Shih Tzu Review

I have a one year old male Shih Tzu. I got him when he was 4 months old & he is absolutely adorable. He is extremely spoilt and well cared for. I have not had any problems with him being vicious. We often joke he's like a grumpy old man as he sometimes gets a little moody if somebody interrupts when he is spending time with me. This is rare though, he's only done this about twice the whole time we've had him - never bitten anyone or anything but gets a bit moody and will move away from the person or turn his back on him when they try to pat him. He is very, very loyal and often can pick up on my moods. When I'm upset or sick he will climb up onto my bed and snuggle into me. He is a fantastic companion. But I know this might not apply to all Shih Tzu's, we have nurtured this behaviour since he was a puppy. We always discuss how we believe he is half human / half dog. He is such a little joker.



One night I was eating dessert on the couch watching tv. He was hanging around (hoping I would share!), when he realised he didn't have a chance he went outside. Then I heard this awful barking / yelping and I thought somebody had come into the yard & was attacking him! So I put my dessert down on the couch & rushed outside to his rescue! As soon as I was outside, he raced inside, jumped on the couch & started licking & eating my dessert !!!! So anyone who thinks Shih Tzu's are "dumb", "stupid" or "useless" - YOU are the FOOL. They are SO intelligent. The reason they won't comply to training methods is because they are SUPER arrogant! They won't listen to you if they believe they are higher in the "pack" than you. And trust me, unless you are firm they do think they are higher in the pack and are NOT going to be taking orders from somebody beneath them. So from the onset, you must be firm, direct and the boss. And then you will reap the rewards of a loyal, fun, energetic, intelligent, funny companion.



He is an inside dog and we he was true to nature in training him. I don't know if it took longer than most dogs (as he was my first puppy) but it did take a while to toilet train him. But in saying that, he's a little dog so it was never a big issue if he did an "accident" inside.



He does have a very sensitive stomach (as we have learnt) and I would reccommend only ever feeding a shih tzu dog food. I have had cattle dogs, daschund, poodle, sheep dog, husky and border collies but my Shih Tzu is my favourite. Full of personality and a dash of naughtiness. He's not uncontrollable, he just likes mischief. He often starts by giving you licks on your fingers than every now and again you'll feel a little nip, and if he thinks you haven't noticed & he can get away with it he'll start playfully nipping your hand! But a simple "uh" & he goes back to licking straight away. I would never give this dog up for the world and he is fantastic with Children Cats and other dogs. Very protective but not vicious.