Life with my arrogant but funny Shih Tzu

I got my beautiful Shih tzu when I was about 6 months old. I got it from a friend of mine who had to be separated from his dog because he had recently moved into a condo and no dogs were allowed there. I still remember the day I first got my Sasha. The door was thrown open and this big ball of fur came running happily towards me. I was a bit surprised. It was like this big hairball had known me for years. At six months, his black and white hair was long and dense. In fact, he was looking at his coat. A Shih tzu has two coats (the outer coat and the inner coat). The outer coat is long, silky hair that reaches down to the ground. The undercoat is the short hair layers underneath the outer layer. I have had dogs as pets before, but never like Sasha. Sasha had personality! It was like something like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. One moment she was happy and playful and the next she was arrogant and proud. Sometimes I called her and she came to me happily, but other times she showed me attitude. I felt like I had to have a treat in hand for her to come to me, at least that’s what her face was telling me. I guess it has to do with the Shih tzu’s ancestry. Shih tzu means “lion dog” in Chinese. That makes sense. Long hair that is normally short on a dog is quite long on this particular breed. Believe it or not, they were given to Chinese royalty as gifts and as lap dog companions. Wow, who would have thought he had a dog that was once considered royalty? However, Sasha acted like a princess. In the 5 years I’ve had Sasha, she only licked me twice and she was on my foot. That is not normal for a dog. Dogs love to lick, especially their owners. Oh yeah, Sasha licked me a few more times, but only when she had food in her hand.

Cleaning it was not an easy task for me. Fortunately, its previous owner had it well groomed. When grooming this particular breed, you need to pay close attention behind the ears, behind the armpits, chest, stomach, and groin. Shih Tzu need to groom themselves daily to avoid tangles and tangles. This is especially important if your dog has more than two inches of hair. I usually fix it with a more polished brush, paintbrush, and hanging spray. I tried using a metal comb, but he didn’t like that one bit. She gave me a hard time when I used the metal comb. I’m very careful when grooming her, so I made sure to handle the comb well, but something about the comb scared her. Maybe she doesn’t like metal or maybe she’s just being Sasha? Being the first owner of this particular breed, I had no idea that it had to be groomed frequently. She only brushed her hair three times a week, less if she was tired from all the work and choruses she did every day. My fiance and daughter were unable to help with the grooming as Sasha only allowed me to brush her. God forbid if they even stroked her hair! This caused tangles and tangles. I took her to a well known hairdresser in my area and was embarrassed. I felt like the worst dog owner in the world. Sasha had to shave completely. She looked hysterical. In fact, I could see that he had a long body. Her hair made her look like she weighed a ton when in reality she only weighed 10 1/2 pounds, which is a good weight for a Shih tzu. They normally weigh between 9 and 16 pounds when they are adults. The stinky tears that had collected under her eyes disappeared. They told me to keep my hair out of her eyes. Putting your hair in a small ponytail or cutting the hair around the eyes also helps.

The nice thing about Shih tzu is long hair that doesn’t fall out, although it can fall a bit when the hair is short. Since he does not move due to his now long hair, from time to time I allow him to lie down on our bed. Even though I’m really paranoid about dirty sheets, I make sure to wash my duvet covers frequently, especially when Sasha has gotten over my duvet cover. Fortunately, duvet covers are easy to wash! These last 5 years have been quite interesting having Sasha around, but I love her. His is even more for Sasha, but then this article will become a long story. It may have its flaws, but it also has its good side. She can be playful, funny, sweet, and a great companion. I wouldn’t trade it for the world.