the house with your husband, just go ahead and crate him. It won't hurt him and he'll settle down in a new habit eventually.

Unfortunately, he has a habit that occurs in your absence.
I had a similar time with one of my dogs who used to have access to a doggy door in the night and who never learned how to 'ask' to go out :rolleyes:
Just when I thought she could make it through the night, she'd piddle again And this was a 6 year old dog. We've taken to closing our door at night (she has her bed in our room) and for a year, there have been no messes. Since the other one liked to wander and poke her nose into hubby's lunch box, it's best that we keep them locked-in at night keeping us company :D

Here's a website though that might help you on his 'eating poo' problem
Coprophagia
hth and good luck
toodles

Hi Eoghania: You are right about putting him in his crate when I leave him with my husband in the morning. Bill had a sleep disorder called sleep apnea and apparently he doesn't get a proper sleep at night because of his snoring and keeps waking himself up all the time. I sleep right through it so it is no problem to me. Anyway, this is why Bill sleeps in the morning hours when I am out. So, Spud will be crated every time I go out of the house even if Bill is in the house. This makes good sense. Thank you for confirming what I was thinking. This helps when you are not alone in your thoughts.

SNOW Already????!!!!! Hmm, I guess it is November now :rolleyes: :) My how time flies ;) :D
Where are you located?
toodles

Hi marjiebrown, keep it up hopefully he will get it right. My aunt said that they are hard to house train (maybe just her). I house trained Junior by keeping him on a leash and everywhere I went he went, when I wasn't able to watch him I kenneled him. Your little one will get there, she told me that it took about a year to housetrain Nikita. Good luck.

Hi Dollface: I know your aunt is right. This little guy is taking his time and he is just past a year. He is maturing every day and getting smarter about things so thanks to the people in this site, I have a whole new outlook on dog house training. I just thought it should be faster because I was lucky with the other Shih tzu in this department only. He paper trained verywell and didn't use a crate. This is a whole different set up where I crate trained Spud and he love his crate most of the time. Bye now.

Hi again, Margiebrown.
So glad to hear you're feeling happier about your little Spud.
It helps so much when you can hear encouraging comments from this board and to know you're not alone! I'm hoping my little Mikey doesn't take a year to be safe in the house but not feeling too hopeful! I also heard Shih Tzus can be hard to housetrain and I guess, like humans, some take longer than others to mature!
I just worry that when he's in a friend's house he won't annoy them by forgetting himself on their floors! He's mostly very good now but it doesn't mean a thing to him if I praise him for peeing outside so I don't think he's remotely got the idea that it's wrong inside. He just looks either puzzled or blanks me! A trainer told me you have to give them a treat and praise them while they're actually doing their business so I tried that too - he just eats the treat and carries on doing whatever is important at the time ie chasing balls, finding anything to eat under the leaves etc!
Anyway, I wish you lots of luck with Spud - he sounds like a darling..

Hi Alison4:
This site is a real life saver. You know how it can be when you think no one else has the same problem as you have and you are in it alone? Well, I was getting pretty much that way before I go to this site. It really doesn't make sense to feel that way but it did happen to me. I had heard before that Shis Tzus can be hard to house train. I just had to loosen up a bit and not push it so hard. He is just beginning to ask to go outside. Sometimes he will look at me and then start wondering around the house sort of sniffing and I ask him to go outside and he is really happy that I suggested that. Other times he will jump up on me and bark to go outside so he is improving. My daughter told me not to worry that he would be all trained by nine months like her big Lab was. Spud went past the nine months and I thought well, by one year he will be well trained for sure but not so. He is coming along though and I really love him and am much better with him than without him. I hope Mikey does well for you. I agree that it is best to have the treats with you. If I forget them and go into the house with Spud and treat him in there, he isn't sure what he is getting paid for. I think dogs have sort of short term memories. They live in the NOW!! Don't worry about Mikey like I did with Spud and don't lose any sleep over it. Bye now.

