9 yr. old Shih Tzu snapping

My mom works with someone who just adopted a 9 year old shih tzu about 6 weeks ago, and it has snapped at them twice.

The first time she snapped at them was when she had dug candy out of this lady's purse, and the lady was going over to see what she was doing. They told her no, and sort of shrugged it off.

The second occurance was when the lady was changing her bedding, and she moved over to the dog to move her off the bed. Before she even touched her, the dog snapped at her?

Is there anything they can do, and what would cause this?

Thank you,
Steph and Jes

First, old dogs are sensitive about their bodies. My advice is to get her checked up with a vet now. The dog could be in advance stages of arthritis and or thyroid problems, both of which can lead to snappiness. After a health clearance and blood tests, you'll need to work on bumping the Shih Tzu down the pecking order. In order to do this, you'll need to introduce "NILIF"- Nothing In Life Is Free. Here's a greyt link:
http://k9deb.com/nilif.htm

After that, you must teach the owner of the Shih Tzu the proper way to handle her elderly dog. Like I said, elderly dogs are sensitive about their bodies. Thus, you need to treat them with a gentler hand. Think iron fist in a velvet glove ;) I have a few questions for the Shih Tzu owner.

In the first event, when the lady was checking out what was going on with the Shih Tzu and candy, did she reach into the Shih Tzu's mouth? Or did she place her hand over/across the dog's head?

In the second event, when the lady wanted to move the Shih Tzu, did she make a sudden movement when the dog was groggy and sleepy?

You should invite the Shih Tzu's owner to read this or print it out for her :) Wish you luck!

Great advice. I'd also have the vet check out her eyesight & hearing, if either or both is starting to deteriorate sudden movements &/or darkness can lead to snappy behavior.

Did she aquire this dog from a shelter? If so I'd have her check with them to see if the dog has any history of snappiness. And they should offer free advice & possibly classes.

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In the first event, when the lady was checking out what was going on with the Shih Tzu and candy, did she reach into the Shih Tzu's mouth? Or did she place her hand over/across the dog's head?

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She hadn't even touched the dog yet...So she jumped back and then saw what her dog was doing! I don't know what happened next besides a plain repremand of no eating that, no hitting, just a stern voice.

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In the second event, when the lady wanted to move the Shih Tzu, did she make a sudden movement when the dog was groggy and sleepy?

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I am not sure if she made a quick movement, but, the dog was wide awake. She could've made a quick movement that might of scared her a little bit...

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Did she aquire this dog from a shelter? If so I'd have her check with them to see if the dog has any history of snappiness. And they should offer free advice & possibly classes.

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Yes, she got this dog from the shelter. I know that they don't offer classes, I have checked for my friends dog that they got from there...I will let her know to call them and ask about her history in general!

Giselle, I think that I will get some printouts to give to her!

Thank you both, anyone else have any advice to add?-It would be appriciated:)

Steph and Jes

Nope. None other than to get the Shih Tzu checked with a vet. Like lv4dogs mentioned, it's very possible the dog is losing her eyesight and/or hearing which can cause snappiness. Or, there could be another underlying health ailment like a dysfunctioning internal organ and/or arthritis. Oldies need special care, but they blossom once you've got the basics down ;) I love seniors and I wish her the best of luck.

I really can't think of anything other than everything that has already been mentioned.
I'd start with the complete geriatric health exam and do the NILIF no matter what the outcome from the vet is.
Consult with a behavorist (or if the shelter offers some type of program).

Okay. Sounds great, the owners are checking the shelter and setting up an appointment for the dog.

Thank you so much for the info!-It helped a lot!

Steph and Jes