Advise needed

[Alamo123]

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Hello folks,I have just joined today and Im hoping that some one can steer me in the right direction,we are both young pensioners and we would like to take on 2 Shih tzu's puppies. Q1 if we had 2 is it posible to train them together or separately. Q2 is it best to have the same sex pups males /females or one of each for companionship .Q3 to train a dog do I need a collar or is it a harness .In the past months I have heard conflicting theories on these 3 questions ,this is another reason why I decided to join this forum and your answers would be very welcome.

Many thanks in anticipation Richard.

 

[JoanneF]

Gypsysmum is the forum member with expertise in this but I think I remember her saying different gender and different age. What I can add is that a harness is definitely better than attaching a lead to a collar as it can cause damage to the trachea (windpipe) if a dog runs and gets stopped short by a tug from the lead on the collar. This is especially important if you use a long line or flexi lead as the dog has the feeling that it's running free and won't slow as it approaches the limit of the line.

 

[Biker John]

I agree Gypsymum will be able to expand and give a comprehensive reply. But in my opinion, in general mixed sex couples get on better than same sex, although two or indeed more of the same sex can get along fine but it depends on the dogs temperament. For training whenever you have two, (or more), its essential to train them on their own, when you think about it if you were trying with two at once, when one did something right and got praise the other would hear the pleased expression and assume it was for whatever it was doing at the time. For myself a collar or harness either can be fine but please be very careful if you want to use a flexi lead, I wouldn't dream of ever using one. I have a Whippet and if she set off running by the time she got to the end of the lead she could easily be over 30 mph and the jerk on her neck would be incredible. I wouldn't want two puppies at the same time, puppies are hard work, very enjoyable but still hard, I would wait till one was past the teenage stage before getting a second.

 

[gypsysmum2]

If you must have two puppies then mixed sexes are best. The best mix of all is different size, different sex and different age.

Two dogs of similar size and age may bond at the expense of their relationship with the humans in their life. Sometimes the opposite is true and they can become very competitive and fall out over toys, food, sleeping places. While most dogs don't mind being the underdog people find it much harder to accept that one of the pair is not allowed the favoured toy, sleeping place etc by the stronger character. People then intervene and cause even more discord between the two dogs.

I know of experienced dog owners who, when adding a new puppy to the household, separate it from the rest of the dogs until it has formed a bond with them.

None of this is set in stone. It all depends on each individual character and the time and experience put into rearing them.

If you do get two then you will need to train them separately. They will each have their own little quirks and this has to be taken into consideration when handling them.

Collars or harnesses are a matter of personal preference. A dog should wear a collar with tag to comply with the law but can wear a harness for walking if you prefer.

 

[Alamo123]

Many thanks for your very valued comments , buying 2 pups together and trying to train them would be a nightmare ,this will help us to move on,and yes only 1 for starters but does it matter what sex is first ? I have been told that a bitch should be the first because they are easier to train please let us know your thoughts! also what type of food is recommend dry, wet or half& half.

Thanks Richard.

 

[JoanneF]

I will leave the gender question for someone eelse (Gypsysmum?) but the food depends on your dog and your preference. There are good quality dry, wet and of course raw foods. To begin with keep your puppy on the food from the breeder, if you don't want to continue with it, change gradually by mixing 20% new with 80% old then 50/50 than 80/20. Some foods like Bakers and Pedigree arent rated very well at all, some foods like Iams are very well advertised to make you think they are better than they are. There is an excellent website called www.allaboutdogfood.co.uk that independently scores dog foods out of 5. You can specify your dogs age, weight, breed , exercise levels and more and the site will most suitable foods along with their score. At the moment i am feeding Gentle, a cold pressed food with a very high score. It also isn't eye wateringly expensive (like Orijen is). Ideally I would feed raw but there are reasons why that isn't convenient so I give raw chicken wings a couple of times a week.

 

[Alamo123]

JoanneF. Bless you exactly the information I was looking for feeding ,that is strange to me feeding raw chicken bones I was brought with dogs and mother always said to never give chicken bones to them ! but apparently it helps to clean there teeth, obviously not cooked ones,also what sort of raw meat would you feed as time goes on if convenient ?.

Many thanks Richard

 

[JoanneF]

Glad I could help! I would love to have be able to feed a home prepared raw diet so basically getting meat from a butcher or fishmonger but we travel a lot and don't have the freezer space to do this properly (freezing kills some of the unfriendly bacteria in meat and fish). And if I had raw at home I don't think it would be easy to get my dog to eat other food when we are away. But chicken wings are very easy to get, they have excellent teeth cleaning action - there's a bit of flossing action as well as crunching, the bones are soft and don't splinter when raw and they make a great treat.

 

[gypsysmum2]

My preference would be to get a bitch first. Not sure about Shih Tzu's, but in many breeds they are stronger characters. A male dog entering the house already occupied by a bitch would cause least disruption. Do talk to lots of Shih Tzu breeders about this aspect of their characters. Yes bitches can be easier to train though not always. I think most Whippet owners will admit that the bitches can be very independent little madams whereas the dogs are more affectionate.

Remember, in your search for a good breeder, that they all think that their breed is perfect They are also experienced dog owners and nip problems in the bud without knog they are doing it. This lends them to gloss over the teething troubles that you may experience. You might get a better insight into their little foibles by talking to other owners if you can.

Do research Puppy Socialisation Classes in your area. The Association of Pet Dog Trainers should have a member that runs some within reach. They are by far the best people to choose.

On the subject of feeding half and half food. It is not a good idea to mix two kinds. Some wet foods are completely balanced in a tin/pack others need a biscuit mixer to be added. Dry food is complete and needs nothing added. Raw is the same though lots of people feed vegetables alongside. If you mix dry and wet you may cause an imbalance over time.

 

[Alamo123]

We also travel a lot so maybe a little raw meat as a treat! . To follow my passion for having a dog again at the moment I joined a website called BorrowMyDoggy and it has been a great pleasure to do so,I have also been in touch with the Kennel Club to find out the gestation period of a Shih tzui because of wanting a young pup I am also away for the next 6mths (not in jail) and they told me to contact there site 6wks before returning home,so I wanted to pre-empt getting a grounding before it? arrives, you have been most helpful.