How to Groom a Shih Tzu - Brushing & More

Illustrated Shih Tzu dog with Grooming equipment

Overview

The Shih Tzu is a breed that requires a moderate amount of grooming; though less so if you keep the coat trimmed short. This section will cover a basic overview of all grooming tasks for Shih Tzu puppies and dogs, along with instructions, tips, and recommended products.

You will find that once you fall into a grooming rhythm, your Shih Tzu will be healthier than ever, smelling fantastic, and looking like a little prince or princess.

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List of Grooming Tasks

Before we dive into the details, you should have a general idea of what needs to be done and how often to do it.

Wiping the face and eyes: Daily.
Brushing the coat: Every 1 - 3 days. Brushing is dependent on coat length; Long coats every day, moderate coats every 2 days, short coats every 3 days.
Baths: Every 3 weeks. Skin or coat disorders may require more frequent baths.
Nail trims: Every 6 weeks.
Paw and nose care: This is dependent on the season. Issues with drying, peeling, and more will require 1 to 3 applications per day.
Ear cleaning; varies on the dog; 1-2 weeks for wipes, every 6 weeks for flushes (or as needed).
Wiping the body down: As needed.

Cleaning and Wiping a Shih Tzu's Face

Why this is done: This task itself is fairly easy, but it's one of the most important aspects of grooming a Shih Tzu. Due to this breed's prominent eyes, it's vital to keep the eye area clean. The goal is to remove small debris, allergens and other possible irritants to protect the eyes. In addition, daily wiping will help keep tear stains from developing.

Frequency: Once a day. If a Shih Tzu has stubborn tear stains, do this up to 3 times a day.

Supplies to Have: All you need for this are quality canine eye wipes. It's best to choose a hypoallergenic option. You'll want the wipes to be textured to effectively pick up the debris. One wipe we recommend is Earthbath All Natural Specialty Eye Wipes, which are gentle yet effective and are hypoallergenic. There are no parabens, phthalates, sulfates or dyes..

Instructions:

1. Gently hold their head steady.

2. Do 3 main swipes: From the inner corner of the eye up and over. From the inner corner of the eye down and over. And from the inner corner of the eye and down. Please refer to the diagram below.

3. Use 1 wipe per eye; never re-use a soiled wipe.

Tip: Remember, the more often you do this task, the less buildup there will be and the easier it’ll be to keep the face clean.

Note: If your Shih Tzu has tear stain issues, see Shih Tzu Tear Stains for detailed advice.

Brushing and Combing a Shih Tzu

Brushing is the task most often associated with grooming and it is indeed an important part of keeping a Shih Tzu clean and tidy. Benefits of regular brushing include stimulating flood flow to hair follicles for a healthier coat, removal of debris (including irritants), distributing natural body oils for a strong coat and separating hairs to prevent tangles.

An added plus is that it gives you an opportunity to brush in a conditioning spray. Leave-in conditioning sprays can help the coat stay cleaner longer, protect both hair and skin from arid air that can dry out the skin, protect the coat from contact friction and keep your Shih Tzu smelling lovely.

Frequency: Shaved or short coats should be brushed every 3 days. Longer coat may need to be brushed daily.

Supplies to Have:

A pin brush: For moderate to long length coats, a 16 mm or 20 mm is often best. You'll want this to be sized small enough that it is very easy to reach all areas of the body. For this, we highly recommend the Chris Christensen Little Wonder Pin Brush.

A Bristle brush: For shaved or short coats, a bristle brush is best. We really like the Safari Small Bristle Brush; this is sized just right, has an excellent grip, and offers quality bristles.

A two-level comb: The side with the wide teeth are for the main body, the side with the narrow teeth are for smaller areas such as around the paws and to use as a face comb. For this, the Li'l Pals Double Side Comb is great. It's the perfect size and the two options of teeth (narrow and wide) allow you to easily comb through the hairs on the face, down the beard, and around the paws. The metal teeth are super sturdy and this comb will last a long time.

De-matting tool: To safely remove a mat that cannot be worked out by hand. Safari comes through again, offering the Safari De-matting Comb which is just ideal for removing tangles without damaging the rest of the coat.

A leave in conditioning spritz:

1. For a super-awesome fragrance, Nootie Daily Spritz is a top choice. These amazing light-weight yet very effective detanglers and leave-in conditioners come in an array of sumptuous choices. There is warm vanilla cookie, sweet pea & vanilla, Japanese cherry blossom, cucumber melon, and our favorite, coconut lime verbena.

2. If there are some serious matting issues happening, you'll want to use TropiClean Tangle Remover. Spray this directly on the tangles, and work them out with your hands or the face comb. Use this for trouble areas and be sure to brush more often to prevent the development of mats.

3. For protection from drying UV rays in the summer, our top pick is Chris Christensen Ice on Ice with Sunscreen. While this does not have much of a distinct fragrance, aside from UV protection, it also works very well to repel dirt and debris.

