The adult Shih Tzu is a double-coated breed, meaning that they have a dense outer or guard coat and a softer inner coat. Puppies are born with a single outer coat and do not grow their inner coat until they are about 8 or 9 months old although some puppies get their second coat much sooner. Brushing a puppy is relatively easy, as their hair does not mat nearly as much as a full-grown Shih Tzu dog. Since puppies can be squirmy, its best to teach a puppy how to enjoy a brushing while they are still young and have only one coat of hair.

Often the best time to groom your pet is in the evening while you're watching television. You can train your pup to sit quietly on your lap and enjoy your company and the pampering he will receive. Most Shih Tzu dogs learn to love being groomed, but it takes time for puppies to get to this point. Just like small children, puppies are much too busy to sit, stand, or lie down for grooming. For this reason, I usually like to keep a chew bone or a few small treats nearby. When the puppy has calmed down and is ready for grooming, praise him and give him a treat. Grooming a puppy takes some patience and willingness to go slow. When the puppy does what you want him to do, praise and give him another treat. To achieve the best results, repeat often.

Training Your Shih Tzu for Grooming

You will ultimately want to train your dog to sit, stand, or lay down on a hard surface such as a grooming table or kitchen counter. It is easier in the long run to groom a dog this way rather than hoping they will behave on your lap. When you think about it, sitting or standing on a grooming table can be a scary proposition to a small dog. The table is at the correct height for you, but it must seem like a mountaintop to a small dog. Start by taking every opportunity to pick up your dog and sit them on the grooming table or surface you plan to use. Pet them gently, rub your fingers through their hair; touch their paws, tail, ears, and muzzle. Tell your puppy to "sit" or give the "down" command, which is the word you will use to teach him to lie down. Praise them if they respond and give a small treat. Do this several times a day, gradually working up to introducing a brush. The first few brushing sessions should be brief, positive, and enjoyable. At this stage, do not worry if you are not getting down to all layers of hair.

You should plan to brush your Shih Tzu Dog's hair frequently, at least a couple of times per week, but preferably more often. Daily brushing is ideal as it prevents mats from setting in and getting too dense. Brushing is the best way to remove small mats and gives the dog a smooth, silky appearance. Mats not only detract from the appearance of the dog's coat, but they can also be painful to the dog. Often if a dog is scratching and there is no other sign of skin irritation, it is likely that a mat is pulling on the dog's skin. Removing large mats is also painful to the dog, so the best solution is to brush daily.

We like to use a pin brush and work on one small section at a time. A slicker brushes is another option. Prior to brushing, you can lightly mist the hair with a de-tangling product. Another choice is to put about a teaspoon full of conditioner in a clean, empty spray bottle and fill the bottle up with water. Shake the bottle until all of the conditioner has been mixed. This keeps the hair from breaking and aids in removing any small knots.

Begin at the dog's foot, and brush this area first in both directions. This technique, called line brushing, requires you to part the hair in a line and brush one small section at a time. Be sure to start at the skin and work outward. To part the hair that you want to brush, you can either use the end of a steel comb, a rat-tail comb, a knitting needle, or your fingernail. Be sure to work from the area closest to the skin outward. Brush straight out several times until the brush goes freely through the hair. If you only brush the surface of the coat, you will only reach the outer or guard coat and will not be able to get to the inner coat. Most knots form in the inner coat, so you will not be able to remove any knots that might be there. If there are any knots, you can remove them with a steel comb or de-matting comb. We will address knot removal later in this article. If you do come to a knot, do not pull or tug at it. This will hurt the pup and make him fearful of the grooming process, something that you do not want to happen.

Brushing should continue all over the dog's body, legs, tail, and head. The time this takes depends on the length of the dog's coat. The process of grooming is considerably less if you keep your Shih Tzu in a short puppy or kennel cut. Some areas tend to mat worse than others do, especially under the arms in the soft sensitive chest area and on the neck under the dog's ear. Use special precautions here as it is easy to hurt the dog with too rigorous of brushing. Use extreme caution around the face, especially the eyes. Until you train your dog to stay while brushing, it is best to use a small comb around the eye and muzzle area rather than a brush. A trick to removing hardened debris from around the eyes is to use a flea comb. Start at the inner corner of the eye and comb outward, clean off the flea comb and then repeat until the face is clean.

Combing

After you have brushed all areas of the dog, go back over the dog with a steel comb. A plastic human comb is not advisable because it just pulls at the hair. Ideally, find a steel comb that has two separate sections, one with teeth spaced closely together, and the other where the teeth are spread farther apart. Some small knots or tangles may come out with the comb. Recall where you found any large knots as de-tangling the coat is the next step.

De-tangling

There are several ways to remove mats. The best way to remove very loose, small mats is with your fingers. Locate the mat and gently pull it apart until it is loose enough to comb through the hair. You may be able to pull some of these knots out entirely with your fingertips. Remember, you must be gentle with this process. If the knot is tighter, you may try the end of your steel comb. Using the edge of the comb, gently pick at the knot, slowly dislodging parts of the knot. When it is loose enough, turn the comb around and comb through the hair. Tighter knots often require de-tangling combs or scissors.

A de-tangling comb looks like a regular comb with a sharp edge at the base for cutting through the knot. It is easy to begin yanking on the hair with these de-tangling instruments, so go slow and gentle. If all else fails, you can use a pair of grooming scissors to remove the knot. There is a trick to this, so do not just find the knot and cut it out as this will leave a section of the coat bare. In addition, the chances of cutting the dog are great. To use scissors, first locate the knot and hold it between two fingers. With your scissors in your other hand, locate the base of the knot, nearest to the skin with the tip of your scissors. Cut through the knot from the skin towards the ends of the hair. Never point scissors or cut towards the dog's skin, as you are likely to cut the skin. Make several small cuts if the knot is large and then use your comb to work out the knot. If the dog's hair is badly matter, it may be preferably to shave him down with a clipper.

Once all the knots are out and your Shih Tzu is looking good, you can use the end of your rat-tail comb, the end of your steel comb or a knitting needle to make a part from the dog's neck to its tail. Add quick spritz of cologne and your dog will look wonderful.