Great to hear that Spud is actually asking to go out now!! Wow. Very encouraging - particularly as it's taken a year and so my expectations that All Dogs Must be Housetrained by 6 Months which is what so many people have told me.
I don't know how you felt about getting Spud after Charlie but we got Mikey only 2 months or so after we lost our beloved 12 year old Mini wirehaired dachsie. He had a rare but viscious genetic disease and my life revolved round him for his last 6 or 7 years. When he died I was so devastated that I think we rushed into getting Mikey too soon. Every time he spent a penny indoors, I thought 'oh what a mistake' - even though I loved him immediately. I just wasn't mentally prepared to have a new puppy again or love someone else so soon after Otto's death.
I nearly had a breakdown over it all during the first 2 or 3 weeks and then, although I still miss Otto all the time, I forged a real bond with Mikey and we've never looked back!
But yes, this site is a life-line because, as you said, one feels so alone with ones problems - and different dogs produce different ones - and then you find out that other people feel the same as you and have overcome them!
So here's to Spud and his good example to Mikey!!
All the best
Alison

Hi Alison4: Thanks for the words of encouragement. We lost Charlie to something we are not sure of but we think he suffered from the effects of our municipal water. I live in Walkerton, Ontario, where the municipal water was contaminated with e-coli 0157:H7 in May of 2000. Seven people died and 2300 were very sick. There are only 5000 people in this town and we will never forget what happened here. There was so much loss of human life that I was reluctant to say that my dog had died of that dreaded virus but that is what I think happened. He had all the symptoms. Unbelievable pain, bloody stools and urine, loss of appitite and finally so weakened that he couldn't stand so we had him put down. These were the symptoms the humans were having too. Older people and children in particular. I later found out that our groomer had lost half of her business shortly after the outbreak and of course she didn't phone people and ask if their dog was OK. Anyway, that is what happened to Charlie and my husband and daughter went with me to the vet to say goodbye to Charlie. I waited 10 months before getting Spud. At first I felt a little guilty about replacing Charlie like that but I am a dog person and need the love of a dog. Now we are past the terrible sorrow and into a good place again. The trouble with dogs is that we always out live them. Like you with Mikey, I have often thought, 'what did I get myself into' when cleaning up a pee on the hardwood floor. I had forgotten what it is like to have a little puppy in the house. I understand completely why you got Mikey soon after Otto. You wanted the love of a dog and to lose some of the sorrow of your loss. Mikey will work out just fine for you. It is just like being a mother. We love all our children in a different way. Good luck with Mikey too!!

Hi eoghania: I live in Ontario Canada. South western ONtario. We are on the same level as northen California on the latitude lines. It is the most southerly part of Cananda where Ontario juts away south of a lot of the states. We have snow now but it is the first snow of the winter and it won't stay because the leaves are still on the trees. That is how it works around here. The first snow seldom stays and often we get Indian Summer after that where it will be warm and sunny for a couple of weeks before the real thing happens. I am getting on better with Spud as of late. I have more confidence that things will go well. I just made the mistake of thinking that one year old was the point were the toilet habits are all working out fine. He is still a baby.

You might be the southernest part of Canada, but British Columbia is definitely the warmest imo ;) :D
(wind currents off the Strait of Juan de Fuca --- Palm trees live year round in Victoria, BC :) ) I don't think there's any snow there outside of the mountains :)
I'd go up there in January from Seattle to get a break from the terrible weather :)

I"m glad to hear that you have regained some confidence again :) Some dogs just take longer than others.
We survived 2 1/2 years of crating Samma after we brought her home around age 8-9 months old to trust her not to go crazy with anxiety or freedom to not tear the house apart in our absence. She was also very difficult to housetrain and that was part of the reason to originally crate her. She seemed happier then anyway --even with us leaving our other dog loose to sleep on the bed :rolleyes: Within two months, she would just go into her crate when she saw us putting our shoes on. I don't know when we stopped crating her, just that we did :)

Good luck with your pup and stay warm :)

Hi Eoghania: You are right about Victoria. I visited my niece and her husband who live and work there a few years ago. We went in early May and the flowers were blooming. They are away ahead of us in the spring. That visit got my daughter and I interested in flowers.. We have been at it ever since. Amazing as it is, Spud is asking to go out and not minding being in his crate. I was really down about him a few days ago but it seems there is a light at the end of the tunnel. I understand that eons ago, dogs were cave dwellers so that is possibly why they like their crates. No snow here today. Just rain. Never saw a fall like it. People are raking leaves with snow on the ground. It was so hot here all summer there were water restrictions for lawn watering. The rivers are low and we need all the moisture we can get in any form it will come in. Thanks for your words of encouragement and for telling me about Samma. Makes life seem easier. Bye now.