Instructions:

For shaved or short coats: Brushing your Shih Tzu is pretty straight-forward. It does not matter where you start and stop, only that you cover all areas of the body. For this reason, many pet parents like to start at a certain spot, like the front legs, and work their way around and over; after a while it becomes habit and this can make it easier for you to reach all the spots and for your Shih Tzu to sit still since they know what to expect.

For a short coat, comb over the entire coat first (for a closely-shaved coat, you can skip the combing). Then brush the entire coat. You can do a light spritz on the coat as you go (helpful to avoid accidently spraying near the eyes), or spritz the brush as you go. Use a light mist, as over-spraying will result in an oily coat.

For longer coats: The order is comb, brush, comb. You'll comb first to check for tangles, then brush, then comb for a final touch-up.

As you brush, work in sections. Spritz about 1 inch from the roots and then brush the product down toward the tips. Use a light touch, since over-spraying will result in an oily coat. After the entire body has been brushed, you can spray a bit of leave-in conditioner into the palms of your hands and gently scrunch the hair tips.

Baths

A Shih Tzu needs a bath about once every 3 weeks, baring any incidents with muddy puddles. Too many baths can cause dry skin (even with great products) and not enough can lead to unpleasant smells and skin issues. So, it's best to stay on a schedule and not veer far away from it.

Since bathing a Shih Tzu involves quite a few details see: How to Give a Shih Tzu a Bath, for step-by-step instructions, along with photos to guide you.

Spot Cleaning a Shih Tzu

One of the easiest ways to keep a Shih Tzu clean and looking tidy is to wipe them down with a grooming wipe. This can accomplish a lot, including removing urine splashes, specks of feces, dirt and debris, excess body oils trapped on the coat, and even allergens. This, in turn, will remove associated smells.

For spot cleaning, one of our recommended products is Earthbath Grooming Wipes; they offer a puppy option, green tea, vanilla & almond, a mango tango wipe that's perfect for dogs that tend to get a stinky, and fragrance free wipes. All are equally wonderful.

We also really love Natural Dog Company's Plant Based Grooming Wipes; these have aloe vera and are a good choice if your Shih Tzu has really sensitive skin on the tummy. These are also hypoallergenic and completely biodegradable.

Paws and Nose Care and Cleaning

Noses: Noses take the full brunt of the sun in the summer and can easily get chapped in the winter. So, while the nose will be getting cleaned via facial wipes (see previous), you may also want to consider applying a nose balm as part of your Shih Tzu regular grooming. This will help prevent chapping, drying, peeling and other issues.

We recommend Natural Dog Company's Snout Soother; it protects the nose and helps heal any existing issues.

Paws: A Shih Tzu's paws take on a lot just by walking over all sorts of terrain. In addition, there's hot surfaces in the summer and icy surfaces in the winter, as well as 'snowballing' which refers to when snow gets stuck in between a dog's toes, melts and refreezes into ice which can then split the skin. So, it's a good idea to apply a bit of paw wax on your Shih Tzu's paws as part of their regular grooming. Most waxes are applied every 1 to 2 weeks.

We recommend Musher's Secret; It protects the paws, helps heal issues, and gives a dog good traction.

Ear Cleaning

Cleaning the ears is actually pretty straightforward with Shih Tzu dogs, so don't worry if you read about extensive ear care elsewhere.

Wiping: In most cases, all that's needed is a good wipe of the inner ear flap and outer canal (only as far as your finger goes with the wipe wrapped around it) every 1 to 2 weeks. This is to remove any excess ear wax and debris that may have accumulated. This said, if a Shih Tzu is prone to excess wax or ear infections, ear cleaning will need to be done more often.

An ear wipes that we recommend is Nutri-Vet Ear Cleansing Pads for Dogs; these are small circular pads which makes them easy to maneuver around a Shih Tzu's ear flaps.

Flushing and cleaning the ear canals: This is a most extensive cleaning that involves dropping ear cleaning solution into the ear canal, massaging the base and then cleaning things up with a cotton ball. If you take your Shih Tzu to a groomer, they will perform this task. But, you can easily do it at home. This is done every 4 to 6 weeks. If a Shih Tzu is prone to lots of excess wax and/or ear infections, it may need to be done as often as once a week.

One of the ear cleaning solutions we like is Pet MD Otic Clean Dog Ear Cleaner.

Nail Trimming

A Shih Tzu's nails will need to be trimmed about once every 6 weeks. However, the exact timing will vary quite a bit depending on what type of surfaces your Shih Tzu walks upon. Typically, walking over pavement and other hard terrain leads to a natural filing down that can extend the time of trimmings.

You will want to keep a close eye on this, because if the nails grow out too long they can curve back inward. This can cause quite a bit of pain and will often require a trip to the groomers or veterinarian. If you can hear the 'click-clack' of the nails when your Shih Tzu walks on hard flooring, this is your cue that it is time for a trim.

Some pet parents opt to trim the nails themselves at home and others prefer to let a groomer handle this task. At-home options include regular clippers and grinders (which file the nail down instead of cutting them). Stay tuned, we are working on revamping our Shih Tzu Nail Trimming article. We'll update this with a link as soon as it's complete.