Life With the Shih Tzu Part II

In part I of this series of articles about life with the Shih Tzu I discussed the beginning steps of daily grooming of your Shih Tzu. In this article I will continue that discussion.

Once you have the hair on the tummy and legs all brushed out, flick all the body hair up and over the back before brushing it downwards again, a layer at a time, using the nylon and bristle brush. You might like to spray each layer lightly with water or a crème rinse and water mixture before brushing. You now have the Shih Tzu still lying on its side. You reason you want to work in layers like this is that you are able to brush right to the skin and remove all traces of hair that would start to mat and tangle. If the Shih Tzu is standing you can brush all day and only reach the top layer of the coat. It is really necessary to brush to the skin on a Shih Tzu. Use the comb only when it is necessary to take out a tangle you encounter.

When the first side is finished, turn the Shih Tzu over so he lies on his other side and repeat the process. If you are lucky enough to have a Shih Tzu that will relax and go to sleep this is such a blessing for the both of you. If you are gentle enough and teach the Shih Tzu that this is a time of "relaxation and pleasure" you might just have one that does sleep during brushing sessions. If you have a regular daily brushing routine you will be sure to find skin problems or parasites before they become very serious. When you have both sides of the Shih Tzu's coat thoroughly groomed and free of knots, stand the Shih Tzu up, facing away from you. Straighten the parting down the center of the back, using a comb or the tip of a blunt knitting-needle. Position the Shih Tzu to face you and groom the hair on the chest and neck. There is usually a knot or two behind and under the ears. Take particular care to clear these out.

Read on at: Stain Glass Shih Tzu

Life with the Shih Tzu Part I

If you want that perfect show dog look in your Shih Tzu you might as well relax to the fact that it involved brushing, brushing, brushing, and daily brushing. A thorough head-to-tail groom is often needed at least every other day if not "daily." However, Shih Tzu coat textures are very different. You might get by with once weekly brushing if the Shih Tzu's coat is the type of texture that does not mat and tangle easily. If you have only one Shih Tzu, grooming should not be a problem. It can be quite pleasurable for you and your Shih Tzu. It can be an excellent time to bond with each other, and have nice close little chats with each other. Where do you start? A good place to start grooming your Shih Tzu is on the tummy, the chest and inside the legs.......perhaps......there are other opinions of course, but in this article I will direct you to start with the tummy, the chest and inside the legs. You will need to have your Shih Tzu lie on his side on the table (be sure you have a nice, sturdy table to groom your Shih Tzu). There is nothing worse than a grooming table that wobbles around, except of course a grooming area that is not organized. You also need to have all your equipment organized and ready to use.

Read on at: Stain Glass Shih Tzu

Preserving the Show Dog Shih Tzu's Coat

Preserving the Show Dog Shih Tzu’s Coat

by Connie Limon (Email: connielimon@yahoo.com) The Shih Tzu's coat for the show rings requires extra care. Some show people actually keep their Shih Tzu confined and caged to preserve the coat, or they wrap the coat or oil it. Those who do keep their show Shih Tzu confined and caged pay a price in loss of muscle tone in their dogs. Not all show people practice these methods for preserving their Shih Tzu's long show dog coats. It is also a myth that all show people do not allow their show Shih Tzu to go for long walks, to play and just in general to lead a normal life. For those who do allow their show Shih Tzu do lead a normal life keeping the coat glamorous requires a lot of extra effort, and much more grooming than for the pet Shih Tzu. Coconut oil is considered helpful as a means of preserving the coat of a show dog Shih Tzu. If you do oil the show dog Shih Tzu coat you must remove the oil completely before each show. If you do not remove all the oil the coat appear limp and feel wrong. It can also be uncomfortable to be around a Shih Tzu that has been oiled. There are good oils on the market, however, that do not have this effect on the coat and it may be worth trying them if the Shih Tzu's coat seems to need it. Wrapping the coat in tissue paper protects the Shih Tzu's coat, but you lose some of the pleasure of seeing your dog in full coat with his hair flowing as he moves. I do think this is a beautiful, beautiful sight of the show dog Shih Tzu. The tissue wrapping sort of reminds me of the days when women ran around the house for house with their hair in curlers. Probably the best thing to do if you are just starting out taking care of your Shih Tzu show dog's coat is to experiment with different methods of preserving the coat until you find what works best for your dog. Much the same type of procedures a pet owner must go through, although a lot more intense and time consuming as the Shih Tzu show do requires so much more in the way of grooming. One thing is for certain if you start out with "bad hair" it is virtually impossible to make it good enough for the show ring. When purchasing your show potential Shih Tzu it is wise to study the lines to find out which have good hair in their genes. This way you can just continue to keep it looking good. The topknot and whiskers also need very special attention on the show dog Shih Tzu. The white whiskers on a parti-coloured Shih Tzu must be really, really white to look good. It seems this is especially true for the black and white Shih Tzu. Some older methods of keeping the whiskers white was to wash them at least once a day with a solution of boracic powder, a teaspoon to a pint of water. This mixture is wiped into the whiskers, being careful to get none in the eyes and then rinsed away. One of the keys to keeping whiskers white is above all to dry them immediately and keep them dry. An older method of drying them was to work in some fuller's earth or talcum powder, brushing this out and repeating until the hair was absolutely dry. If you allow the Shih Tzu to dry his own whiskers he will rub and rub until dry doing nothing but harm to the length of the coat. Another problem you run into with all this washing is that the hair becomes dry and brittle. You will need to dress the whiskers with a little coat conditioner from time to time. A method of preserving the hair of the topknot is to use several bands along the length of the hair to hold it to the back of the head. You can also plait the hair to achieve the same purpose. Use neither of these methods just before a show as both methods will cause kinks in the coat of which you do not want. It is always wise to review the rules of the American Kennel Club about the use of oils and conditioners on the coat of a show dog. Any substance used to alter the natural color, texture or body of the coat is usually prohibited.

