Wednesday, November 02, 2005
Dogs
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Shih Tzu - Submissive Urination
Author: Connie Limon
If your puppy gets excited and wets herself, especially when you have company or when you first arrive from being away from her, this is called "submissive urination." This kind of urination is different from breaks in house training. Puppies often outgrow the problem as they do not have good bladder control. The older dog that does this may be lacking self-esteem.
Although dogs do not have the intelligence like a human in some areas such as being spiteful and mis-behaving, they do have some psychological aspects to their behaviors.
In a case such as this it helps if the owner will try to become deliberately less threatening. Avoid directly staring at your dog. Kneel down closer to his level rather than standing over him and encourage your dog to come to you rather than reaching out to get her. Your tone of voice should be soft and coaxing. Never, never punish a dog for submissive urination. Your dog is already submitting to you, "over-submitting," and you want to try and reverse some of this.
If any of your guests or family members have been agressive with your shih tzu, protect him and ask that they not approach him because of this problem of submissive urination you are experiencing with him.
It might be helpful to invite a cooperative friend or family member to sit on the floor and quietly talk with you. At first, ignore the shih tzu. If your shih tzu has not urinated at this point have the friend or family member speak a few words very quietly and gently to the dog, but from a distance. If the dog still does well, repeat the exercise the next day. If things still continue to go well, ask your friend or family member to pay just a bit more attention to your shih tzu and get just a little bit closer to him. Continue having these sessions, gradually increasing the visitor's and your contact with the dog. If the dog urinates, backtrack and reduce the time spent. As the dog matures submissive urination should get better and as the shih tzu learns he does not have to be extremely submissive to you.
Tips On Sanitation:
The best way to pick up and dispose of dog feces in an urban area is to scoop it up with one of the many pooper scoopers available and put it in a freezer type bag, then tie it closed or simply flush it down your sewer system. With small dogs such as the shih tzu the stools are small and even smaller and less if you use a good quality dog food like HealthyPetNet Life's Abundance All Natural Dog food and treats. If you are out walking, you can carry along paper towels, or a hand full of toilet paper to do the actual picking up (and you probably want to keep some plastic gloves handy for this purpose as well). Carry along some hand sanitizer to clean your hands afterwards. There are commercial products you can purchase, or you can use freezer bags or the bag your newspaper comes in.
In some areas there may be rules against putting feces in your trash. In this case, you can flush it down your sewer system or....after you have tied it in the freezer bag and placed it in another sturdy trash bag, this should be enough to keep the odor away and use a good quality dog food like HealthyPetNet Life's Abundance All Natural Dog Food to keep the smell of feces down. That way, your garbage pick-up people will be less likely to complain if the odor is contained appropriately. Remember to wash your hands many, many times throughout the day when you live with pets and use hand sanitizers. Always wash your hands before you eat or do anything with mouth or nose contact. I keep hand sanitizer in the pumps out all over the place so that I can quickly pump a scoop in my hands and then as soon as possible I also wash my hands with a good anti-bacterial soap for at least two minutes each time, scrubbing under my nails and up on my wrists. You should advise all children in a household with pets to do the same.
Keywords: shih tzu articles, shih tzu training, dog training, dog behavior, canine training, shih tzu puppies
About the Author
Connie Limon, Austin, Indiana, United States
connielimon@yahoo.com
Learn more about shih tzu training submisive urination
Connie Limon publishes a FREE weekly newsletter. A professional newsletter with a focus upon health and wellness for you and your pets. Discounts on shih tzu puppies are offered to subscribers. Sign up at: http://www.stainglassshihtzus.com
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Dogs
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Shih Tzu - Skin And Coat
Author: Connie Limon
Factors that adversely affect the health of a shih tzu's skin are genetics, the immune system, nutrition, hygiene, bugs, and hormones.
Nutrition is the key to good skin health. If your shih tzu is prone to skin disease first check with a holistic practitioner or a conventional vet to see if he/she can recommend a nutritional program specifically for your particular shih tzu.
There is no single diet that can suit all the needs of all dogs, whether it be shih tzu or bulldog. Every dog is different. One dog might be deficient in one vitamin whereas another dog might be just fine. This is why the HealthyPetNet Life's Abundance's formulator formulated a daily supplement to pick up the slack where the food leaves off. One of my recommendations would be to use HealthyPetNet Life's Abundance dog food and the daily supplement. HealthyPetNet also produces a skin and coat supplement that can be added if your shih tzu still has skin problems. HealthyPetNet also produces a daily skin and coat health bar you can add to your dog's daily menu.
Whatever diet you provide, it needs to be hypo-allergenic for your individual dog. Adding supplements such as vitamin A, C and E and antioxidants especially the Omega-3 fatty acids are beneficial and can all be found in the HealthyPetNet line of products.
Herbal remedies may be helpful. Herbal remedies can enhance the immune system, provide a rich source of antioxidants and other nutrients and relieve itchiness.
An accurate professional diagnosis is necessary to adequately treat skin problems. A professional holistic or conventional vet can provide several different types of tests to determine the cause of your shih tzu's skin conditions. You must also realize the skin is an extremely complex organ system that requires an approach to treatment that is oftentimes multi-faceted, requiring the use of many different disciplines of knowledge. So the first step in accurately treating your shih tzu's skin problem would be a visit to your holistic or conventional vet. If the recommendation on nutrition is something other than the HealthyPetNet Life's Abundance Nutritional System, and you continue to experience problems inspite of all you try, then it certainly would not hurt to present the idea to your vet of changing over to the HealthyPetNet System of Nutrition, or just make the changeover yourself to see if this helps your problem.
Honestly, I have fed no other food that has provided my shih tzu with better nutrition for their skin and just in general good health. I know they have more energy, their eyes are brighter and the hair is shinier with no flakey skin. I think the food gives their immune system an extra boost. I also use the HealthyPetNet shampoos.
However, in all honesty, you need to follow the advice of your own vet when you are trying to solve any kind of a health problem with your shih tzu, as I would do the same. Presently, I am experiencing no particular health or skin problems in my shih tzu, especially since making the switch over to this new dog food and shampoos.
I think the air in an environment also affects the skin and coat of dogs. I would recommend anyone having pets in their home to have a good air cleaner. I like the systems produced by EcoQuest, and have found them to be better at odor reducing. I suffer from allergies myself and have at times been without medicine, but with the air cleaners, and I feel like this is what kept me free of symptoms for so long. I eventually went back on my medicine, because there were days when I had increased symptoms, but I truly think, without the air cleaners I use, I could have not survived one day without my Allegra D. So I think it is important to have an adequate air cleaner in everyone's home, but especially the homes you share with pets to improve the health of both you and your pets as well as your hair and skin.
Keywords: shih tzu articles, shih tzu grooming, shih tzu information, shih tzu skin and coat, shih tzu health
About the Author
Connie Limon, Austin, Indiana, United States
connielimon@yahoo.com
Learn more about shih tzu skin and coat grooming
Connie Limon publishes a FREE weekly newsletter. A professional newsletter with a focus upon health and wellness for you and your pets. Discounts on shih tzu puppies are offered to subscribers. Sign up at: http://www.stainglassshihtzus.com
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