How to Groom a Shih Tzu in Full Coat
Are you wondering how to groom your Shih Tzu dog like the professional groomer would? Perhaps you would like to groom your Shih Tzu, in between salon visits, so that he looks like he just stepped out of the grooming room?
Read on and find out exactly how professional dog groomers deal with the Shih Tzu.
When learning how to groom a Shih Tzu like a professional the first thing to do is consider his lifestyle. The lifestyle of a dog dictates how he wears his hair in many cases. The Shih Tzu that runs through undergrowth and hikes in the hills will soon be in an unfathomable tangle if he is wearing the full, long Shih Tzu coat.
The Shih Tzu Natural Coat is long and flowing, you may be surprised by that as so many of them wear a clipped puppy type coat for convenience. In reality though Shih Tzu coat type is not dissimilar to human hair. It grows long and silky. Shih Tzu hair barely sheds and, if in show cut, will need trimming when it reaches the feet of the dog. When a dog’s coat is like this it needs grooming every single day to detangle and keep it clean.
How to Groom a Shih Tzu with Long Hair
The Shih Tzu is a dog breed with a risky head shape. The flat face that so many Shih Tzu owners adore also causes severe breathing problems and the tendency to overheat very quickly. This is because the airways are obstructed by the selected bone structure in the nose area, but why is this relevant?
When you are learning how to groom a Shih Tzu you will need to take the environment into serious consideration. A Shih Tzu in full coat, in summer, can easily overheat and will certainly be uncomfortable. If you do have a Shih Tzu in full coat then grooming every day to increase air flow to the skin is essential. It is also important to check the skin for soreness, redness and irritation.
Grooming a Shih Tzu with a long coat should begin at the face and work through to the tail. A slicker brush is the best tool to use and favored amid Shih Tzu groomers the world over. The slicker is a wire toothed brush that separated the hair as you groom, however care must be taken with delicate Shih Tzu skin as this brush used too enthusiastically can cause slicker burn.
Grooming the Shih Tzu Legs
When the long hair on the Shih Tzu body is tangle free the next job is to groom each of the legs in turn. The front shoulders of the Shih Tzu actually move mainly by tendons and muscles so never pull a dog’s leg out to the side you will cause damage.
The next part of grooming a Shih Tzu in a long coat is checking each one of those hairy paws for knots and debris. With lots of hair squashed between the pads they can get sore very easily. Splay out the feet and even trim some hair away from underneath if you feel confident to.
Finally, in this brief lesson on how to groom a Shih Tzu in full coat, why not invest in a real or part bristle brush? They are expensive but will make your Shih Tzu’s coat shine like never before. Just use it after you have detangled the entire coat to bring up the natural oils and make your dog’s coat gleam.
