Grooming a Shih Tzu Dog with Clippers
Professional Coat Care – Grooming a Shih Tzu Dog with Clippers
Are you wondering the best way to groom your Shih Tzu with clippers? Perhaps you have a set of clippers, are thinking of buying some, or would simply like to groom your dog at home in future? Well read on because grooming a Shih Tzu dog with clippers is actually a lot easier than you may think.
The Shih Tzu Coat
The Shih Tzu coat is traditionally long and flowing, it grows to full length and barely sheds. This is great when the dog is shown in the ring but not so handy in a pet home where it easily gets tangled and difficult to deal with.
Groomers can be expensive though and if you’re happy with your own dog looking a little strange whilst you practice, why not have a go at grooming a Shih Tzu dog with clippers right under your own roof?
Shih Tzu Grooming – Creating a Style with Clippers
There is a very specific style for the Shih Tzu. It is vital that you use the right equipment to create it though or you could run into real styling problems. So have a good set of quality clippers that cut the hair to between one and two inches long and have a good sharp pair of thinning or blending scissors to tidy the longer hair.
Grooming a Shih Tzu Dog with Clippers – Easy Steps
- First it is important to bathe your Shih Tzu and blow dry his coat, His legs should be dried in a method that we call fluff drying. This means the coat is lifted away from the skin as the warm air dries it, making it look fluffy and stand out from the skin. His body hair can be dried flat, it’s important to make sure it’s completely dry though or the clippers will get stuck.
- Secondly, when the coat is dry, you can clip the dog’s body hair away, but leave his legs long. The idea is that you clip everything from the back of the neck right through to the base of the tail including the undercarriage. Stop clipping just above the fluffy legs. Then you can use the blending scissors to blend the long fluffy leg hair into the shorter coat and also thin the leg hair out until it’s tidy.
- Thirdly, when grooming a Shih Tzu dog with clippers, you can tidy the dog’s head, ears and tail with the thinning scissors too. Try to shape the dogs head into the trademark Shih Tzu round head, this will be easy with practice, just like shaping a pompom.
The finished dog should look like a teddy bear and with practice, a good pair of thinning scissors and technique this will soon be easy to achieve.
The real art of grooming a Shih Tzu dog with clippers is that you make everything fit perfectly. If you have a house full of Shih Tzu, as most of us do, then you will get plenty of practice.
