Shih Tzu

Andrew33

Hi all, I have recently adopted a shih tzu into my family, he's a rescue dog and was badly neglected for the first couple of years of his life so he has a few "issues" but he has a loving home now and he's coming on fine. Couple of things I could do with advice on though, he doesn't seem to like eating too early in the day so we've only been feeding him once a day (usually mid afternoon), thing is, we've caught him regurgitating some of his lunch into a corner of his bed and saving it for later! pretty gross and we clean it up immediately, why is he doing this? secondly, when horse playing with him he has a tendency to use his mouth a lot, he'll grab your hand with his mouth but he doesn't exert any pressure but I'd worry that it'd develop into a biting habit which would be bad:eek:. Any advice welcome.

lorebringer

Andrew33 wrote: »

Hi all, I have recently adopted a shih tzu into my family, he's a rescue dog and was badly neglected for the first couple of years of his life so he has a few "issues" but he has a loving home now and he's coming on fine. Couple of things I could do with advice on though, he doesn't seem to like eating too early in the day so we've only been feeding him once a day (usually mid afternoon), thing is, we've caught him regurgitating some of his lunch into a corner of his bed and saving it for later! pretty gross and we clean it up immediately, why is he doing this? secondly, when horse playing with him he has a tendency to use his mouth a lot, he'll grab your hand with his mouth but he doesn't exert any pressure but I'd worry that it'd develop into a biting habit which would be bad:eek:. Any advice welcome.

Are you feeding him quite a big meal? If so, he may have just eaten too much and vomit as a result (he is probably doing it in a hidden place because lots of dogs don't want to mess in the house, if they are house trained). Because of his breed, I would recommend feeding him twice a day. If he won't eat in the morning, try him at lunch and again in the evening, with smaller meals. Ensure he is on a good quality food and is getting the correct amount for his situation (size, activity level etc.). Also, make sure that after he eats he can go to the toilet so that he can empty himself before he digests his food.

With regards to the mouthing (putting his mouth around your hand) - if you let a high pitched squeal and stop play for a while he will get the message that when your hand/arm goes into his mouth you don't like it and won't play with him. It mimics what his mother and litter mates did when he was a pup. It is very effective and they tend to get the message pretty quickly.

Andrew33

lorebringer wrote: »

Are you feeding him quite a big meal? If so, he may have just eaten too much and vomit as a result (he is probably doing it in a hidden place because lots of dogs don't want to mess in the house, if they are house trained). Because of his breed, I would recommend feeding him twice a day. If he won't eat in the morning, try him at lunch and again in the evening, with smaller meals. Ensure he is on a good quality food and is getting the correct amount for his situation (size, activity level etc.). Also, make sure that after he eats he can go to the toilet so that he can empty himself before he digests his food.

With regards to the mouthing (putting his mouth around your hand) - if you let a high pitched squeal and stop play for a while he will get the message that when your hand/arm goes into his mouth you don't like it and won't play with him. It mimics what his mother and litter mates did when he was a pup. It is very effective and they tend to get the message pretty quickly.

Thanks Lore, thats kind of along the lines I was thinking re the feeding, 2 small meals rather than one big one. Just need to get him into the habit! re the mouthing thing, I tend to agree with you on that too but a vet told us it was harmless and it was just him being playful which is all fine til he nips a stranger! Cheers.

mymo

One of my dogs will rarely eat before 10am, He gets up with us at 7 and mooches around the house until school time, goes for a good walk and when we get back he can still turn his nose up at his breakfast. As we have a smaller dog too, she was eating his breakfast too and putting on weight, so I leave it as late as I can and leave the bowls down for 10 mins, then remove the food.
This has got him eating at least some if not all the food now(after 8 or so weeks:o). Evenings are no problem, cleans his bowl.
If you have to go too work and don't have time to hang on,use a kong, or the feeding ball toy, If I have to go out for a few hours I stuff a kong with his dry food and bit of mashed veg(left from dinner night before and you can also freeze this great for summer) and leave them one each instead of a bowl of breakfast. That he will eat every time:rolleyes: Its handy if you don't have time too wait for his meal time and keeps him busy while we're out.

I tried feeding once a day but he got very thin and also vomited in his bed as yours does, I think from eating to much in one go.

Andrew33

Thanks Mymo, I've never heard of a "kong". Must look for one.

lorebringer

http://www.zooplus.ie/shop/dogs/dog_toys_dog_training/kongs

Most decent pet stores sell them too.