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Goochie's Poochies 'Official Puppy Huggers!'
Goochie's Poochies Future Puppy Hugger!
Miss Olivia Alyn
Here at Goochie’s Poochies, our Shih tzu begin being ‘socialized’ before they leave our home to come to you! They are around other Shih tzu, Papa and Momma Gooch, our children and grand-children, friends and ‘official puppy huggers!’
" My husband and I own and operate a ‘Room & Care’ for elderly ladies. The ladies ‘love’ having us bring the puppies in for them to ‘love on’ everyday! To them they are just ‘loving and playing with them’. They do not realize they are helping us socialize these little ones! On top of that, it has been proven, that it is wonderful therapy for the elderly. You walk into the room with a puppy and whatever they are doing, down it goes, they want the puppy! Their little faces light up with joy!"
When our grandchildren come over for a visit, they come in and give Papa and Nene their hugs and kisses! But, when we have a litter of puppies, they will ask, immediately following the hugs " Can we hold a puppy now???????" And these little puppies know the kids voices and begin wagging their little tails when they hear them, because they love playing with them!
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Tristan River
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Londyn Charelle
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Shawn Austin
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Alexus CheyAnn
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Daddy Gooch and Kali's first litter playing!
'Looks like one of them is nibbling on Daddy's ear!'
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So . . . a ‘Goochie’s Poochies’ Shih tzu, comes to you, well on his way to being socalized . . . from age 1 to 105! You will love your Little Goochie’s Pooch!
Socialization
Below are a few helpful do’s and don’t to help you:
Socialization do’s!
Make each of the socialization events as ‘pleasant and non-threatening’ for the Shih tzu as possible. If a Shih tzu puppy’s first experience with any new experience is an unpleasant one, it will be very difficult to undo that in it’s mind. In some cases, an early trauma can morph into a phobia that can last for a lifetime. It is better to take things slow and avoid having the puppy become frightened or injured.
Try inviting your friends over to meet the new puppy. It is important to include as many different people as possible in the Shih tzu circle of acquaintances, including men, women, children, adults, as well as people of many diverse ethnic backgrounds and ages.
Also invite friendly and healthy dogs and puppies over to meet your puppy. It is important for the Shih tzu to meet a wide variety of other animals, including cats, hamsters, rabbits and other animals he is likely to meet. It is of course important to make sure that all animals the shih tzu comes into contact with have received ‘all necessary vaccinations’.
Take the Shih tzu puppy to many different places, including shopping centers, pet stores, parks, school playgrounds and on walks around the neighborhood. Try to expose your Shih tzu to places where there will be crowds of people and lots of diverse activity going on.
Take the Shih tzu for frequent short rides in the car. Introduce your Shih tzu to a variety of items that may be unfamiliar. The Shih tzu should be exposed to common items like bags, boxes, vacuum cleaners, umbrellas, hats, etc. that may be frightening to him. Allow and encourage the Shih tzu to explore these items and see that he has nothing to fear from them.
Get the Shih tzu puppy used to a variety of objects by rearranging familiar ones. Simply placing a chair upside down, or placing a table on its side, creates an object that your Shih tzu puppy will perceive as totally new. You will be surprised at how they react to something placed in a different position thinking it is totally new!
Get the Shih tzu used to common procedures like being brushed, bathed, having the nails clipped, teeth cleaned, ears cleaned, etc. Your groomer and your veterinarian with ‘thank you’ for this.
Introduce the Shih tzu to common things around the house, such as stairs. Also introduce the him to the collar and leash, so he will be comfortable with these items.
Socialization don’ts!
There are of course some things to avoid when socializing a Shih tzu puppy. These socialization don’ts include:
Do not place the Shih tzu on the ground when strange animals are present. An attack, or even a surprise inspection, by an unknown animal could traumatize the Shih tzu and hurt his socialization.
Do not inadvertently reward fear based behavior. When the Shih tzu shows fear, it is normal to try to sooth it, but this could reinforce the fear based behavior and make it worse. Since biting is often a fear based behavior, reinforcing fear can create problems with biting.
Do not force or rush the socialization process. It is important to allow the Shih tzu to socialize at his own pace.
Do not try to do too much too soon. Young Shih tzu puppies have short attention spans, and continuing lessons after that attention span has passed will be a waste of your time and your puppy’s.
Do not wait too long to begin. There is a short window in which to begin the socialization process. A young Shih tzu puppy is a blank slate, and it is important to fill that slate with positive socialization skills as early as possible.
Teaching a Shih tzu puppy or a shih tzu dog proper socialization skills is vital to the safety of both your dog and other dogs and people with whom he comes in contact with. A properly socialized shih tzu dog is a happy Shih tzu! And a joy to be around. A poorly socialized Shih tzu, or one with ‘no socialization’ at all, is a danger to other animals, to people and even his own family.
Socialization is best done when the Shih tzu puppy is as young as possible The socialization lessons a young shih tzu puppy learns are difficult to undo, and it is important to remember that the socialization skills the Shih tzu puppy learns will affect his behavior for the ‘rest of his life.’
A Shih tzu that is properly socialized will be neither frightened of nor aggressive towards either people or other animals . A properly socialized Shih tzu will take each new experience in stride, and not become fearful or aggressive. Shih tzu’s that are not properly socialized often bite because of ‘fear’, and such a Shih tzu can become a hazard and a liability to the family who owns it. Improperly socialized Shih tzu dogs are also unable to adapt to new situations. A routine matter like a trip to the vets or to a friends house can quickly stress the Shih tzu out and lead to all sorts of problems.
Socialization is best done when the Shih tzu puppy is very young, perhaps around 12 weeks of age. Even after 12 weeks, however, it is important that the shih tzu puppy continues its socialization in order to refine the all important social skills. It is possible to socialize an older Shih tzu, but it is very difficult to achieve after the all important 12 week period has passed.
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