1	How to groom a Shih Tzu
2	Introduction The Shih Tzu has a glorious coat of hair , and requires some simple methods, and tips, if you would like to keep it long yourself. Even if you have your dog/puppy groomed professionally, there are a few minutes of grooming on a daily basis that none of us can run from. *** The hair must be brushed on a daily basis. A quick run through and repair of the top-knot or Barrette , and you are done. ~~tip: never brush the hair dry ; always mist the coat until it is slightly damp using a leave-in moisturizing or repair spray before brushing. A pin brush and/or a comb is required. brush the hair the way it grows until all the tangles are out. I am easy with their hair just as I am my own when combing/brushing so as not to pull the hair out, thus leaving the coat thin over time. A complete full coat groom sequence follows to help you in learning to care for the long-coated beauty you have acquired. For all of you short cut Shih Tzu lovers with a lot less work, yeah we may be nuts to go to all this trouble for hair on a dog, but you of all understand !
3	A Quick Daily Groom Part 1 The daily grooming process does not have to be more then a 10 to 15 minute job, if done everyday. They do not have to be in Show Coat to need daily grooming. The skin, pads of the feet, eyes, ears, and hair itself need to be inspected everyday as a part of good health regimen. I will try to show you step by step what to do. The hair should never be combed, nor brushed dry. Use some type of spray-leave-on hair conditioner/moisturizer, etc to dampen the coat before beginning. The old bands must be cut out first.
4	A Quick Daily Groom Part 2 The dog then must be checked all over for anything that may be sore, itches, etc. The hair on the pads must be cut off with sharp scissors when needed. (trimming the pads) The mustache under the nose should be cut off using scissors and/or a small set of mustache trimmers.
5	A Quick Daily Groom Part 3 The hair is then brushed out using a pin-brush after patting the conditioner into the hair. (Never rub or pull the hair as it damages it and will keep the coat from becoming nice and full). If you want, you then comb thru it to be sure you got all the little tufts out.
6	A Quick Daily Groom Part 4 The excess hair that may catch something you don't want in the house has to be removed when needed. The teeth should be brushed daily. Use a doggie paste and brush. Brush only the outside of the teeth. Do not brush the inside for a few minutes just like you do yours.
7	A Quick Daily Groom Part 5 The ponytail or barrette is put into the top knot to put the hair up and out of those beautiful eyes. The eyes should be irrigated out to make sure they are clean, bright, and clear. No squinting, jerking when a certain spot is touched etc; anything different than usual. The hair of the top knot may need to be re-dampened.
8	A Quick Daily Groom Part 6 The ears have to be checked for dirt, wax, smells, etc. Clean them with a cloth wet in water and just wipe them out don't forget to get the flap good. A common disorder in every breed of dog with the ears not getting enough air is a yeast infection. The bacteria undergrowth is yeast which normally lives balanced. If there is an odor, redness, sore to touch, or itching that the dog needs to have the ear checked by the Vet.
9	FULL GROOM FOR THE SHOW COATED SHIH TZU A full bath and conditioning of the coat starts the full grooming process. Use a shampoo formulated for dogs, not humans, horses, etc. A moisturizing shampoo like oatmeal, lanolin, protein, whitening, brightening, etc. There are many, many options available at pet stores and online. Use a conditioner that strengthens and moisturizes as well as de-tangles the coat. Any of the good ones are fine. Some study and decisions will have to be made regarding the shampoo and conditioners. As well as all the products you use. The first ones you use may not give you the results you want, and you may want to change until the results give you the outcome you want. The end result should be a soft, easily detangled coat when dry and brushed out during blow-drying on the medium heat cycle. Hot heat will damage the hair and dry out your moisturizers. You must choose the shampoos and conditioners that work best for you and your dog. Use warm water for the process; not hot, nor cold. Hot water strips and damages the hair. Cold water prevents the shampoos and conditioners from getting inside the cuticle of the hair, thus preventing thorough cleaning and conditioning of the coat.
