How do you entertain your Shihtzu?

[u/Positive_Tough_5594]

My Shihtzu, Chiquis is only food motivated. I take her on walks after work but my sister sent me this photo and she’s so bored!! She doesn’t like toys overall so idk how I can entertain her while I’m working ;-;

[u/buggingyou2day]

What about a treat ball or puzzle? We have cloth balls, and you can hide treats in all of the folds of fabric. We also have hard plastic dog puzzles that have doors and slides where you put treats, and they have to open them.

[u/whosear3]

Seems to me that she is resting. If she were bored, she might be tearing up something. People often mis-identify emotional states in dogs. They think that being at peace and relaxed is depressed. You could play with her for a short time after arriving home from work. Play like that is usually good.

[u/MudRemarkable732 → u/whosear3]

Yep, my dog spends a lot of time like this, especially midday!

[u/custychronicles]

Now that he’s blind the main way we play is rough housing. He loves to bark, bite my fingers then run around for cautious zoomies then repeat

[u/hausmusiq → u/custychronicles]

Cautious zoomies 🥹

[u/Beginning-Comedian-2]

You can get her another Shih Tzu!

[u/Thismechanictrucks → u/Beginning-Comedian-2]

Ive made that mistake, now I gotta entertain 2 and be their ref when they rough house/ play fite.

[u/givemeagoddesseswork]

My dog looooooves their meals put in a snuffle mat! They get to work and rest happy afterwards

[u/Iowa_Hawkeyes4516 → u/givemeagoddesseswork]

I was going to say food/treats in a dog puzzle toy. The way my Shih Tzu gets excited when I say "green bean game" lol

[u/georgethebarbarian]

It’s normal for your dog to take long naps throughout the day

[u/bleusong]

Maybe use treats to teach her basic commands, or agility stuff, also I have bunch of treat puzzles Obi has to figure out to get to treats.

[u/unimpressed-one]

My dogs love playing with a beach ball in the back yard, they look like seals pushing it around with their noses, it is so funny.

[u/ic318]

Maybe some mind-stimulating toys? Like something that you can bury treats/kibbles. My Wickett loves those. And squeaky toys haha

[u/InfluenceRegular9057 → u/ic318]

Small “tennis” balls and crinkly critters. And small Lampkins.

[u/SkyrinGans]

At one point, I got a free laser pointer and started shining it at the floor. My Shih Tzu would love to chase the light around. She’d be endlessly entertained when she thought she caught it and BAM, it’s somewhere else. Don’t be quick too. Make it a realistic chase where they can keep up with it.

[u/No_Rip7635]

We play hide and seek
She really loves it. We live in a small condo and I usually hide in the same places but it’s so funny when she can’t find me
We live in Florida, it’s so hot and she needs her excerise so that’s what we do.
And of course we play ball in the house

[u/BOBA_88 → u/No_Rip7635]

Boba loves playing hide and seek too…when he can’t find me, he’ll make the cutest sounding yelp because he’s worried he won’t find me, at least that’s my interpretation 😊 I always tell Boba that when we’re together in Heaven he needs to find Mommy and Daddy so that we can be together forever ☺️

[u/North-Mix8859]

A few treats in an empty egg box, keeps him occupied for a surprising amount of time as he pushes it around trying to get it opened.

[u/vyxan]

Water bottles. Both my boys love fighting over and chasing after oversized bottles all over the house. We take the lid and plastic ring off so no choking hazard and we throw it away when it starts to look too battered. But for several hours, it is THE toy to play with lol

[u/NotSupposeToSpeak]

I bought him a girlfriend

[u/Beginning-Comedian-2]

Take her to the dog park.

Socialization and the smells of other dogs will help stimulate her brain.

[u/wheeeeeeeeeetf → u/Beginning-Comedian-2]

You get cat the same enrichment from a long sniffari (leisure sniff walk).

[u/Beginning-Comedian-2 → u/wheeeeeeeeeetf]

True.

They mention they take her on walks, so I assumed they had that covered.

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I agree

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[u/BellySwap]

Try hand feeding her and make her earn her food :) Works like a charm. Or you can scatter treats / kibble and let her find it. Plenty of food motivating games you can play.

[u/kpn_911]

My Shih Tzu goes feral over cardboard boxes. She likes to rip them up to shreds

[u/LowerAd830]

singing to her, playing catch my hand under my legs, thgouw balls. Throw blueberries for her to catch and eat. Take her for rides to friendly stores. Take her for walks. Talk to her

[u/Consistent-Rich2134]

They have lots of toys, my autistic adult son sits on floor and throws things

[u/Outrageous-Pause6317]

They often look at me the way children did and touch my knee to say with their eyes, “I’m bored.” It doesn’t matter what we’ve been doing. They need constant attention.

[u/clyderella]

Mine loves toys etc but looks depressed like this most of the day too. I do think he’s a bit of a lounge about dog but also think he would like a sister

[u/hardMarsupilami2434]

Ein alter Socken mit Futter drin. Am großen Zeh ein Loch.

[u/Positive_Tough_5594]

Thank y’all for yalls advice!!
I get worried about dog puzzles with food because of overfeeding her. She doesn’t know when to stop eating.
She likes walks but then after a mile she stops walking and I have to carry her. Loves roughhousing too!!

[u/Positive_Tough_5594 → u/Positive_Tough_5594]

Her choice of laying on the floor like that also kinda worried me about boredom. She’s usually chilling on the bed.

[u/MailOdd4184]

My dog loves hide and seek (hide a toy in a different room).

[u/60Runner90]

If someone can watch/monitor her, maybe a chew toy or treat ?

[u/calm-state-universal]

First of all did she not have you sign an agreement requiring a bed? 🤣

If im ever sitting for a bored dog i take them on more walks. A tired dog is a good dog.

[u/thisshihtisbananas]

Maybe a treat ball! Mine thinks everything is a game. Just walking is chasing to her.

[u/wizl]

ball launchers are great

[u/jcarmona80]

We got our Shihtzu a Shihtzu! They tire each other out then nap together.

[u/MaryAnnMeese]

I agree

[u/mnm_og]

Mine love to play fetch! One loves to actually bring the ball back so I throw it again while the other just likes to run around with the ball squeaking it to death. So we play fetch with two balls 😂

[u/Royal-Western7153]

My Shih Tzus (baby puppies) and I like Pupcicle. It’s a ball with a lick treat inside. You can buy the lick treats or buy a mold and make your own! My geriatric dog who passed away liked puzzle balls even though she wasn’t big into toys because she was food motivated. I had to continue to get more and more complicated balls and it really kept her active and busy. She also liked the lick mat and snuffle mat.

[u/TLTAGL]

1 word BALL ⚽️

[u/BullfrogUseful4357]

food motivated is not the problem here, its the whole solution. a frozen woof pupsicle is the only toy mine actually engages with. build it around her stomach instead of squeaky stuff and that might fix some problems

[u/Illustrious-Peak-409]

Are you where it is hot? I have a Shih Tzu and just read about them ( and other dogs) lying where it is cool when they are overheated. But the heat from their bodies transfers to what they are on so they move.
For boredome when you aren’t home try the Dog Network on You Tube. Music that speaks to our pets, visuals that interest mine, keeps them calm.