Dog Community

Hello, I'm new with some questions!

Posted : 5/26/2010 3:15:13 PM

Hi everyone! Very nice to be here, it looks like a wonderful, very knowledgeable board. I am a busy stay at home mom with a 16 month old son and just got a new puppy this past Friday. I work at a vet clinic 2 days a week, and one of our clients took in 2 pregnant shih tzus from a sick friend of hers to help out, and ended up with 16 puppies!!! I had been thinking about getting a puppy for a little while and had already decided on a shih tzu. I had them growing up and working at the clinic, I have never met an unhappy Shih tzu! They are all just so sweet and silly (with the rare exception, I'm sure, but I have yet to meet one) I had been planning on looking for a good breeder, but I know this client fairly well, and I know she isn't a backyard breeder or anything like that, she just happened to take in these two dogs and was really looking for some good homes for these puppies. So I decided to get one of the pups. I chose one when it was only 2 weeks old (she kept a blog with updated pictures of all the pups so we could watch them grow up). They weren't the greatest pictures, but I could tell the puppy I had picked out looked a teeny bit different than the siblings as the weeks progressed. She is a chocolate shih tzu (the rest were black and white). When I went to pick her up after a month of waiting at 8 weeks of age, I am pretty sure she isn't full shih tzu. She has a longer nose, a shorter coat, and just a different body shape. The woman is sure that the father of both litters was also a shih tzu. And when I look at the siblings, they all look very shih tzu!! So I'm so confused as to why my pup looks different. I am attaching some photos, I would love some input, do you think she is full shih tzu? Perhaps just a badly bred shih tzu?

This is our pup, Dawbie.

[IMG]http://i47.tinypic.com/11klf8p.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i46.tinypic.com/zjdnjd.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i50.tinypic.com/5pj6eq.jpg[/IMG]

Here are some of her siblings, they look much more shih tzu.

[IMG]http://i49.tinypic.com/oswozt.jpg[/IMG]

And the mama dog (I think I can see where the puppy gets her long nose from, as this mama is not to the breed standard)

[IMG]http://i46.tinypic.com/w189eh.jpg[/IMG]

What do you guys think? Why is her coat so much shorter than her siblings? I mean, I love her anyway, but I was just curious if you thought she looked like she had something else in her, or why it's only her that looks so different!!

Other question, she will NOT eat her puppy food. The lady I got her from had them on Purina puppy chow, but I would like to switch over to a more organic food (right now I have nutro puppy to switch her to). The first day here (Friday) she wouldn't touch anything, which I figured was normal since she was so nervous. But she only nibbled a few pieces the next day, and that was it. I was worried about her becoming hypoglycemic as she is so little and wasn't getting anything in her system. I tried soaking her food, warming it up, hand feeding her, leaving it down, she just wouldn't touch it. I finally broke down on Sunday and gave her a little bit of boiled chicken which she picked at. Then I had her over to my parents place and she found their dog's food (that horrible semi moist ol' roy dog food) and started devouring it!! Yuck! So I know she was hungry, but she won't eat her puppy food. Should I just play the tough love card and not give her anything else until she eats it? I just don't know how long such a little pup can go without eating. I haven't had a puppy in years, so I am unsure what to do!!

I'm sure I will have lots more questions for you! Thanks for looking, and I look forward to hearing your thoughts and opinions.

shamrockmommy

Posted : 5/26/2010 4:09:05 PM

First of all, Welcome! Your puppy is adorable!

I am not an expert on shih-tzu's and don't know if there is any recessive 'improper coat' gene in the breed. As a groomer I haven't seen any but I've seen a wide array of shih's, from long legged, really long bodied, long nose, short nose, etc.

It could be there was a wandering terrier that got to her at some point when she was in season. It is not unheard of for multiple-sired litters to occur.

It could also be that her coat is just slow growing at this point.

As far as food, can you switch to a high quality canned food? That may tempt her. Otherwise (and I shudder to recommend) but bil-jac dry food tempts many picky dogs! At her age it is important for her to eat regulalry.

I assume she's been wormed and checked out very well?

HTH

AgileGSD

Posted : 5/26/2010 4:20:04 PM

Cute pup! Puppies within the same litter can have different sires so it is very possible to have a litter with some purebred and some mixed breed puppies in it. Hypoglycemia is a concern with toy puppies, so I would suggest having some Nutrical on hand just in case.

This is a good article on teaching your dog to eat, although you'll have to modify the time between meals for a toy pup. I'd probably do at least four small meals a day for a little pup like this. http://www.dragonflyllama.com/%20DOGS/Writing/TeachEat.html

I would probably try a high quality canned food for the time being. She'll be more likely to eat it and you can use it mixed with dry food later.

Luke'sDawbie

Posted : 5/27/2010 6:52:29 PM

Thank you both very much for your help! I got some canned puppy food and she is now eating a little bit of that. I had to just smear a very thin layer on my finger to start with just so she would lick it to get the taste, then gave her a teeny bit of it to nibble on, then a bigger bit of food, and eventually she was eating it out of her dog bowl, thank goodness. Smile

Yup, I brought her into work and the dr. gave her a wellness exam, deworming and clean bill of health. She also is not sure if she is full shih tzu, thinks she looks like she has a bit of terrier in her as well. I was a little upset, as I really had my heart set on a shih tzu, but she is a sweetie and I'm already quite smitten with her, full bred or not! I'm curious to see if her coat continues to grow out or if she will just keep the rough, messy look she's got right now. House training is going wonderfully, I have read some of Pat Miller books, and they have really helped me out. But wow, I forgot how much work puppies are!! She is finally sleeping through the night in her crate though, no more howling, thank goodness!! (I still take her out once or twice during the middle of the night, I'm sure that bladder is teeny tiny).

Thanks again for your help!

Xebby

Posted : 5/27/2010 8:08:57 PM

First off, welcome to the forum!

She is a cutie, but think you could be right on that there is a possibility that she has something else mixed in there. I might even go as far as saying that I see schnauzer. I see it in the coat, the shape... but being a puppy it might all transform to look like something else once she's an adult. It could be possbe that perhaps another male dog mated with the momma dog while in heat and not all pups are from the same dad, especially with the size of litter you said she came from, wow! Full breed or not, she looks so lovable!

Luke'sDawbie

Posted : 5/29/2010 8:47:23 AM

I had someone else say she kinda looked like she had schnauzer in her as well! But at work yesterday, a lady came in with a puppy that looked A LOT like Dawbie. It was a little bigger and a bit fluffier (Dawbie's coat is almost a wiry type of hair) and I asked her what kind of puppy it was. She told me it was a shih tzu/yorkie mix. So perhaps that is what she is? It will be interesting to see what she looks like as she grows up, as I'm sure her look will change, coat may grow, etc. :)

RoseOOPs

Posted : 5/29/2010 6:50:41 PM

Dawbie is a real cutie. No matter what she is, she is still a cutie. Smile