The word Shih Tzu means “Lion.” Even though these tiny furry balls are sweet and playful, they always want to stand for themselves.
Shih Tzu’s flowing double coat makes it different from others. He always has a firm and disciplined posture and has a distinctive arrogant character. He always has his head well raised and his tail curved at the end. Shih Tzus comes in various colours.
Shih Tzu makes a better companion and is a homely pet. He is a lively, alert, friendly, and trusted partner towards all. He doesn’t need lots of exercise as he is active all the time.
But his long and luscious furry coat needs regular brushing and high maintenance.
In addition to grooming, Shih Tzu’s long hairs allow you to try various hairstyles and make your dog stand out in the crowd.
Keeping your puppy clean and comfortable is the basis of Shih Tzu grooming. You can leave his flairs untied or give him a style, it’s up to you.
Whatever style you give to your Shih Tzu pup, he looks pretty attractive and captures everyone's attention.
Does Shih Tzu Requires Regular Grooming?
Yeah, Shih Tzus are a type of canine that requires frequent grooming. Your pup has a lavish double coat, a hairy outer coat covers the inside fur of this breed.
It needs regular brushing of hair twice or thrice a week and it needs to be bathed once or twice every fortnight. The frequency of bathing depends on the amount of your pup’s coat. A regular bath helps to promote the growth of the coat. But the dirty coat becomes tangled and hard to be brushed. A dirty coat makes the hair rough and breakable, which eventually damages the coat. Hence, you need to keep your Shih Tzu clean and healthy.
Given below are some of the essentials you need to know while grooming your cute Shih Tzu pup.
What Are The Essentials For Grooming Your Shih Tzu?
Shih Tzu pup grooming not only includes cutting and styling its hairy coat but also includes trimming nails, cleaning of face, brushing coats, teeth, etc. Each requires specific grooming techniques and at regular intervals.
The face of Shih Tzu pup needs special care as they are prone to tear stains that cause an unpleasant odour. This will look like your pup is constantly crying and it will stain your pup's coat and make it shabby. To avoid this, you need to keep the pup's hair short around his face.
For daily maintenance of your Shih Tzu's face, take a cotton ball dipped in warm water and wash the teardrops away and then wipe it with a soft and dry towel.
Another facial area that needs to be taken care of is its ears. If not cleansed regularly they may become prone to ear infections. So, please clear the wax often and check for the odour.
Shih Tzu Coat Maintainance:
Along with daily face cleaning, you also have to brush his coat more often. You can brush his coat based on his coat length, the minimum frequency can be once in 3 days or once in a week.
The brushing of the coat helps in eliminating the dirt, debris, and any parasites on your pup’s hair. Combing also helps in the maintenance of his coat.
As Shih Tzu has long hairs, it may cause knots and matting. So, if you want to keep your pup’s hair long, you need to brush his hair frequently. Use a brush with flexible clips and a slicker. Start brushing from the bottom and move your way up to free it from tangles.
Brushing helps in the removal of the dirt and also in the even distribution of oils throughout the coat.
Dogs have very sensitive skin due to which regular bathing may cause dryness of the skin.
Bathe your Shih Tzu only when he needs a haircut/hairstyle. Use a natural, moisturizing shampoo to avoid skin irritation for your pup.
Nail And Teeth Care:
The other two areas you need to consider for grooming your Shih Tzu include teeth and nails. You can visit groomers for brushing his teeth and also for trimming his nails.
Use a soft toothbrush specially meant for dogs, that are available at the pet store. You can also use special toothpaste. You can brush your pup's teeth once a week.
The next task is trimming your pup’s nails. You have to be careful while cutting them. Don’t cut it too short and take care not to injure his paws earth. Don’t ever let them grow too long which may result in curling inside his skin.
If you find any trouble in brushing his teeth and trimming his nails, it's advisable to go for groomers who are well trained in grooming your pup.
Hairstyles:
As your Shih Tzu has a long hairy overcoat, you can try styling him whatever way you want. You can cut his hair into various styles or tie them into a pony or leave them flared.
Summer cut/puppy cut is the lowest maintenance cut for your Shih Tzu. Your puppy's hair is cut fully short throughout. This cut is suitable for warm weather.
Another suitable and low-maintenance cut is the teddy bear cut. This cut keeps your Shih Tzu hair short but gives him a fluffy look. The hair around the face is cut short and in a round shape creating a teddy bear-like appearance.
If you want to keep long hair, you need high maintenance for that. One of the styles for long hair is a top knot. Your pup's hair on the head is gathered into a top knot tied by either a clip or a hair tie and hairs on the sides are kept long, but not up to the length to touch the ground. This is one of the traditional styles for Shih Tzu and is mostly used for show sports. But this cannot be maintained daily.
Final Views:
Shih Tzu is the most attractive companion with a double coat. They have a luscious hairy coat that covers the furry undercoat. Being tiny, lovable friends they are very active. Shih Tzu needs to be groomed often.
Their long hairs, their face, and their nails have to be groomed to keep them healthy and look attractive. Grooming Shih Tzu may require lots of patience.
The above article will guide you about grooming your Shih Tzu at home and if you are not comfortable or don’t have time to groom him, you can consider going to a groomer near you.
Do you have Shih Tzu who has to be groomed, then follow the above steps?
Give your valuable insights about this article.