So did you visit the famous "Buchart's Gardens?" :) :D My grandmother would take me up there every so often on the 'Princess Margurite' :) I could easily retire there someday just because of the mild climate -- never too hot, nor too cold :D

Actually it was/is Chienne with the bladder problem. Samma's the binpuppy that will go through sheet metal if there's food on the other side :rolleyes:

Speaking of which, I was so proud of Chienne yesterday. I remembered at the last minute that Sam had her groomer's appt. and took off in a hurry. Chienne didn't get a break nor did I leave the outside door open. :(

I returned 40 minutes later and she was doing the "really gotta go" dance. But she had held it and not gone on the carpet. A year ago, she would have just piddled :rolleyes: So there is hope, even with years of difficulty :) Hubby just didn't get as happy as I did when I told him the news :rolleyes:

If it's any consolation, the Fall here has also been screwy. I'm hoping that Nov. is much improved over Oct. which had lots of heavy rains and high winds. And we had a rainier than avg. summer-- just not during our vacation time :rolleyes: :) Remember the massive flooding that occured in Prague and Dresden? We had just returned from our holiday on the day it started to rain hard :rolleyes: Places that we had visited in Dresden were under water a month later :( Such a pity.

I'm so glad that things are looking up for you. :) This board is wonderful in letting dog owners know that it's not unusual to have problems and rarely is it a truly dire or absolutely hopeless situation :) Crossing my fingers and wishing you the best :)

Hi eoghania: Yes, Butchard Gardens. Beautiful place. My neice lives with her husband and children in Victoria and she sometimes gets a little of that SAD syndrome in winter time. I think some people get that when they don't get enough sunshine. Not often though. Not enough to make her move back to Ontario.
Spud peed on the floor tonight right after we came in from a walk where he had done both. I yelled "shame' and 'bad boy' at him and he was embarrassed and ran and hid under the kitchen table. I think he got the message that time. He didn't used to care if I got upset. It wasn't his problem but now he took it to heart.
You have had some nice trips eoghania. You mentioned Prague and Dresden. Do you mind if I ask you who looks after your dogs when you are away? Do you put them in a regular boarding kennel or with friends? I would like to go away this year but don't know what to do with Spud. My brother would keep him for a week or so but we might want to go for longer. Maybe two weeks. I guess I should start searching around for a good place to leave Spud where he will get lots of walks and hugs. If we were just going to Fla or someplace like that, we could take him with us because he is a great traveller. The vet clinic here offers the walks but closes at 5:30 p.m. and doesn't open up again until 7:00 a.m. He isn't used to being in his cage that long. I have left him there over night but he is not a happy camper when I get there in the morning. I will have some homework to do looking for a good place. We don't have definite plans so there is no urgency.
I would just love to see Spud do the "really gotta go" dance. That would be a great improvement. I guess nobody ever had a problem free dog. They are worth it though. Bye now.

Hi Margie,
Most times our dogs end up going along with us on holiday :) They're wonderful travellers and have a wonderful time. Hubby and I enjoy the trip more just having them along, despite some of the hassles and extra costs :rolleyes: If you're interested in all of the 'tricks of the trade,' let me know and I'll provide some hints. One great thing here is that well behaved dogs are allowed in restaurants/cafes. So that makes life easier on everyone.

Next month, we're going on our 10th anniversary trip -- a short jaunt down to Rome for 6 days. Since we're flying (:( ), they'll be staying home. We're looking for one of my husband's coworkers who would like a break from dormitory living to stay here while we're gone.
If that doesnt' work, they have reservations at a nearby kennel. It's not the fanciest place, but they've stayed there before and I know everyone who runs the various 'sections'. It's a small 'complex' that has separate operations for kennels, vet care, and grooming.

When we were in the States, we checked around in our small community and found several kennels. After visiting and asking questions, we selected one that became our favorite when we HAD to leave them behind or when we were in the middle of moving :( If you do a search on here, there's topics on what to look for on selecting a kennel.

hth.
toodles

ps. I hate to say this, but yelling/talking harshly to your dog long after he's done wrong (or anytime you didn't correct him during his mishap) is basically useless. Even 5 minutes later, he's pretty much forgotten what his bowels have done.

It can also be detrimental to your relationship with him. He really doesn't have a clue why you are upset-- just that you are. He's only reacting to your emotions at that moment. Sorry, but it's true. Eventually, he could dread your return and act 'guilty' in your viewpoint, but is only submitting to your anger in his.
Sorry. :(

Hi eoghania: I know you are right about saying that I shouldn't be yelling at my dog but that time I had caught him in the act and I think he knew what I was getting at. Anyway, he is back on track and behaving well for now anyway.
So, I understand you only take your dogs by automobile. I wouldn't want to take a dog through the airport and caged travel thing. I would worry about him travelling seperately from me. He falls asleep the moment we get rolling along the highway. We buckle his cage into the back seat and he will sleep for at least two hours.
I guess the thing is to look around well in advance and find a place that suits Spud's needs. I know where there is a great place for cats but the lady doesn't take dogs. She is disabled.
When you mentioned that 'here' , well behaved dogs are allowed in restaurants/cafes, do you mean in Europe? You said you are going down to Rome. Congratulations on your 10th Anniversary!!
A kennel I would be interested in wouldn't have to be fancy either. Just plain good care by someone who loves dogs. ( and wouldn't yell at them like me) Just kidding.
I would appreciate any tips on the 'tricks of the trade' that you may have about travelling with your dogs. Thanks again. Marjie.

