Shih Tzu

[Guest Anonymous]

I have some questions about the Shih Tzu breed. I'm very interested in owning one as a pet but I have a few questions I would like answered first.
1. BEcause of the long hair do you have to wash more than usual due to fecal matter getting in the hair in that area?
2. Are they O.K around kids ages 9 & 4 ?
3. Are they harder than average to house train?
4.How long does it usually take to get the long coat?

[Guest Anonymous]

1. Most people have their Shih Tzu's groomed regularly to keep their fur short. The longer the fur the more you have to spend grooming and that could be daily.

2. As long as the dog hasn't been abused by children and hasn't shown aggression towards them it should be fine - this is of course if you were to adopt a rescue. A puppy would have no problem adjusting, as long as you teach your children how to properly handle and pet a dog.

3. I'm pretty sure the smaller the dog the harder to housetrain. I've only had one small dog and she was an adult rescue (Pug) already housetrained. From the people I know that have small dogs - they can be rather difficult to housetrain - someone may have a different experience.

I think this really depends on consistancy and giving her appropriae space in the process of house-training. The idea is to give her an area that she won't want to go potty in, then expand. Giving her full run of the house right away is just asking for accidents to happen.

4. I have no idea. Keeping the coat regularly groomed and brushed will help keep matting and knots out, if the dog gets those in her coat - you'll probably have to cut that section.