Shitzu Dog Health

How to Care For A Shih Tzu Dog.

Have you ever felt that you are lost on how to care and train for your pet much more if it is one of the most lovable, independent and gentle breed of all, the Shih Tzu or Shitzu?  This Chinese dog breed truly is proven to be one of the best dog breed in the world and it's no surprising that people with little children would often prefer this to other dog breeds to make as pets.  However, because this dog is close with children, you need to learn some effective and proper ways how to train a Shih Tzu, more especially how to care for them particularly with regarding to Shitzu dog health.

Before you can learn how to care for them, before you can ever learn how to keep it healthy, you need to familiarize yourself first with this very lovable pet of yours.

The Shih Tzu or Shitzu (pronounced as SHEET-sue) or the "lion dog" is a small sturdy dog like the Lhasa Apso.  It is also covered with double coat so abundant that when you give it a nice bath, he will look like he lost a hundred pounds. His upper coat is made up of long hair and his undercoat is woolly. This dog's hair on top of its nose grows upward, creating a sort of "chrysanthemum" face. When you get to look at it for a very long time, you could almost say that a dog has grown right out of that barricade of fur and hair instead of the other way around. It's a hairy dog and the pendant ears are so covered with hair that they could blend right into the body coat. This kind of breed is the favorite mostly of dog show judges.

With this in mind, you really need to pay more attention on its appearance and that includes to its health as well.

This dog tends to wheeze and snore and they are prone to ear, eye and respiratory problems. And because of its body structure, with long back and short legs, spinal disc disease can be a big problem for these little darlings. The teeth needs regular veterinary attention as he tends to lost them early in its life stage.

Some Shih Tzu owners tend to make the mistake of over-feeding their pet. You see, not all dogs need to be fed most of the time. Shih Tzus gain weight easily and rapidly and letting them overeat may tend to bring other kinds of diseases like arthritis or even high cholesterol.

Things can be more complicated because it is accustomed to living an indoor life and he is fairly active inside rather than outside. So, if you have an apartment, don't worry about lawns and all that. He will do okay without a yard and also bear in mind that Shitzus are sensitive to heat.

But to keep it on the healthy side of the fence, just like any other dog, the Shih Tzu needs to have its own ration of daily walk or exercise. If you can learn ore about Shitzu dog health, you Shitzu will get to live on for about 15 years or more without any problems at all.