Shih Tzu lovers out there!!

Where would I find these feeds?

natural balance is in a lot of the big pet stores....petco or petsmart......if you go to [linkhttp://www.naturapet.com]www.naturapet.com[/link] they have a store locator for their products.  They also make Innova which is what I feed.   And with the dry skin, I'd suggest some kind of fish BODY oil at least for right now.

Thanks!

First of all, he is a VERY cute little Shih Tzu.  I have 2 myself!!  I would suggest Natural Balance.  I feed it to both of mine and it has worked WONDERS.. There is a salmon and sweet potato formula that may help with the skin.  I know that shih tzus in general tend be a scratchy breed.  Mine itch but not excessively and dont have dry skin.  I can't bath them every week though or they will dry out.  You can buy natural balance at most pet stores such as Pet Valu (not sure if you have those where you are).  You can read about the Natural Balance on the website [linkhttp://www.naturalbalanceinc.com]www.naturalbalanceinc.com[/link].  I am a firm believer of it.  I have done tons of research on the breed and have 2 myself so if you have any other questions, PLEASE let me know.

I will put him on a Natural food then.  THanks!

[] I just got my first Shih Tzu, Sweet Pea.  She is mostly white with red ears, and markings on her body.  Her nose and lips are liver colored, but the skin around her eyes is light, and her eyes are a light green color.  She's only about 6 weeks old.  Will the color of her eyes and skin around her eyes darken? 

She also has a mostly white face, but the breeder said that the fur on her face might darken.  Does that sound right?  Does Shih Tzu fur sometimes darken or change in color as they age?

Hi there,
Welcome to the boards! Your admission is sharing adorable pictures of your pup with us! []
 
I have never had a shih tzu puppy before, but my room-mate's grandmother has 2. One (as a pup) had brown around his eyes and on his back/belly and as he aged, he turned all white/silver. So many people think that this is 2 different dogs, but I promise it is the same dog! (picture below)
 
Just to warn you- you may experience more nipping/biting behavior in him that you wouldn't see in a puppy that you got at maybe 10-12 weeks old. 6 weeks is rather young to leave the litter, and he may have missed out on social opportunities with his siblings. It'll just be something you'll have to work on. In my experience, it is a bit tricky to house-break these guys- they have such a tiny bladder, and many don't like to get their dainty little feet wet in the morning dew, so the carpet is a much more convienient place!
 Even adults are hard to train (at least my two were).
 
Trust me, I know- Tzus are stubborn little buggers and they use their cute-ness factor in their favor. Daisy doesn't rule the roost anymore because I won't let her!
 
Good luck with your puppy!
Here are some photos of Gibby- first is his puppy shot when he was about 4 months old, and the other one is of him today- at about 1 and a half. I promise it's the same dog!
 

Sarah,
First off, welcome to the wonderful world of shih tzus.. They most certainly are stubborn and use their cuteness as thedoc17 said!
Shih tzus generally do change colour in the coats mainly.  I don't know about darken in colour though.  All of the ones that I have seen or researched indicate that the coat colour tends to lighten as thedoc17 showed you in her pics. For example, a chocolate brown spot on a shih tzu up will most likely grow into be a tan by the time the dog is an adult.  My shih tzu when he was born was all chocolate brown and now he is apricot.  I have not heard either of the skin pigment colour on their eyes, nose and lips changing.  I believe that is a genetic trait that they have for their lives. Below is a pic of my two.  The apricot one, as I mentioned, was dark brown when he was born.

Misti-Don't get too attached to that color...if there is one thing almost all shih tzus do it is fade...and fade dramatically.  The breeder we got Lily had quite a few in that color, my mother actually has one.  But the color isn't common in the show ring. 
 
As far as food goes...unfortuately I never had much luck w/ Innova or Evo for the itches...it made both of my girls worse.  They do better w/ CA Natural and they actually do good on Timberwolf Organics...I've never done an elimiation diet but I don't think they do well w/ Poultry. 

WHat shampoo or coat conditioners do you  recommend?

[]Hi I have two Shihzu pups..They are siblings male and are balck and white.. Oreo has red on his face (tear stain) I have tried different products to clean but to no advail. He has a short snout so maybe there is moisture..I feed him California Natural chicken and rice.. I also have them both in full coat.. Does anyone have advice for me I would like to clean this problem up if possible... Thanks Debbie[]

Hey Zaczab,
I would love to see pics of the pups!! I have a black and white too who also has tear stains as well as a redish stained beard.  My vet calls Shih Tzus 'spaghetti-faced dogs' because they are always stained in the face. I have tried many different products with no luck.  I have come to the conclusion that it is something I just need to live with.  If you find any ideas, please let me know!

There is a tear stain remover out on the market.

Hi everyone I[] would love to send pics but I do not have a dig camera or scanner... I am very new at this computer. Hopefully I will be able to learn to do more on this thing soon then i will send you pics of  Oreo and Sebastian....

I have a 2 and 1/2 year old shih tzu named Skrappy Doodle. He's tan brindle with the white feet and tip of tail and black ear tips. He's the runt so he's tiny and has weird pin straight fur and a bad overbite. He's my baby. I actually don't want to have kids now because I don't want to take time away from him. That's how obsessed I am with him.