Establishing a grooming routine might be the best answer to finding the time to groom your little fur baby. Let's see, bathing, brushing the coat, trimming the nails, brushing the teeth, clipping the coat, oh, so much to do, where do we start?

I like to think about grooming the dog just like it were a kid or myself-if I have a routine, I won't forget anything and if done often enough it becomes so routine that you don't really need to think about it. Since I don't have unlimited time, I start with the essentials and build from there. What are the essentials? Well, in my mind these are the things that can't be overlooked:

• Bathing
• Brushing the coat/Combing the coat
• Clipping the nails
• Brushing the Teeth
• Trimming the coat (if you do it yourself)
• Expressing anal glands as part of the bath
• Cleaning ears
• Cleaning the face
• Managing the top knot (if your dog has the long coat look)

Even though the grooming routine list might seem long, the mere act of writing it down starts to make the tasks seem more manageable. Next, decide how often you want to accomplish each task (once per day, once per week, etc.)

GROOMING ROUTINE TASKS:

1. Bathing: You can probably get away with bathing about every 2 to 3 weeks.
2. Brushing: This depends on your Shih Tzu's coat-are you clipping it short or letting it grow out to great lengths. If you are keeping it short, once or twice per week is about all you will need. If your Shih Tzu's coat is long, plan on brushing it once per day.
3. Nail Clipping: Usually about every 3 to 4 weeks is a good estimate.
4. Brushing the Teeth: Once per week? Once per day is more advantageous
5. Trimming the coat: To keep a specific look, you will need to arrange for grooming appointments about every 6 weeks to 2 months, or if you decide to do it yourself, this is a pretty good schedule.
6. Expressing Anal Glands: At every bath if your dog has problems, otherwise once every two or three months.
7. Cleaning ears: Once or twice a week depending on your Shih Tzu. Ear hairs can be removed when you clip their hair during their normal grooming appointment.
8. Cleaning the Face: Once per day: Wash the face with a warm washcloth, especially around their eyes and face.

Next, get yourself a handy dandy calendar to keep track of all your Shih Tzu needs. You can also use this calendar to keep track of grooming appointments or visits to the vet. You might also want to put things such as monthly heartworm medication administration or keep track of your puppy's age in weeks until about 16 weeks of age, then monthly. If you have more than one dog, you can color code each dog so you will be able to see at a glance what is needed for each. If you have females who are likely to go into heat, you might want to jot this information down as well. This will be your official Shih Tzu Care Calendar.

Now that you know when you're going to accomplish each task, the next question to ask is where? If you have a grooming table that can be brought out-wonderful, if not you will need to decide where to groom your dog. Many Shih Tzu owners bathe their dogs in the kitchen sink and if you decide to do this, you will want to have all your supplies in the kitchen and ready to go. You could devote a kitchen cabinet drawer to your Tzu's supplies or store them in a plastic caddy that can toted around. An alternative place for keeping supplies is a plastic cube with drawers such as is found at craft store. These work well for separating items and making them easy to find. If you're not sure about what to purchase, check out our Toolbox page for basic items. If you decide to use the kitchen sink, you will probably want to find a spot somewhere in the kitchen to do your other grooming routine tasks such as brushing and combing the coat. Grooming tables are wonderful, but you can use the counter-top or table. I usually don't recommend the kitchen table, because it gives the dogs the idea that it is permissible to be on top of the table and they might take advantage of the higher status atop the table when you're not around. I also like to keep a strip of non-adhesive plastic shelf liner that grips top and bottom to put down on the counter-top to create a non-skid surface. An alternative surface is to purchase an inexpensive bathtub liner that could be used inside your sink during bath time and on the hard surface for grooming. Your dog will feel much more secure.

WARNING: Be aware that hair can fly around when brushing and combing your dog's coat and if you choose the kitchen as your grooming salon, you will want to pay close attention to cleaning afterwards. No one wants to find Shih Tzu hair in their hamburger!

So, how do you accomplish the grooming routine as efficiently as possible? I save most of the big tasks to bath day.

First I assemble all the supplies I will need including an extra towel. (For me)

• Before the Bath Routine: Brush and comb the hair to be sure all knots are removed; clip nails if needed, pull out loose hairs from the ears and trim around the face if the dog has a puppy cut. You can also use a clipper with a number 15 blade to trim around the dog's genital areas and between the pads of the feet if you choose. These tasks are also performed by the groomer if you use one
• Bathe and express the anal glands, if necessary
• Towel Dry and dry with blow dryer
• Fluff out hair with brush and comb
• Brush the dog's teeth

This entire process takes about one hours to complete. I often speed it up by wrapping the wet dog in a towel and doing the nails, ears, and teeth before blowing the dog dry. This saves a few minutes and for fidgety dogs, wrapping a towel around them will help calm them down so you can clip their nails. High speed dryers work wonders and cut the time in half.

Daily: I wash the Shih Tzu's face with a warm wash cloth, especially around the eyes and give him a quick brush out. In bad weather, I will also use the washcloth to wipe their paws. I also check for fleas, ticks or anything unusual on the skin or coat. For dogs that have longer coats, I fix a simple top knot. I can usually do all of this in about 15 to 20 minutes. So that's my grooming routine.