• Face Comb: This is a fine tooth steel comb.  It is used for several reasons.  This grooming tool is to comb the face hair of the Shih Tzu, i.e. the long whiskers and beard that this dog is famous for.
• 2 Level Comb: This comb will have a fine tooth side and a medium tooth side.  This is used to check the fur for any mats after a through brushing
• Finishing Comb: This is very similar to the 2 Level Comb, some use this to go over the Shih Tzu one last time. You can touch up any areas with this to create a perfect finished look.
• Pin Brush:  This type of dog brush is made specifically for dog breeds with long hair.  You will be using this brush quite a bit.
• Hemostat:  Only once you have trained your Shih Tzu to remain very still during grooming, this tool will be used to snip any unwanted and extra hair from the ears of your dog.
  
• Round Tip Scissors:  This tool will be used for carefully snipping away extra fur around the anus of the Shih Tzu for the purpose of cleanliness and hygiene.
  

Grooming can not begin until your dog is trained to remain relatively still so that you may do all of the necessary combing and brushing.  It can help to start by making the environment one of peace and calmness.  Your dog will pick up clues from you; if you are stressed about the prospect of grooming the fur, your dog may become anxious as well. 

It will help to choose a quiet area of the home.  A table top is best, as this places you Shih Tzu at a good height; you may stand or sit and your dog will be comfortable.  No one should be running through the room while you groom your dog and you should praise him or her with happy, relaxing words as you go through the steps to keep him or her relaxed.

Training to be groomed should begin when your Shih Tzu is a pup.  When your dog is young, there will not be a lot of fur grooming to do, as the coat will be much shorter than their adult coat.  Therefore, it is a perfect time to teach your Shih Tzu where the table is, to lay nice and still and the feelings of the tools. 

You will extend more energy training your pup to lay still than you do actually grooming; however this will lead to easy grooming later.  You will want your dog to lay on its side.  You may have to gently move him or her to that position, repeating a command word.  If they remain in the position for any amount of time, reward them with praise.   As they begin to learn what to do, you can take the pin brush and gently brush over their coat to get them used to the feeling.

When your pup is between 8 and 10 months, the adult coat of fur will be growing in.  At the one year mark, your Shih Tzu should be ready for the grooming process. 

How often?

You will want to groom your Shih Tzu's fur anywhere from 1 time per week to 5 times per week.  This will depend on your particular dog; each dog will have a different texture of fur.  Softer fur may need grooming more often.  Factored in will also be to what degree your dog gets his or her coat dirty.