Home Grooming Tips for a Shih Tzu

The Shih Tzu is a small, friendly dog first bred to serve as a royal pet in Tibet. After World War II, these dogs were brought into many western homes as house pets. They are small, portable and require little exercise. However, Shih Tzus do have long, flowing hair which requires daily grooming.

  1. Washing

    • Place your dog in a small tub with a couple of inches of warm water. Shih Tzus are small enough that you could actually wash one in the laundry room sink. A handheld water spray is useful for rinsing hard to reach areas. To give your dog a sleek, shiny coat, apply a spray-on conditioner before washing. Use a conditioner especially created for dogs. This detangles long hair and makes washing easier. Use a doggy approved shampoo to wash the dog after thoroughly wetting it down. Rinse and repeat. Apply doggy conditioning cream and let sit for three to five minutes. Rinse and towel dry.

    Drying

    • After washing a Shih Tzu, towel dry the dog to remove most of the excess water. Use a blow dryer on low to finish drying the hair. Keep moving the blow dryer to avoid burning the dog's skin. Brush the dog's hair with a wide tooth comb or bristled brush as you dry to keep tangles from forming. A little of the spray-on conditioner spritzed on the hair as it's drying also keeps tangles away.

    Trimming

    • Shih Tzus have naturally long hair, which requires regular grooming. Keep the Shih Tzu's hair on the shorter side to reduce grooming time and keep the dog happy when playing outside. It's recommended that a groomer give the dog its actual haircut. Maintain a cut with some regular trimming. Use sharp, straight handled scissors when cutting. Position the blades vertically to the hair and trim with a slow, consistent motion. This helps prevent a chunky look to the dog's haircut. Trim small 1-inch sections at a time and start from the bottom of the hair and work your way up to the desired length. Shih Tzus also need close cuts on their bottoms and sometimes their feet. Smaller scissors work to carefully trim excess hair from the feet and a pair of clippers can shave hair on the dog's rear end.

    Brushing

    • Brush out the dog's hair after a bath and after trimming. Wide tooth combs and soft, round bristled Nylon mixture brushes work best. Start brushing the dog's head first and work your way back. Brush the dog's hair out of its eyes. If necessary secure it on top with a small bow or have it trimmed to keep the hair away from the dog's face. This is also a good time to wipe any discharge from the dog's eyes with a soft, damp towel. Use the bristle brush first, then follow with the comb.