yeah seriously if you dont have the time (working all this), dont get a dog. they tend to get some behaviourial problems if you leave them unattended, destructive all this.

It is best to have a dog if you have a landed property.... why? So you won't get into trouble and also the dog can have freedom and feel happy.

No shedding and no barking.... go get a Basenji but then you would have to import that breed and it would cost you RM5k above just to import that dog...

Eating poo, not all shih tzus do it... you haven't been reading enough.... any breed of dog can eat back their own stool if they have a digestive or gut problem. So don't just think only shih tzu eat back their poo.

I agree with GTR, do not get a dog now.... get it only when you have ample space, live in a landed house and have the time for a dog. A dog is very different from a rabbit or small animal... I spend almost 14 hours a day with my dogs and they require so much care compared to my small animals, I only need to spend say 15 minutes to 30 minutes with each small animal... If I were staying in an apartment, I would wait for a day where I can have a landed home so that the dog can have the best throughout his or her life.

actualy if u realy love ur dog..how bz u oso ll tk out sum time to play with them..accompany them..comb them..talk to them..they ll feel it one..but jz dun leave them alone for too long in the house..i guess they ll b happy if u spend more time with them...even u bz with ur stuf at home,if u stil with them,they oso very satisfied d..i guess they ll understd la..so u can spend more time when u r having holidays..bring them out o wateva...anyway.hop u can consider carefully la~

Yap, having dogs need lots of commitments, like me & my gf, spend most of the time at home coz we have many dogs, need to be responsible lo, no more shopping, go vacation oso cant go together, sad sad. But satisfied, happy & feel worth it coz we got lovely dogs.

I really respect your action. But I feel something the same as you. However I still go pak toh la.. Pak toh (go out walk with prince)

HEHEHE but you really, I would said You are The MAN ! (Man = Mankind)

agree with M2K2

Aiseh, don say lidet la.. I'm sure most ppl here love their dogs very much.

Jus wana ask, anyone here what's the proper way to train dogs? If dogs do mistakes all the times, like, running out of the gate when it's not supposed to, do u guys hit them to teach them a lesson>? pls advice.

Your dogs will always feel excited when go out for a walk, so always make sure he is on leash, then command him to sit. Until he sit down properly, only u command go & start have fun walking ur dog! If he does not sit, do not bring him out until he sit. When time passes, he will understand that he can only go out through your command.

Of corse at times when u open the door, he might want to rush out, juz say a firm NO! + the above method, he will learn.

Heya,
WHat kind of dog do u hv?
I would not hit the dog first if he does not understand wht u want.U can try this....(i hope it works) Since he does not understand, hv to start by creating a controlled environment...ie..leash him before he can make the mistake. Hv a long lead and leash him up. Open the gate and he will try to run out. Make sure u hv the leash in hand (controlled) and tell him a firm "NO". He will choke himself abit. Do this very often...and soon enough he should understand what "no" means..

Just my RM 0.02..

This post has been edited by RealityDreamer: Dec 25 2006, 11:06 PM

hmm..but my shih tzu is weird... kinda hard to train for me..since dis is my 1st time to have a pet... sometimes hes quiet and love to sit on my lap..sometimes love to bite me..maybe sot sot ard... i keep handle him with "NO" word..doenst seems to understand..
Sometime even eat own poo if im not quick enough to pull him away from it..
Dont really know the proper way to handle him.. Anyone could offer advise? or anywhere i can read? thx ya ~

When he bite your hand, say NO! then ignore him. Next thing to do is grab his favourite toy, & play with him, if he chew the toy rather than your hand, praise him a lot. Dogs love to be praised & always want to amaze the owner, so after sometime, he will understand it & do what he is being praised for.

While for dog eating poo, it might be due to the type of food u feeding, what are you feeding your dog?

It's a dalmation. Okies. I'll try it out. Thanks for yr advice

Actually I did say a firm NO when he wants to rush out. But, he never care n jus run out. The moment she comes back, I'll scold her bad dog n dun talk to her. She will look very sad on the rest of the day. But, she will repeat her mistake few days later

you've got to train your dog - start by simple "no". say it sternly. don't fool around with the dog when you are angry - the dog can sense it when you are unhappy with him/her. it takes time. i too train my dog like realitydreamer - always leash your dog when going for walk. eg dog like to rush out and pull you along on the leash. just stop and say "no". after that wait for dog to calm down and settle down. ask the dog to sit, then when you are ready to walk give command like "go"/"heel". when dog pull ahead again stop. overtime he/she will understand to heel.

This post has been edited by kitman: Dec 26 2006, 02:17 PM

I also have shih tzu..i have 2 in fact..I do agree with u that they are hard to be trained. And one of them also likes to eat her own poo..really hard to train them..I bought them when they were few weeks old only and started to train them..Now they are already 3 yrs+ but only understand the 'sit' & 'eat' command.

Last time I had a Collie..the same breed as 'Lessie'..she's very intelligent and very easy to train. She learnt the command words very fast. That's why they are known as the most intelligent dog of all breeds. But it's said that GR is the easiest dog to be trained.

In fact I have owned many dogs before since I was a little kid cos I'm a dog lover..The Collie was the 1st dog I bought..Before I owned the Collie, I had reared more than 10 dogs..All of them were stray dogs which came to me at the same time from nowhere. And I managed to train some of them which were really obedient. Whereas for my shih tzu, I have completely given up.

This post has been edited by AngelToh: Dec 26 2006, 05:23 PM

I have Cuppy(mix breed - last time) and Prince (GR - now), I would agreed easy train... 3 months almost learn all the command (sit, hand, down, come, catch , up stay and more). However as i did mention in forum they will forget sometime... need to always remind them...

But for my mix breed... it need more time and effort to train them...

Just my sharing

Weird huh..I thought mix breed should be more intelligent..just like nowadays police they cross-breed labrador and retriever and then train them to help in investigation..

maybe my training skill are wrong that time (cause last time no LYN got so many guide) ...

Actually, a dog's intelligence has nothing to do with it's breed. My family ( including my two brothers' dogs ) have 7 dogs. Three shih-tzus, two Goldens, one St.Bernard and one Rottweiler mix.

The Rottweiler mix is the most intelligent and the dumbest and most stubborn is the male Golden. If I scold him for chewing shoes ( he's 2 yrs old already ), the Golden will go sit and face a wall the whole day. Call him also won't listen. Aii...

It's the dog's personality that's most important. You can own the most expensive dog ever but if it's just plain stubborn and dumb, there's nothing much you can do about it.

But whatever it is, I still love those furry buggers. ^^ Love 'em love 'em love 'em!

I see I see. No wonder It's always the dog who walk me n not me walk de dog. Always pull me n i run along like mad. Thanks 4 yr advice. I'll try it out