Puppies are born with very few antibodies against disease. The mother will first produce colostrum. Colostrum is the first milk and is nature's way of providing newborn puppies with their first doses of antibodies to produce against disease. Puppies' bodies will not produce their own antibodies to disease until they are about six weeks old. Puppies must have at least one feeding of colostrum in their first 24 hours of life. By keeping the mother updated on vaccinations, she has a good chance of passing on her immunity to newborn puppies that helps to guard them against disease.
Access to colostrum is only good for the puppies in the first 24 hours of life. Access to the mother's colostrum in the first 24 hours of life is crucial.
The immunity to disease passed through the mother's colostrum called "maternal immunity" usually lasts for several weeks in the puppy's system. It gradually fades as the puppy's own immune system begins developing and becomes capable of producing its own antibodies at around 14 to 16 weeks of age. The exact time of maternal immunity's fading is very variable, but it generally occurs between 6 and 16 weeks. The goal of vaccination programs is to cover any gap in immunity by starting vaccines immediately after the maternal protection fades and when the puppy's body is capable of producing its own antibodies.
Vaccines are given to puppies several times to cover this gap. When the maternal immunoglobulins fade and leave the puppy without protection from disease, vaccines given at this time will prompt the puppy's maturing immune system to produce its own protective antibodies against disease. To be sure the series of vaccines given your puppy provides the immunity it needs, you can ask your vet for a Titer Test.
Do not vaccinate a pregnant shih tzu. You must do so before she is pregnant on a yearly basis.
Keeping the attention of a shih tzu while training is not always easy. Shih Tzu can be easily distracted, and it is important to not allow the training sessions to be sabotaged by boredom. Making training fun for the shih tzu and the human alike is vital to creating a happy, well adjusted and well trained shih tzu.
Providing random positive stimuli during the day is a great way to keep the interest of the shih tzu. Doing things the shih tzu enjoys, like walking in the park, riding in the car, and playing with other dogs, is a great way to keep the shih tzu's attention and reward him for small successes.
For instance, in order to reward the shih tzu for coming to you, for instance, ask the shih tzu to come to you, without giving any clues about a walk, a car ride, or other treats. After the shih tzu has come to you and obediently sat down, attach the leash and start the reward. This can be either the aforementioned walk in the park, ride in the car, or anything else the shih tzu likes to do.
Providing some kind of reward, whether a treat, a special outing, or just a scratch behind the ears, every time the shih tzu does something you want, is a great way to keep your shih tzu motivated. If the shih tzu knows something great is going to happen every time he obeys your command, he will be motivated to please you every time.
Distraction training When training any shih tzu, it is important to not let distractions disrupt the training. The shih tzu must be taught to ignore distractions, such as other people, other dogs, other animals and loud noises, and focus on what is being taught These types of distractions can even be used as rewards when training the shih tzu to come when called.
For instance, if your shih tzu enjoys playing with other dogs, whether in a local dog park or with the neighbor's dogs, let him play freely with those other dogs. Then go into the park or yard and call your shih tzu. When he comes to you, provide lots of praise, treats and other rewards, then immediately allow the shih tzu to go back to playing with his friends. Repeat this several times and praise the shih tzu each time he comes to you. The shih tzu will quickly learn that coming to you means good things (treats and praise) and not bad ones (being taken away from the park).
If the shih tzu does not master this particular type of training right away, try not to get discouraged. So called distraction training is one of the most difficult things to teach. Dogs are naturally social animals, and breaking away from the pack is one of the most difficult things you can ask your shih tzu to do. Most dogs will be understandably reluctant to leave their canine companions, but it is important to persist.
Training the shih tzu to come to you may require some creativity on your part at first. For instance, waving a favorite toy, or a lure, is a great way to get your shih tzu's attention and put the focus back on you. If your shih tzu has been clicker trained, a quick click can be a good motivator as well.
Once the shih tzu begins to get the hang of coming when called, you can begin to reduce and eliminate the visual cues and focus on getting the shih tzu to respond to your voice alone. It is important that the shih tzu respond to voice commands alone, since you will not always have the availability of a toy or other lure.
Connie Limon has sinced written about articles on various topics from Careers and Job Hunting, Dogs and Colon Cleanse. Connie Limon publishes a FREE weekly newsletter. A professional newsletter with a focus upon health and wellness for you and your pets. Discounts on shih tzu puppies are offered to subscribers. Current available puppies. Sign up at. Connie Limon's top article generates over 135000 views. to your Favourites.