Hi. Sorry but I think Spud was more nervous than embarassed and went under the table to hide from you. I know this was not what you intended so would scold him with a firm NO (gruff voice) rather than shout.
JIMO. tangle

HI Tangle:; You are right. I think he was frightened. I don't know how they can forget so soon about what their bowels did when the can remember where the treats are for weeks. Do they have selective memories? I will not do that to him again anyway. For the most part he is a little honey. Marjie

HI Again Tangle: Another question about this embarrassment or fear thing; If I scold him for tearing up a newspaper or something like that, he could care less and takes the attitude, 'So what are you going to do about it?" and will challenge me to play. It was only when I scolded him for being caught in the act of peeing on the hardwood floor that he went and hid under the table. I feel that he knows this was a serious no no. He is very feisty and will challenge big dogs if they bark at him. Not small dogs, just the big ones. He sort of invites them to come and get a piece of him. This looks really funny coming from a dog weighing 15 lbs. He actually makes me laugh a lot for his feistyness. He wouldn't hurt a flea though. I feel sorry about hurting his feelings because he is a baby yet and very loveable. Marjie

Hi Marjie Perhaps someone else has the answer but perhaps our dogs read us better than we think. Our Lab has always been very clean but when he gets into mischief seems to know when I really am cross. At 19months he doesn't chew things but pinches socks, dusters etc.and although I think I tell him sternly, he still does it, but if he does something really naughty he does look hurt when I scold him. What I am trying to say is that I think they read body language as much as words. I must add that after having Labs for 40 years know that pinching is their favourite game. Most things unless health related do take a lot of time and patience but you mostly get there in the end. tangle

Hi Tangle: I am sure that dogs do sense what we are saying with our body language. Sometimes it speaks louder than words. This boy can read me very well. He knows if I put on a jacket and he will dance all around me thinking we are going for a walk. He watches me clean vegetables and always waits till he smells the celery, which he loves, and cries for some. If it is just carrots or cucumbers, he just sits and watches. He seems to watch a lot of my moves. Shih Tzus seem to be near you all the time. Mine have always followed me everywhere I go. This one won't go to the basement where my computer is but waits at the top of the basement stairs and falls asleep there. So, I do know that they understand body language. I am never in one room and Spud in another on the main floor of the house. He is seldom more that 4' away from me or if I am out then,he stays by my husband.
My daughter has a black Lab and her eyes are so expressive. She can almost talk with her eyes. She puts up with Spud too but just barely. He is a nuisance to her. bye now. Marjie

Hi again Marjie. It,s the eyes of Labs that make all your deternination to be look and be cross with them fail. Glad you think they talk with their eyes too. I think non doggie people think we are loopy. tangle

Going back to house training, it is possible that because he was neutered before he was mature he may well take a good deal longer to learn to be clean, as he will not grow up and to some extent he will stay a juvenile, but he will get there in the end but it may well take a lot of your time. All the best & good luck. Ja:)kie

Hi Jackie H. Yes, I maybe should have waited a bit longer to have him neutered. He was only 6 months old. Don't know why I was in such a rush to have it done. I think I thought it would calm him down. He was a feisty little guy. Thanks

To late now but in my experiance they remain puppies and don't mature as intact dogs do, I speak as someone with a 13 year old puppy who still steals toilet rolls and staggers & limps up the garden with it. Ja:)kie

Oh bless - had such a nice picture in my head of him playing as I read your post :)
Gina

But Jackie, you deal with a much larger breed that does take longer to mature than a Shihtzu :) :) 6 months for a small breed is old enough to be neutered. And in my experience, really doesn't change anything except sexual habits.
I think one of the most annoying times as a kid was when my brother's Shiztzu, never neutered, and at age 4-- humping my leg & spraying the house, but his sibling (who was neutered at 6 months) played nicely with me without any of the bad habits that "teddy" had. :Rolleyes:

If this one is fully mature they have a big problem on their hands. And yes it does change more than the sexual habits, sex hormones are linked to the entire hormonal system of the body. All growth can be affected, in humans it will stop hair growth, voice change, the ability to learn and the development of the mature body shape and growth in stature. May be Shih Tzu are fully mature at 6 months, I don't know never been one or owned one so I can't say. Mature dogs do not usualy foul the nest & not being clean is often linked to inmaturity, so may be this one has some other problem.
Ja:)kie

Just thought of something Jackie: My daughter has a Scottish Fold male cat. The breeder told her not to nueter him until he was over 10 months old because his head shape needed that long to be proper for the breed. She did wait that long and Angus has a beautiful big head as he should and his ears are folded properly too. This is not a dog I know but perhaps the same principle is in force here in regard to neutering too soon. Marjie

Definately makes a difference in how they develop physically in my breed, especially in head.

