Grooming a Shih Tzu between Salon Visits
When your Shih Tzu is clipped, into a suitable pet clip, regularly at the groomers it can be tempting never to take a comb to him at all. You should though, because grooming a Shih Tzu is about far more than keeping his coat tidy.
When we were not around dogs groomed each other to bond and to help each other out, in fact many animals do the same thing, because grooming meets social and physical needs in a unique way. Take a look at the benefits of grooming a Shih Tzu right here;
Shih Tzu Grooming for Healthy Skin
Taking a few minutes to brush your Shih Tzu’s coat through every day will help you to keep an eye on his skin underneath his coat. Skin problems can develop quickly when they start to appear so with daily grooming you can keep a careful eye on the skin of your friend and make sure that his skin is smooth, healthy has good airflow and no nasty bacteria is developing. Checking the areas that get moist easily such as between the forelegs and body, between the toes and around the base of the ears is a great way to keep your Shih Tzu’s skin healthy.
Grooming a Shih Tzu – Chase Away those Parasites
Spring is just around the corner. Flea eggs are waiting for the warm weather so that they can hatch and find a healthy host, in a few months one single and overlooked female flea will lay eggs that hatch so quickly your whole house can become infected. Grooming a Shih Tzu is paramount for finding stray parasites before they take over.
Look out for black, grit like, flea dirt that turns red when wet. This is a sure sign of parasites. Fleas can initially be missed by the human eye so grooming a Shih Tzu daily behind the ears and along the back with a narrow, specifically designed flea comb will help you to find a stray flea well before she does too much damage.
Grooming a Shih Tzu is Beneficial to All
Studies show that spending time with a dog, handling, stroking and generally grooming is as good for a human as it is with their dog. Shih Tzu grooming will lower your heart rate, alleviate stress and encourage mindfulness as you work through the soft coat of your dog with a comb and brush.
Your mutual relationship will also benefit by daily grooming. Remember I said that animals groom each other in the wild, including dogs, well one of their main reasons for grooming in this way is to build relationship and trust with another individual animal.
The dog that gives another permission to carry out something as personal as grooming is handing over trust to the other dog. Similarly if your dog is relaxed and happy whilst you groom him then he is learning to completely trust you in exactly the same way, how flattering is that?
So now you know all the benefits of grooming a Shih Tzu, go on why not grab your brush?
