I have the chance to get an ADORABLE little shih Tzu female. I'm just worried how Meish will adapt to it. The dog is still a puppy and would be kennel trained. Do you think the dog being confined like that would make Meish feel a little more at ease?
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- Thread starter ali012281
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A kennel would definitely help.
Since shih-tzus are small dogs bred to be house pets, they're usually pretty good with cats, especially if this one is a puppy - then Meishka would be in charge right from the start.
(it is possible to introduce a grown dog to a cat household, but only if you're 100% certain the dog is good with cats.) One of my foster kittens went to a home with a shih-tzu, and they've grown to be best buddies.
As far as how Meishka would adjust, it's hard to say for certain - every cat is different. Out of my 5 cats: 2 love my dogs, 2 ignore them, and 1 has learned to ignore them over time, but she's still a little bit nervous around them (but they're both med-to-large dogs, which can be a bit intimidating, and both were adult dogs when they were introduced to my cats). Taking the introduction slowly will help.
Here's a really good article about introducing a dog to a cat household:
Cat to Dog Introductions (click here)
If you get the dog, I'd love to see pics.
As far as how Meishka would adjust, it's hard to say for certain - every cat is different. Out of my 5 cats: 2 love my dogs, 2 ignore them, and 1 has learned to ignore them over time, but she's still a little bit nervous around them (but they're both med-to-large dogs, which can be a bit intimidating, and both were adult dogs when they were introduced to my cats). Taking the introduction slowly will help.
Here's a really good article about introducing a dog to a cat household:
Cat to Dog Introductions (click here)
If you get the dog, I'd love to see pics.
My friend was given a Shih Tzu puppy a few months ago, and that pup is almost a cat!
yea, i had my pup first before i got my kitty, river was all weird and afriad of phoenix, but luckily they are friends now
Jelo is a shihtzu and he's wonderful!
He has never been around cats and when he came, there was absolutely no problem with him getting along with my kitties. Must be the breed.
shihtzus are wonderful with cats and since she is a puppy i'm sure she will settle in just fine
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Thank guys. I'm nervous. I feel like I neglect Meish being away all day as it is. I have a neighbor that said she'd come over in the middle of the day to take the dog to potty for me if I wanted her to. I would feel guilty kennel training her but from what I've read it is the best way and the dogs really don't care. Angel (the dog) sleeps with her current owners but she also has a habbit of pooping in the house with them. I don't want that to continue here. I think she is young enough to be broken of the habbit, expecially coming into a new home. I've still got more thinking to do... but I'd really love to get her. I was really suprised that DH was so open to the idea of getting a 'fru fru' dog... he'd adore her though lol. It is a scarey decision!! Have people with Shih tzu's had an easy time training them? Will I need to kennel her forever or will she eventually be able to roam free? How long does it normally take?? Thanks!!!
When I moved in with my fiance', I brought my large, adult dog into his cat only home.
My dog of course is crate trained, so for the first three days he was crated except for potty breaks and meals and of course playtime outside.
After that, he was crated half the day, then crated only when supervised.
The cats made the adjustment just fine.
Now I share my bed with a big dog and anywhere from 3 to 5 cats every night
The cats we brought in later as kittens adore the dog, too bad he's afraid of them.
My dog of course is crate trained, so for the first three days he was crated except for potty breaks and meals and of course playtime outside.
After that, he was crated half the day, then crated only when supervised.
The cats made the adjustment just fine.
Now I share my bed with a big dog and anywhere from 3 to 5 cats every night
The cats we brought in later as kittens adore the dog, too bad he's afraid of them.
[
Here is a link that speaks briefly about crate training and I have also cut and pasted a sample puppy schedule here for you...Depending on the age of the puppy, you cannot leave it in a crate allowing it only once out in the day.
A puppy bladder is small and he cannot possibly hold it all day or even to be let out only once (depending on age)...Usually, the rule is however many months the puppy is, that is how long he can hold it..So, if puppy is 3 months old, he should be let out every 3 hours...
The next best thing is to start off with is a lino'ed bathroom or kitchen gated area if you have to leave him too long...with the crate in the area...and toys, and water...The very best thing is to have someone come take him out to pee and poop and eat during the day though..
Good luck!
http://www.perfectpaws.com/crt.html
Puppy training Schedule
Depending on the age of your puppy will depend on how many meals he eats a day. Puppies up to about six months should be getting three meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner. Feed Puppy at the same time each meal and use a potty schedule that corresponds to eating. Here is an example:
6:30 a.m. - wake up and take Puppy to go potty.
6:45 a.m. - feed Puppy in crate and give him water.
7:15 a.m. - take Puppy to go potty.
Young puppies have small bladders and less capacity. They may need to go out every couple of hours during the day.
11:30 a.m. - take Puppy potty
11:45 a.m. - feed Puppy in crate
12:30 p.m. - take Puppy potty
Puppies, like children, benefit from naps after play. Put Puppy in his crate with a drink and a few safe toys and let him "go sleepies" for an hour or so.
