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I have been wanting to get a Shih Tzu since my kids are older now (7 and 10) but I went to a Tzu forum and a lot of owners over there were talking about how their Tzu's bite and snap even if you pick it up in a way it is not happy with. Granted, we never pick up a dog in a mean way but what if we are gentle and the dog thinks we are being too hard and it bites?
I also read a story where the dog takes on a different attitude as it gets older. I know two people who have a Shinese (part Tzu and part Peekinese) and it never attacks. Maybe because theirs is a mix of the two?
If anyone here has a Tzu, please share your stories and how would I go about teaching a dog to not bite or snap?
I love these dogs but I guess I just need to find a good breeder that breeds good temperament dogs.
Welcome to the forum, glad you took the plunge <G>.
Your last line said it all, find a quality breeder who breeds good temperments. Any dog can bite if provoked. While I never had a shih-tzu, I've been around several who are very friendly. They are toy dogs and given their size, if someone swoops down on them, they could react and bite, I think it would depend if they were in a deep sleep, felt nervous and overwhelmed etc. Wouldn't leave children alone w/ any dog.
Not familiar w/ Shinese (in fact never heard of them), they could be extraordinarily lucky or the dog/s just haven't reached the point where it would bite. Some mixes have wonderful temperments, some don't, just the same as purebreds. While many people tend to think golden retrievers have wonderful temperments (and many of them do), there are some who just don't - same w/ shih-tzu's or any other breed or mix (just using goldens as an example).
All puppies will playbite (nip) when they're small, like babies their teeth hurt (and will, for months) - they'll go after your toes, shoes, shoelaces etc - distracting them w/ a chew toy helps and getting Yuck or Bitter Apple should discourage it too (works best when wet, has to be reapplied often). Some are more nippy than others.
Am sure you'll get some good answers here, there's quite a few shih-tzu owners, some of whom post the greatest photos (hint, hint!).
I had a shih tzu, and she was great around kids. I have an autistic nephew that, when he first met her, pulled at her a bit, but she was cool and never even growled, let alone snap or bite him, and he learned to be more careful (sister says he's great w/ their own small dog and doesn't pull at anything anymore)
the "shinese' is, of course, another hyped up mixed breed w/ a cute name. there's nothing magical about that mix that would make it less likely to bite than the purebreds it's made up off. I'd be wary where such a dog may come from since a lot of these so called "hybrid"/designer breeds are being bred by questionable people w/ more focus on cuteness and less on health and temperament. best bet is to get shih or peke from a reputable breeder or go to a rescue/shelter and adopt a kid friendly one (though, I'll be truthful here: a lot of rescues won't adopt out small dogs to families w/ small kids and I've seen a few w/ an age cut off of 8 or 10 and up for toy breeds. stupid rule)
I think the major thing w/ a shih is to get it used to grooming. my shih HATED having her feet touched and she would mouth you if you held her paws. she would also try to run away if she saw me w/ a brush, though she could sit through short sessions w/o too much fuss. poor girl came to me as a matted, maggot infested (yup, shelter workers found maggots in her hair!) mess, so it didn't look like her previous owners ever bothered to groom her. if you get a puppy, get it used to being brushed, having its teeth examined, and having everything handled. having a shih who hates to be groomed isn't great
So sorry to hear about your Shih Tzu. No dog or cat for that matter should have gone through what your dog did. Whatever happened to her if you don't mind me asking?
I agree that if you start them out with grooming them, then they will get used to it. I brush the Samoyeds every week and she loves it. She just loves it.
she had liver issues so was PTS a few years ago. but she was about 12/13 so she wasn't very young and we had her for just about 8 years, so I had those years w/ her
it was more money, but it was just easier to get her cut in a puppy cut 4-5x a year (at almost $50 each time!) than to deal w/ trying to groom her. don't even get me started about her reaction to the hair dryer! i still don't know how the groomers managed to actually groom her w/o sedating her! but she seemed pretty happy when I would pick her up so they used some kind of magic (or a muzzle! poor old girl could put up a fight near a hair dryer!)
You know what I think it is about dogs and hair dryers? It is the noise that scares them. That is just my opinion. Even my sweet disposition Sammy does not care for the dryer but she will let me dry her. Doesn't mean she likes it.
hi catz -- i have a 12-year old shih tzu, my mom has a 10-year old shih tzu, and i have a friend who has a 9-year old shih tzu, and her mother has four shih tzus ranging in age. they are all smart and funny and VERY stubborn.
as for biting, well they're just like any other breed, you have to respect their space; socialize them when they're little to other animals, loud noises, and unexpected situations; and remember they're dogs who act like dogs. just because they are little (and oh-so-cute!) doesn't mean they won't snap or bite just like a bigger dog who is put into an uncomfortable situation.
as for kids, i don't know if shih tzus would be the best choice for a household with children just because as puppies they are SO small and they could be hurt accidentally by kids who are just playing. these puppies are just so tiny and vulnerable at eight weeks...
for example, i'm looking at barnaby's puppy chart (and keep in mind, he grew to be a big shih tzu adult at 20 pounds so he's bigger than a lot of adult shih tzus and grew faster), and at about six weeks, he was only 3.8 pounds. by 12 weeks, he was still only 7.6 pounds. and by his seventh month, he was still only 14.6 pounds.
right now, at his full weight and growth, i can hold his legs and feet in my hands, and his bones are so slender and fragile it feels like if i stepped on him too hard i'd break his legs.
i know you trust your kids totally with a puppy or you wouldn't be thinking about getting one from a breed so small, but just something to think about...
and, two other things...puppies will be bitey when they're teething, so you'll see that regardless of what kind of puppy you get. plus they play, play, play, scissoring down with those tiny little needle teeth as they go! you probably know that already, but i just wanted to mention it.
and, second, when they get older, dogs will sometimes begin to bite b/c if they develop health problems. this is absolutely something that happens with shih tzus...but it happens with all dogs when they don't feel well, and this change in personality is completely normal. if you respect their space and treat their illnesses medically, there is no reason that you can't still love and be happy with your dog.
and i want to qualify what i mean by "bite" b/c this sounds like unprovoked biting, and that is almost never the case. specifically, what i mean by medical-related biting is that the dog no longer likes to be picked up, or doesn't want to be moved out of a sleeping spot, or doesn't want someone to approach him, or is in pain and doesn't want to be disturbed, or has tender areas of the body that he doesn't want touched...and the owner doesn't respect that. i don't consider that to be "attacking" someone or biting unprovoked.
of course, you still have to be the alpha in your house, but, at the same time, you have to respect an aging or sick animal.
anyway, hope this helped. good luck finding a puppy! i know you'll find the perfect one for you!
Well, I don't know if this is typicalbut we were playing a game of Charades with several couples at our friends house. My husband acted something out that apparently the little shih tzu didn't like, and it jumped up in the air and bit him on the arm! Didn't break the skin but it did happen. Again, this may have not been a typical scenario but since you asked...
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but we were playing a game of Charades with several couples at our friends house. My husband acted something out that apparently the little shih tzu didn't like, and it jumped up in the air and bit him on the arm! Didn't break the skin but it did happen. Again, this may have not been a typical scenario but since you asked...