Author: Connie Limon. I raise Shih Tzu Puppies for Sale. Visit us at http://www.stainglassshihtzus.com and sign up for our newsletters. We have the Shih Tzu in a variety of colors, the small AKC standards, imperials and teacups at reasonable prices. This article is FREE to publish with the resource box.

Life with the Shih Tzu Part Iby Connie Limon (Email: connielimon@yahoo.com) If you want that perfect show dog look in your Shih Tzu you might as well relax to the fact that it involved brushing, brushing, brushing, and daily brushing. A thorough head-to-tail groom is often needed at least every other day if not "daily." However, Shih Tzu coat textures are very different. You might get by with once weekly brushing if the Shih Tzu's coat is the type of texture that does not mat and tangle easily. If you have only one Shih Tzu, grooming should not be a problem. It can be quite pleasurable for you and your Shih Tzu. It can be an excellent time to bond with each other, and have nice close little chats with each other. Where do you start? A good place to start grooming your Shih Tzu is on the tummy, the chest and inside the legs.......perhaps......there are other opinions of course, but in this article I will direct you to start with the tummy, the chest and inside the legs. You will need to have your Shih Tzu lie on his side on the table (be sure you have a nice, sturdy table to groom your Shih Tzu). There is nothing worse than a grooming table that wobbles around, except of course a grooming area that is not organized. You also need to have all your equipment organized and ready to use. So now that you have your Shih Tzu lying on its side on the table, with his legs towards you (this can be an accomplishment in itself that may take several short training sessions to get done). If the Shih Tzu just will not cooperate with you, you can start trying to train him by having him lay tummy upwards in your lap with his head facing your chest. Do this exercise first for a few days if he absolutely refuses to lie this way on the grooming table. If the above fails, you might try to groom the chest and tummy while the Shih Tzu sits on the table facing you, holding him up into a begging position by the front paws; this is not easy, since both hands are needed for some parts of the grooming, but you might have to try this as a last resort. If your Shih Tzu mats the tummy will be a prime target for matting. The tummy side of a Shih Tzu is sensitive also, so be gentle in this area. Check where the legs meet the body, this is a prime target area for severe matting as well. Something you don't want to deal with is severe mats in these areas. These are extra sensitive areas on your Shih Tzu. The best rule to follow is pay close attention to these areas on a daily basis and never allows the mats to occur. The hair around the male penis can also be a very sensitive trouble spot. It is best to keep this area clean and shaved off. Your male Shih Tzu will give you a sigh of relief when you remove the hair in this area. How do you remove knots and mats? If you come across a mat or knot first try to tease it apart with your fingers. Then take a comb and use the end with coarse teeth to tease out the tangle slowly, working from the outside inwards and holding the hair between the knot and the body between your fingers so that you don't pull too hard and hurt the Shih Tzu. If all else fails, a knot may have to be cut out. Cut into the knotted hair away from the dog several times before gently using the comb to clear away the knot. Never cut across the coat. This will leave an obvious hole. If you will cut down through the length of the coat you will cause much less damage. Note: The hair on the legs is more likely to tangle than anywhere else. So.....pay particular attention to these areas as well to avoid those awful and painful mats. This article continues in Part II of "Life with the Shih Tzu." Author: Connie Limon. I raise Shih Tzu puppies in a variety of colors especially the silver blues, reds and solid blacks. We have the AKC small standards, imperials and teacups at reasonable prices. Our website provides you with an educational experience all about the Shih Tzu. Please visit us at http://www.stainglassshihtzus.com and sign up for our newsletters. This article is FREE to publish with the resource box.