Recently my shih tzu behaviour is weird. When reach night time he will hide himself at one corner or hide himself under the table or chair without any reason. Heseems like he scared of something and do't dare to come out and if he didn't hide himself, he willsit closely to me and don't dare to go anywhere without me. I really don't know wat;s wrong with my shih tzu.Plz help!
Re: [meiyoong] Behaviour Problem with shih tzu
[In reply to]
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He might be afraid of the dark. Might've gotten a bad experience in the dark. He's attached to you because to him you are his security blanket,his care taker,the one who cares for him and protects him,the one who makes everything ok.
You could try associating the dark with positive things like play or treats.
Btw,how old is your dog? When did this habit start? ,-._,-. \/)"(\/ (_o_)
Re: [meiyoong, RealityDreamer] Behaviour Problem with shih tzu
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Hello ...
Sounds like your little STz is exhibiting anxiety ... and anxiety can be caused by a variety of reasons, including the reasons mentioned by RealityDreamer ... See if you can identify & remove the source of anxiety - observe closely to try and find out what the cause might be ... Have you introduced a new item into the house? Is it because of the rain & thunder we've been having so much of lately? ...
Young dogs as they mature often go thru' mood swings ... and fear periods ... the idea is to keep everthing on an even temp during such periods ...
In the meantime ... let the dog stay close to you ...but try not to coddle the dog ... trying to comfort a dog during an anxiety attack often has a negative effect - and encourages more not less anxiety ...
Instead use the evenings to bring out a new toy or a new treat ... if your STz likes walks - go for a short walk in the evenings ... keep the evenings entertaining, have short training sessions, teach a new game, with tasty treats ... Engage in play & do fun things - disrupt the anxiety cycle ...
But remember to be consistent - it may take time & require patience to remove/reduce anxiety in any dog ...
More socialisation may also help ...
Cheers
(This post was edited by surchinmy on Nov 25, 2003, 6:24 PM)
Re: [RealityDreamer] Behaviour Problem with shih tzu
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My shih tzu is around 8 moths old. It's really weird as untill nite time he don't dare go near the gate.He even no mood to play with his toy even the toy is his favourite wan. But when morning everything turn to be normal.But now he is scared of lightning and fire carcker. I felt that he has turn to be more timid. Las time when he was around 4 moths old that time he was not like that .
Re: [meiyoong] Behaviour Problem with shih tzu
[In reply to]
Can't Post
Suggest you do an internet search on "fear periods for dogs" ... you will find, as puppies grow, they go thru' several "fear periods" - during which, if they are frightened ... they will aquire "new" fears ...
While this was necessary for survival in the wild ... as owners of domesticated dogs we need to understand "fear periods' and learn how not to accidentially or unecessarily subject our growing dogs to unecessary fears ... Acquiring too many fears can make for skittish adult dogs ...
There are many articles on the internet that will teach you how to manage fear periods, minimise and control anxiety ...
Try these sites ...
www.dogclub.co.uk/advice/puppygrowth.php
members.aol.com/ukaim/frame.htm?b_fear.htm
Cheers
(This post was edited by surchinmy on Nov 26, 2003, 7:21 PM)
Re: [meiyoong] Behaviour Problem with shih tzu
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my shih tzu is also lyk dat... he didn't overcome it though.. he's stil a scaredy cat or shud I say a scaredy dog...hehe... bt its rily not a problem... he doesn't get scared at nyt anymor.. bt he's stil afraid of firecrackers.. w/c is ok coz firecrackers are banned in our city...
Re: [meiyoong] Behaviour Problem with shih tzu
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Can't Post
Yeah..my shih-tzu is also like that. She's already 3 1/2 years old and never got out of being afraid of fire crackers (even those tiny ones with minimal sound that humans don't even notice). She's also afraid of thunder. Everytime she hears a fire cracker or thunder, she will start jumping with two front paws on the sofa, signifying that she wants to go up on the sofa. Then she hides her face in the corner of the sofa.
To my knowledge since she was young, no one has thrown any fire cracker on her face or anything. She's been this way ever since she was a pup. There's nothing I could do to stop this till now. And worse, although fire crackers have been banned, people still do get it somehow and its not in our control to stop these noises. Same goes for thunders, not in our control either.
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