Bathing

In between trips to the groomers (once every 4-6 weeks), I give my dogs a bath every 1-2 weeks. I have found that Shih Tzu are like cats, they like to be clean! Cheeko would just walk right into the shower when I open the door; I don't have to say anything, he just knows it is time! Fonfon needs some verbal encouragement but would also walk in by himself. The other two don't love the water as much. I use baby shampoo.

After eating or drinking, Cheeko would always wipe his face on a rug or a throw on the couch, he likes to keep his whiskers clean! Fonfon licks his paws and cleans his face just like a cat. The other two do not display special cleaning routines, but they always snuggle up to you extra close after a bath, as if they know they smell so good!

On the rare occasion that they get an upset stomach and have diarrhea; you can always tell if Fonfon has a messy bottom due to this because he would have this look on his face that says "I am so sorry, I made a big mess, please help!"

Personalities

Like people, every Shih-Tzu is different. However, there are some qualities that are fairly consistent in all Shih Tzu (at least in the four that I have owned):

• adores companionship 
• loving 
• playful
• highly intelligent
• loyal
• friendly
• independent in thinking

Some Shih Tzu are more sensitive than others. My dog Cheeko ranks number 1 in this department! He hates to be left at home when we go out. If we so much as get dressed, he knows we are on our way out and starts to look sad and depressed - he lowers his chin almost to the floor, and his tail is down. He would keep looking at us this way until he hears the magic word "car car", which means we agree to take him with us and he can jump into the car. If we can not take him, he would just keep looking pathetic. When we get home, he would "cry" in protest for having left him for so long. None of my other 3 Shih Tzu behave this way. Of course they are all excited when we come home, but none appear to be so upset if we do not take them.

Because they are so intelligent, Shih Tzu only learn what they want to learn, if they want to learn. They are very independent in their thoughts, and do not take orders 'just because'. They are trainable to a certain degree, and can remember commands, but sometimes they can behave like rebellious children.

Shih Tzu are very sensitive to noises, and are good watch dogs. They will bark when someone rings the door bells, or stands by the front door, but as soon as you let them in, they realise they are your friends and stop barking almost immediately. This makes them ideal for small apartment living, as they do not bark consistently like some other breeds. In general, they like to be friends with everybody!

All Shih Tzu are playful. When I have visitors to the house, Cheeko would try to sit next to them, Dato would sit by their feet looking at them in the eyes, Chocho would go bring his favorite toy and put it on the floor as if to say "Do you want to play fetch?", and Fonfon would turn his belly over to say "Rub me!" They all want to be the center of attention!

Exercise

Another great quality of Shih Tzus is that they 'exercise' themselves. If you have a staircase in your house, and you give them lots of toys, they will play with their toys and run up and down the stairs all day! Don't get me wrong, they still LOVE to go for walks and enjoy the outdoors, but if you have a busy lifestyle, you do not have to walk your Shih Tzu everyday like you might need to do with some other breeds. My dog Chocho especially loves to play fetch with himself - he would throw his toy high up in the air, sometimes across the entire room, and go fetch it! He would do this at least once a day, usually for about 5 minutes at a time, or until he is exhausted!

Sun Bath

 

 In the mornings, the dogs like to sit on the stairs to soak up the warm sun.

Toys

Shih Tzus love toys. I suppose all dogs do. They love to play fetch. Chocho in particular, has a great memory. He can remember names of up to 10 toys in a row without getting confused! Cheeko was also good at that, but his record was about 3 toys. If you have a busy lifestyle and can not play with your dogs much, make sure you give them plenty of toys to keep themselves occupied. My dogs love squeaky toys; they have destroyed many! They love soft animals. They do not like hard rubber toys too much at all. Fonfon loves those twisted ropes. He would go for hours trying to untwist!