4:30 p.m. - take Puppy potty
5:00 p.m. - feed Puppy supper in crate
5:30 p.m. - take Puppy potty
Evenings, especially in the summer when it is cooler, are a great time to take Puppy for walks and socialize him. Plus, this will help tire him out for the evening.
8:00 p.m. - pick up water for evening
9:00 p.m. - take Puppy potty
9:30 p.m. - put Puppy in crate for bed
Note: young puppies cannot be expected to hold all night. It can be months until they have enough bladder control so be patient.
Look for signals between scheduled potty times that Puppy needs to go out: sniffing around the ground, circling, etc. When you see him start this, say a sharp "AAAAH! NO" to stop the action and then say in a happy tone some thing like "Want to go out?" Take Puppy outside immediately to his potty area and encourage him to go. I use "Go Kennel!".
You can use "Get Busy", "Go Potty" or whatever you like - just use the same command each time and praise as soon as the action happens. My dogs will stand by the door to signal they have to go out. I know people who have taught dogs to rings bells hanging from the doorknob.
Hi,
Here is a link that speaks briefly about crate training and I have also cut and pasted a sample puppy schedule here for you...Depending on the age of the puppy, you cannot leave it in a crate allowing it only once out in the day.
A puppy bladder is small and he cannot possibly hold it all day or even to be let out only once (depending on age)...Usually, the rule is however many months the puppy is, that is how long he can hold it..So, if puppy is 3 months old, he should be let out every 3 hours...
The next best thing is to start off with is a lino'ed bathroom or kitchen gated area if you have to leave him too long...with the crate in the area...and toys, and water...The very best thing is to have someone come take him out to pee and poop and eat during the day though..
Good luck!
http://www.perfectpaws.com/crt.html
Puppy training Schedule
Depending on the age of your puppy will depend on how many meals he eats a day. Puppies up to about six months should be getting three meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner. Feed Puppy at the same time each meal and use a potty schedule that corresponds to eating. Here is an example:
6:30 a.m. - wake up and take Puppy to go potty.
6:45 a.m. - feed Puppy in crate and give him water.
7:15 a.m. - take Puppy to go potty.
Young puppies have small bladders and less capacity. They may need to go out every couple of hours during the day.
11:30 a.m. - take Puppy potty
11:45 a.m. - feed Puppy in crate
12:30 p.m. - take Puppy potty
Puppies, like children, benefit from naps after play. Put Puppy in his crate with a drink and a few safe toys and let him "go sleepies" for an hour or so.
4:30 p.m. - take Puppy potty
5:00 p.m. - feed Puppy supper in crate
5:30 p.m. - take Puppy potty
Evenings, especially in the summer when it is cooler, are a great time to take Puppy for walks and socialize him. Plus, this will help tire him out for the evening.
8:00 p.m. - pick up water for evening
9:00 p.m. - take Puppy potty
9:30 p.m. - put Puppy in crate for bed
Note: young puppies cannot be expected to hold all night. It can be months until they have enough bladder control so be patient.
Look for signals between scheduled potty times that Puppy needs to go out: sniffing around the ground, circling, etc. When you see him start this, say a sharp "AAAAH! NO" to stop the action and then say in a happy tone some thing like "Want to go out?" Take Puppy outside immediately to his potty area and encourage him to go. I use "Go Kennel!".
You can use "Get Busy", "Go Potty" or whatever you like - just use the same command each time and praise as soon as the action happens. My dogs will stand by the door to signal they have to go out. I know people who have taught dogs to rings bells hanging from the doorknob.
Be afraid, be very afraid of the Shih tzu! I had one once, Deux, and I spoiled her totally rotten! She is the only small dog I ever had, and due to her sweet innocent look, I truly did not do a good job of training her.
She was extremely bright, and quite a little sweetie. Once when she stayed at my friend's house for a few days, I took a bag of toys and food. Every time they would play with her, when they were done playing, she would put her toys back in the bag!
But I left her loose outside, thinking she would stay with my large dog who was tied out all day while I went to work. Deux was always on the porch when I left, and when I got home. Come to find out she was running through the neighborhood all day, getting in people's trash, etc. She just became a little stinker!
If this puppy Angel has already learned to potty in the house, you will need to be very proactive on training her. When I am housebreaking a pup, I keep them crated basically all day. Every hour, you take them outside to go potty. If they potty outside, you allow them time (about 30 minutes) to roam when they get back inside, but watch them closely. If they don't pottywhen outside, take them back in after they get some exercise, and back into the crate. If you do this the first 3 days you have the pup, they never make a mistake on the floor, and they learn to potty outside. And you will learn how often your pup needs to potty, so you know when to watch them closer and take them out.
Dogs are very much creatures of habit, and once they learn it is ok to potty in your house you have a problem. And puppies are babies, so it is hard to "discipline" when you find a puddle later. By using the crate alot at first, puppy is just rewarded for going potty outside. (When he does potty outside, you praise him as if he laid a golden egg!)
Since a puppy is a baby, obviously he cannot tolerate long hours in the crate, so the going outside hourly, and lots of attention is extremely important!
Good luck if you get this baby. Remember not to make my mistake and spoil Angel just because she is a cutie!
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