The average gestation period for a shih tzu is 58 to 65 days following conception. With a first pregnancy your shih tzu may not show signs until late in term. Just before her due date the abdominal muscles may suddenly appear to distend suddenly. Some shih tzu may produce colostrum and milk. She may suffer a loss of appetite or if just eaten, they may suddenly throw it back up. She may show extreme fatique, and have very deep periods of sleep. These are all signs that whelping is nigh.
If it takes an hour or longer between puppies once whelping begins she "might" be suffering from inertia. However, all matrons are different. I have puppies to have as long as 4 hours apart and nothing be wrong at all, and usually the same mother will go through this same process each time. But if you have a matron who does not usually take this long between puppies, and then she does, this could be cause for you to call your vet or take her to the vet. Some breeders will give their matron a glass of milk as a calcium source. My shih tzu usually won't take anything like that during this time. If the matron stays in labor a long period of time, you may need to take her for a cesarean section. Most shih tzu, however, are free whelpers, even my little girls have whelped out their puppies on their own. There is always the exception to this rule, however, and you should be prepared to stay for the entire whelping with your matron to guard against the complications that may require the vet's assistance. One trouble sign would be a steady straining by the matron. I have been very fortunate with my shih tzu, in that as of yet I have not experienced a lot of problems with their whelping times.
As whelping progresses, matrons will go through periods of intermittent labor and occasional minor contractions over several hours before intense contractions occur in rapid succession producing a puppy. Normally, she will visibly pant rapidly, may attempt to shred her bedding and will often shred newspapers if you give them to her, she will move restlessly and whine and will intermittently sleep deeply through the whelping. Once deliveries begin, puppies usually arrive anywhere from a few minutes to an hour apart, but again this is not always the rules with every matron. I have had shih tzu to take as long as 4 or 5 hours between puppies and still everything turn out alright. Some it looks as if they are not even having pain or pushing, and then suddenly a puppy will appear. The mother will immediately begin to tear open the sac around head and face and proceed to take the whelp out of the sac. If you notice mother not doing this, you will need to work quickly and tear the sac off the face and eyes so the puppy can get air. Mother will usually continue to clean up her whelp and chew and tie the cord. Many people think they need to take over at this point, but I feel mother is more capable by nature and instinct and should be allowed to chew the cord and tie it off without my help. Mother does this in a way to stop the bleeding. I have had a few that I have had to take over, but normally, if mother is doing as she ought to do, she will do this much better than I can and I drather let mother do as she knows best at this point.
A breeder's attitude of the mother and the litter over the next few days will also affect the successful outcome of raising this litter.
First you want to ask yourself, why did you purchase a shih tzu? I have seen people with dogs, even shih tzu, who chain the dog to a backyard tree and visit the dog only to provide water and food. I think to myself, that has to be a very lonely life for that shih tzu. I also know those owners are missing out on a lot of the enjoyment of owning a shih tzu. If you never to communicate with your shih tzu or you never try to communicate with your shih tzu, you truly do not need to purchase one. Shih tzu especially are "people" dogs. They thrive best emotionally and mentally upon the relationships and interactions they have with their people. There is nothing that make my shih tzu happier than to be involved with every activity of my life. To learn how to effectively communicat with them is an ongoing project for me and one I feel worthwhile to both of us, or in my case, all of us.
Talking to your shih tzu is not necessarily communicating with them. We need to learn how our shih tzu understands what we say to them and we need to understand what the shih tzu says back to us. When you communicate effectively with your shih tzu you will find you possess more influence over your shih tzu's behavior without having to resort to punishment of any sort.
Our dogs are so much a part of our human community and separated from their lives in the wild, they no longer are able to fend for themselves. They provide us with beauty, loyalty and a connection with nature. We have to provide them with food and care. We are also responsible for providing mental stimulation and social graces needed to live well in our human world. Chaining a shih tzu to a dog house or tree in the backyard is just not acceptable. If I know for certain this will happen to my puppies, there is no amount of money I would accept to put them in that type of environment.
If we will try to understand our shih tzu and develop true communication with them, the understanding will open up new ways of looking at this world. I have gained a virtue since owning shih tzu. That virtue is "patience." How my shih tzu have taught me patience is actually a mystery to me that I cannot put into workds at this time. I just know I have greater patience with all aspects of my life since living with shih tzu.
I believe shih tzu have emotions much like humans. I witness these emotions more at times of shih tzu mothers raising puppies. I have seen them express great joy and times of grief. I have seen them wipe their eyes with their paws as if to wipe the tears away at the loss of one of their babies. For this reason, there is no researcher that could ever convince me shih tzu at least do not have emotions, and these emotions are much like humans. Because of these times of their emotion expressions, we have a stronger bond to each other and both our lives have been enriched. We need to pay close attention to what I shih tzu are saying to us. In the case with a grieving mother, it is my responsibility then to try and comfort her during a difficult time. We owe our pets much more than the material things of life such as food, water, toys, soft beds to sleep in, etc. We need to learn how to effectively communicate with them, myself included.
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