The thing that distinguishes and crowns a Shih-Tzu is his beautiful long hair. Such hair requires lots of regular (everyday) full care and, of course, it demands certain expenses for the top-quality cosmetics and equipment.

TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT

 

Brushes
Brushes must be high-quality, with straight teeth, 20 to 27 mm long.

 

Combs
Metal combs are used for combing out the matted parts of hair. Combs with different thickness or different spacing (distance) between teeth should be used.Especially thick combs (with very thick teeth) can be found on the market, and they are being used for combing whiskers. For teasing and making the part, you should use a comb with a thin metal handle.

 

Scissors
Professional scissors should be used for straightening your dog’s hair. Also, they should be used for shaping the hair of feet, the removing the hair between the pads on feet and around the anus

 

 

Latex Bands
Elastic bands are used for making the exhibition hairdo (hairstyle) of your dog - top-knot, and in time between the shows - for the dog's hairdo at home. There are special Latex Bands for this purpose, of different sizes and colors.

SHIH TZU CARE

The first larger expense you will have when you decide to own an exhibit Shih-Tzu will be a grooming table.

It would be a mistake to think that any table would do to comb your dog on it. The Grooming table must be stable, easy to maintain and clean and big enough so the dog can
comfortably lie on it.
Unfortunately, such tables are not available in all the countries. But you can easily find one on greater dog shows.
A serious care of an exhibit Shih-Tzu should start quite early. At the week of 10-12 you should start to accustom the dog to the table, which is accomplished by playing with the dog, making the dog stand in a pose, and occasional combing using the soft brush.
When 4 months old, the dog gets accustomed to everyday combing. The hair above the eyes and
whiskers should be tied, with elastic bands.
Also, the dog is gradually accustomed to the leash, to which it will get used by going
out for a walk and playing with it while staying out.
Practicing the exhibit pose is necessary almost every day.
At that age, till month of 9-12, taking a bath once a month using special puppy shampoo should be enough. A grown up Shih-Tzu has a bath regularly every 5-7 days. Because of that it's necessary to get the top quality shampoos and conditioners.
Between the baths, everyday combing is necessary. It should be mentioned that hair must not be combed when dry - it should be sprayed with special combing sprays. Out of my experience the best results are given by Leave-in conditioner which detangles and protects the hair at the same time.
Also, it is recommended to oil the hair between two baths so it could be protected from tangling and damaging. If this frequent baths appear to be too often for your dog - what I thought at first, - keep in mind that all well known breeders agree with it, because only the clean hair of your dog can grow properly.

TAKING CARE OF HAIR AROUND EYES AND MOUTH
Taking care of hair around eyes and mouth should also start early. To clean hair around eyes many cosmetic preparations are available, but this is one is easiest to get: 3% Boric acid. Soak a piece of cotton with the solution and gently clean the part around eyes. Do this every day. The part around mouth can be cleaned with warm water.

 

TAKING CARE OF TEETH AND EARS, NAILS, WHISKERS
Check your dog's teeth regularly. Get a preparation named "Fortan zahne pfelge" which has proven to be very efective. Or you can get any similar preparation. It would be enough to have it on your dog's teeth once a week and by doing that you will stop the tartar sedimentation.
Dog's ears must be clean, without any hair inside. To prevent creation of too much cerumen ("ear wax") or inflammation, many preparations are available.

Your dog's nails must be cut regularly. For that purpose, there are special scissors-guillotine. If you don’t dare to do it yourself than let your veterinarian do it. Also, it is very important to regularly remove the hair between the pads on feet.

 

The part around anus must be cut (trimmed) so it wouldn’t get infected.
For the whiskers to grow freely it is recommended for dog to drink out of a special watering dish. That way the moustaches will not get wet (soaking will be prevented). Whiskers should be protected either by tieing them with bands or wrapping them with specially made small pieces of paper.