Shih Tzu.. Pros, Cons? Information!

[STLDisney_Freak]

Thank You everyone for your responses. I appreciate them. Right now, we have two elderly pugs, ages 14 and 12....both of them are blind and my 14 year old is incontinenced so he has to wear a belly band. With the older ages of our two dogs, my daughter (the 5 year old) got a chihuahua from her grandmother a year ago which she named Ariel. We are attempting to find our other daughter (the seven year old) a dog that she will love. She is the one wanting a shih tzu and from the description it sounds like what she is looking for. She is wanting a laid back dog that sits with her and will be a lap dog. She is looking for a breed that is not hyper. Yes we want it to play, but no we don't want its energy notched to 100 for the entire day and never calm down. You all have been very helpful.

 

[cc1013]

She does have a funny little habit of fake sneezing to get what she wants. My sister also has one that does that.
Donna

Hahaha, Buster does the same thing. At first we thought he had allergies, so during a regular vet visit, we brought it up. Then he did it in front of the vet. She laughed and explained that he was just looking to get our attention.

 

[OK!]

My parents have a Shih Tzu that comes with his own host of neuroses due to his experiences before they got him (he's a rescue). Apparently, one of his previous owners was an elderly gentleman who had lung issues that eventually killed him, so now Max absolutely HATES the sound of coughing. He'll start shaking and, if it's really bad, he leaves the room.

He also has a bit of an attitude in that he can no longer be left alone outside or he'll take off for the neighbors to visit their dogs, etc. In a normal neighborhood this wouldn't be a huge deal, but my mom & dad live in a rural area where the houses are often a quarter-mile apart. Oh, and he won't come when called if he's playing with a neighbor dog, so you have to go fetch him. Often, even if he's not busy doing something else, he still won't come when called. There have been times I've called him and he's turned around, looked me in the eye, and then turned back around and kept right on running the opposite direction.

That said, he's cute as can be and his behavior has gotten MUCH better than it used to be. He no longer tries his little stunts on me when I'm housesitting for my parents, which is nice. He's also a big snuggler and always wants to be with people. He gets along very well with their other dog (a yellow Lab) and their cat (he and Chopper, the cat, are actually best buddies...when Chopper had to stay at the vets' for a few days due to a cold that got out of control, the first thing she did when she got home is make a beeline for Max so she could rub up against him. ). He's a very, very sweet dog; he's just not the sharpest tack in the box.

 

[Tuffcookie]

Here is my "Odd Couple", Hunter & Dudley:

TC