10	FULL GROOM FOR THE SHOW COATED SHIH TZU Part 2 Assemble all the supplies you will need: Shampoo Conditioner Towels Eye wash Ear cleaner Wash cloths Toothbrush Toothpaste Stain remover As well as any other product or supplies you use for the bath. Process: Wet the coat completely being gentle and not tugging nor pulling at the coat. Then apply the shampoo being careful not to get any in the eyes nor the ears. Rub gently and give the shampoo time to work. A second wash may be necessary if the coat does not rinse clear easily or the water is dirty when rinsing. After a thorough rinse, apply the conditioner generously. Rub in gently, and let it stand for at least 5 minutes, then rinse until the water is translucent. Do not rinse all the conditioner out. Dry the coat gently by patting not rubbing and being rough. Any rough behavior with the coat damages the hair follicles causing breakage and fallout, thus leaving you a thinned coat.
11	FULL GROOM FOR THE SHOW COATED SHIH TZU Part 3 FULL GROOM FOR THE SHOW COATED SHIH TZU Part 3 While blowing the coat dry on the medium cycle for heat and medium to low for brushing dry. Use the pin brush to brush while using the blow-dryer. Inspect the skin as the dryer blows the hair around and you brush it. Any breaks in the skin should be addressed as to what it is ,and how to deal with it. This may encourage a trip to the vet. ; if your baby has any lesions of any kind. Once the hair is damp-dry you should be able to easily run the pin-brush thru the hair and it should feel very soft and silky ; evenly over the body. Inspect the ears and the flap of the ear for any red spots, open lesions, redness, or tenderness. The ear should be nice and clean with supple skin, and non-tender. Check the eyes for any irritation, redness, squinting, anything other than normal in those big beautiful eyes. Use the sterile eye rinse to clean the eyes as you do with the daily Quick Groom. Generally any eye wash you can use on your contacts can be used on your babies eyes safely. Check the Feet Pads for any opening anywhere. If there is one a vet. call may be needed. If not watch it for redness, drainage,etc to decide whether it is going to heal ,or if it is going to need help to heal. I treat mine like 2 year old children with the exceptions of the things that are different for the dog. The pads should be relatively free of hair, soft and supple like your skin on your feet. The teeth I brush well during the bath and has already in addressed in the daily groom section Part 4.
12	FULL GROOM FOR THE SHOW COATED SHIH TZU Part 4 The nails need to be clipped on a regular basis. In some of the nails you will be able to see the pink "Quick" cut right below the pink where the white starts and clip just a little bit below the pink. On the black nails you can feel the part of the nail on the bottom and where the part that is not smooth is a bump, that is where the cuticle is, so cut a bit below the bump. Clip all the hair off the pads of each paw. Do not nip open the pad, be very careful until you get used to it. This is like anything else. The more you do it the better you will be at it. ( I do have a grooming form that reminds you everything to do, and a place to document the grooming. If you would like a copy email me and I will send it out.) The rear end must be clipped as is discussed in the daily groom part 4.
13	Top Knot Top Knot In order to keep a nice top-knot without a lot of breakage and damage,then banding is the route. The photos show how to part the hair and band each section on the top of the head to be the top-knot. Once the top knot is done you will feel like a professional at it after about 2 weeks.
14	Top Knot 2 The first step is taking the old bands out. I do mine about every third day now that I have had some practice. The number of times also depends on how much rough and tumble playing the baby does. Which messes your master piece up. Always cut the bands out. Do not pull them or try to unscramble them out. It will not work without causing damage to the hair and they are not reusable anyway. they are cheap at any show supply place of business. Next ; part and make 6 ponytails as the photos depict. You may pull all 6 ponytails up into one large pony-tail/top-knot if you'd like ; Or leave 6. It does not matter as long as the top-knot is up and out of the face. Next ; Band the mustaches on each side. You are done WaLa!
15	Credits Some self explanatory alternative looks for your enjoyment. Good Luck Kay Clark Pictures provided by Kay See our links on our websites: http://www.ozarkbabies.com/