I don't suppose it is considerde in rescue cross breeds as no-one wopuld know how they would have looked, but with a pedigree where the sex differences in some breeds are quite pronounced, castrating will make a big difference in how the dog turns out.

I have sent you som photos for illustration!

The problem is that we do not know, in an individual animal, when the different stages of maturity occurs. Neither those that are visable or those that are within the animal. That is why I say only castrate or spay if the dogs health or some other very pressing need are involved. And always leave it as long as you possibly can so that the dogs system has the shortist possible time to live without their full hormonal system. Cats, toms, do seem to be more able to cope with this although there is a high case of kidney trouble and obesity, but I dont and never have owned cats so there may be problems of which I am unaware. If for some reason a human looses their testies or ova then the hormones are replaced for most if not all of their lives, and any of you who have had or know someone who has had their menapause will know the sort of difference it makes to the whole system when the hormone is, not cut off, but reduced. Those who know will tell you that after a few years it is not just skin, hair & body shape that are affected. Ja:)kie

One should confine him to his crate whilst you are out as well as at night. This problem needs to be stopped and quickly. He should be confined whenever he is out of your presence. At other times you should watch him like a hawk when he is loose. Dont allow him access to all areas of your home, keep him in one area like the kitchen. Once he is clean in this room progress to another and so on.

Recently, I have not had problems with Spud peeing or pooping in the house. He has started to let me know when he wants to go out by scratching at me in a urgent way. I have overlooked him doing this before but I find that when I take him outside when he does this, he will do his business. The house has been clean for a couple of weeks at least now. This is a first for him. He had his first birthday on October 20th. It really took a long time to get it together with this one. He has taken the pressure off. What a relief!!! Thanks to everyone who gave me advice on this topic. marjiebrown

Dear Margie
How relieved you must be! Good for you persevering and getting a good result! For anyone with similar problems, it'll give them hope!
My Mikey has been clean for a while now and I'm hoping he won't have too many more accidents! I hadn't realised Spud had been neutered at 6 months - so has Mikey and like you, I wish I hadn't rushed into it. I got it in my head that 6 months was the right time - he was madly oversexed and also my last dog developed the most horrible tumours on his bum which made me panic when we got Mikey. I wish we could get better advice from vets... they charge enough!
Fortunately Mikey seems blissfully happy - not an ounce of aggression, doesn't try to mate with Pit Bull Terriers any more and adores playing for hours with his little friends in the park!
Do you have any photos of Spud? He sounds such a character!
Alison

Do any of your Shih Tzu owners have problems with your dogs scratching? Our 2 year old has started scratching like mad and pulling out huge clumps of hair. We have tried several things.... none of which worked.

My first thought would be a flea alergie (can't spell that and if I look it up I will forget what question I'm answering) Jackie

Has there been a recent change of feeding? maybe too high in protein or maybe a change of shampoo?
Dot

Yes! When we picked up Mikey at 4 months old from the kennels, he could not stop scratching. It drove him demented. My vet looked carefully at his skin under mounds of fluff and couldn't see any obvious cause - such as eczema.
Look out for scaly flaky skin or sore oozy bits! He told me to give him capsules of Oil of Evening Primrose.. which I have. And also a tiny bit of cod liver oil or vegetable oil occasionally in his food. He still occasionally scratches but it's nothing like it was. If he has any sore wet bits on his skin, sprinkle Mycil foot powder - a Shih tzu breeder told me it's brilliant and saves on vets bills!
There are also Evening primrose shampoos I think - sometimes if a little bit of shampoo is left on their fur and not rinsed off properly, that can cause scratching.
It could also be fleas or mites, so a visit to the vet might help if you don't know what to look for. I'm told mites look rather like walking dandruff!
Also watch out for too much protein in his feed... so far, have found Nutro to be good and am just about to try Burns as my little Shiddie is getting slightly porky!!
If he's pulling out clumps of fur, it sounds like it might be a skin problem like mites or eczema...so check it out!
Hope this helps a little - it's very hard to suss - what have you tried so far?
Good luck and let me know how you get on...