Shih Tzu Thread!!

[Granny Hatchet]

He’s adorable! Very handsome fella!

But wow he really is huge!! LOL what breed was the dad?

I love him.

I dont know the breed of the daddy. He was huge, black, short hair guy. Im guessing some type of hound/bird dog. My dog howls, always has his nose to the sky and wonders why he cant jump high enough to catch them birds. He barks most the day. At anything. Thats my biggest fault w/ him.

 

[ShrekDawg]

Sparky was a mix. His mom was a German wire hair pointer and dad was a weimareiner.(sp)
Never can spell that breed.



Got all of them except my Jack.

Jack is Sparky's brother so a German wired weimareiner.
Can't beat that German engineering.

Jack is 110# big ole smarty pants.

German wired weimareiner that’s a great breed name.. you should sell them and get rich

And wow that’s a huge dog!!

May want to work on reducing the size first before they hit the market.... maybe try breeding with a poodle or chihuahua... or Shih Tzu

*Kidding of course, would never actually advocate designer dogs haha

A small taste of what I deal with throughout the day.....turn up the volume and replace the puppy with a baying coon hound.

https://laughingsquid.com/alaskan-malamute-teaches-puppy-how-to-howl/

The howlathon bay off occurs multiple times a day here.
it is LOUD.

For anyone thinking of a malamute....
They are a very dominant breed, need a strong consistent leader, shed A LOT, require brushing 2-3 times a week, have a lot of energy, are bred to pull so walks are a challenge, have a very strong prey drive, can fling dirt at least 30 feet when digging to China, and are BIG. Oh I forgot to mention.....loud.

Things to be aware of.

Ooooooohhhhhhh boy how do you do it!? I would go insane! LOL I like watching videos of dogs howling and baying but I don’t think I could ever actually live with it haha I like my quiet

And oh wow they definitely sound like a challenging breed! But probably great if you know what you’re doing/know what you’re getting into... which you must getting a second one.

And I thought I read they can be dog aggressive too? Maybe not if raised with them?

 

[ShrekDawg]

I dont know the breed of the daddy. He was huge, black, short hair guy. Im guessing some type of hound/bird dog. My dog howls, always has his nose to the sky and wonders why he cant jump high enough to catch them birds. He barks most the day. At anything. Thats my biggest fault w/ him.

Ah that makes sense. Probably was a hound then especially with his howling habits ha

I bet all that barking and howling would get annoying for sure!

Assuming he gets plenty of exercise?

He may just take after his daddy

 

[21hens-incharge]

German wired weimareiner that’s a great breed name.. you should sell them and get rich

And wow that’s a huge dog!!

May want to work on reducing the size first before they hit the market.... maybe try breeding with a poodle or chihuahua... or Shih Tzu

*Kidding of course, would never actually advocate designer dogs haha



Ooooooohhhhhhh boy how do you do it!? I would go insane! LOL I like watching videos of dogs howling and baying but I don’t think I could ever actually live with it haha I like my quiet

And oh wow they definitely sound like a challenging breed! But probably great if you know what you’re doing/know what you’re getting into... which you must getting a second one.

And I thought I read they can be dog aggressive too? Maybe not if raised with them?

Yes Malamute are a handful.
Dog aggressive? Not what we have experienced. I can see how them being a dominant personality can be seen as aggressive. They want to be the one in charge when there is more than just one dog. If there is a "top dog challenge" they will step up and defend their pack position.
For that very reason I would not recommend them with little bossy breeds.

I have to remind ours every day that I am the boss. Yes every day. Early in the day too.
Just 30 minutes ago we had our daily lesson in "mom's the boss".


They are pack dogs that work as a team to pull sleds. They are also historically kept at more than a chains length apart.....for a reason.

Definitely not a beginner dog.

 

[ShrekDawg]

Yes Malamute are a handful.
Dog aggressive? Not what we have experienced. I can see how them being a dominant personality can be seen as aggressive. They want to be the one in charge when there is more than just one dog. If there is a "top dog challenge" they will step up and defend their pack position.
For that very reason I would not recommend them with little bossy breeds.

I have to remind ours every day that I am the boss. Yes every day. Early in the day too.
Just 30 minutes ago we had our daily lesson in "mom's the boss".


They are pack dogs that work as a team to pull sleds. They are also historically kept at more than a chains length apart.....for a reason.

Definitely not a beginner dog.

That makes sense!! This is all very interesting. Thanks! I can see how in the wrong hands they would end up an aggressive neurotic mess haha

And oh boy! Daily!?

 

[21hens-incharge]

That makes sense!! This is all very interesting. Thanks! I can see how in the wrong hands they would end up an aggressive neurotic mess haha

And oh boy! Daily!?

Yes every single day. Some days it is quick with a sharp verbal reprimand but most days it is bringing her in by the collar and putting her into a sit, lay, stay then a release from the stay after a couple minutes.
Seriously it has been this way since she was 4-5 months old.
Our other Malamute was a male. He was far more challenging. I was NEVER able to grab his collar.

 

[ShrekDawg]

Yes every single day. Some days it is quick with a sharp verbal reprimand but most days it is bringing her in by the collar and putting her into a sit, lay, stay then a release from the stay after a couple minutes.
Seriously it has been this way since she was 4-5 months old.
Our other Malamute was a male. He was far more challenging. I was NEVER able to grab his collar.

Oh wow that definitely sounds challenging! Haha

 

[ShrekDawg]

Okay, speaking of challenging/training, maybe we could talk a bit about what Shih Tzu’s are like to train if anybody is interested? Are they pretty smart or not really? Somewhere in the middle? Hard to housebreak? I know some little breeds can be. Personality? Some of this stuff might be useful to someone considering the breed.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

When I groomed them they seem passive aggressive. They would never bite, but they also wouldn't cooperate. If I said sit, they stood up. If I tried to hold their head still they moved about. They all had an independent spunk to them. People who owned them seemed to adore them. So they must have some good qualities.

 

[21hens-incharge]

Okay, speaking of challenging/training, maybe we could talk a bit about what Shih Tzu’s are like to train if anybody is interested? Are they pretty smart or not really? Somewhere in the middle? Hard to housebreak? I know some little breeds can be. Personality? Some of this stuff might be useful to someone considering the breed.

I agree kind of passive aggressive/independent thinkers.

The one we had was already an adult, we think when rescued. Maybe a little over a year old. He was sweet, loved being with me all the time. Not such a fan of men but then his background was sketchy at best.
He paid close attention and learned new things easily. He was not housebroken when he came here but my other dogs helped a lot with that.
He was playful, snuggly and brave.

Would I recommend them as a pet. Yes I would. Most dogs do well with a calm confident owner and I found that no different with that little guy.

Interesting side note.....he had been starved. He was 1/2 the normal weight of a Shi-tzu when he got here. Yet even with all that hunger he was not good aggressive in the least. He had been chased and cornered many times by strays in that area he came from but was never fearful of my big dogs.