Perhaps one of the most difficult tasks of being a paw-rent is the daily hygiene and grooming sessions with your dog. Bathing is not suggested to be done on a daily basis as this can dry your dog’s coat and skin, making him prone to dermatitis and hot spots. In this simple video, we are being taught by a dedicated Shih Tzu owner how to perform daily grooming on a long coated Shih Tzu. She admits not being a professional groomer, but she might have a few tips that may come in handy for all Shih Tzu lovers.
To start off, she used a pin brush, slicker brush and combs. Grooming spray was used all over Winnie’s body before using the three types of brushes, respectively. Combing starts with the anterior portion going down to the back. This is best done when the dog is lying on its side so you will have full access to the whole body. Do the same for the other side afterwards. For the face, use the same materials in the same order only with less pressure and with gentle stroking. Remember that you are dealing with the eyes and take care not to puncture any delicate structures. Use damp towel when removing dried exudates and debris on the eye and be careful not to touch the eyeballs. Shih tzu are very prone to eye problems because they have large and bulging eyeballs that easily dries and get ulcerations from scratching and brushing their faces on protruding objects. A Shih tzu grooming session will not be complete without the topknot. This technique should be mastered by any Shih tzu owner and actually, it only involves a few steps. The hair is divided into two sections where the first section comes from the stalk (hair closest and above the eyes). Pull the hair together in a diamond shaped bulk and then tie it with a rubber band. Make sure to adjust the pull pressure from the skin around the eye by loosening the pull on that area. The second division involves the hair behind the first diamond division. This is then collected into a triangle-shaped bulk and again tied with a band. The two divisions are then finally collected into one stalk and again tied with a band.
As all of these are happening, we are truly impressed by how Winnie remained calm and behaved as she was being groomed to a pretty pooch at the end of the video.
