Shih Tzu Haircuts Options

Decorative breeds of dogs with a rich coat allow owners to work on the image of a pet. A correctly selected shih tzu haircut can bring victory to the exhibition or earn millions of enthusiastic responses on social networks. But in order for the pet to show truly spectacular images, care for its coat must be professional. What grooming options are best for shih tzu? What should be taken into account in the process of self-cutting the extra length?

There are a lot of styles and models of haircuts for Shih Tzu. There are fashionable design options for animal hair, show versions, hygienic treatments. Each of them deserves special attention. In addition, there are popular hairstyles for summer and winter, allowing you to provide the dog's body with quite comfortable thermoregulation.

The simplest haircut is hygienic, which involves the removal of tangles, excessively overgrown wool. It is used in puppies and dogs of pet-class, not participating in exhibitions, in nursing females. The regularity of the procedures should be 15-30 days. Be sure to remove the hairs between the pads of the paws, trimmed the area of ​​the anus and groin.

A short summer haircut "under the puppy" allows you to give the appearance of a pet the carefree and enthusiasm inherent in young animals. In this case, all the hair on the body is sheared by the machine for a length of 2.5 cm.A shorter option is not recommended, because you can get irritation of the skin.

Show-class dogs need competent emphasis on their pedigree features. The canonical hairstyle of Shih Tzu dogs implies the formation of the right parting from the top of the dog to the tail of the dog. The hair flows all the way to the tips of the paws, looks flowing and silky. The cover is shortened only in the area around the eyes, and a beard with a mustache is carefully formed.

Shih Tzu's most popular short haircut among breeders. During shortening, the coat begins to resemble the dense plush characteristic of soft toys. The head and face of the dog take a rounded shape with exquisite lines. Long hair at the back of the head is collected in a neat bun or tail.

Cute Asian-style looks are widely popular among Shih Tzu breeders. Korean haircut allows you to give the dog the appearance of an anime character. To do this, the maximum length of the hair is preserved on the head and ears, pigtails or tails are formed here on both sides of the head. The beard and mustache are cut short, forming a rounded silhouette of the muzzle.

The “highlight” of the Korean-style haircut is the creation of a short “skirt” on the paws, the body is practically deprived of its coat, only plush is preserved here. For a pet, you can choose stylish clothes, tie bows or use bright hairpins.

Care is required for all Shih Tzu dogs, regardless of gender and age. What is the difference between grooming girls and boys? The exhibition haircut is one for all and does not imply a significant departure from the canonical silhouette. But in grooming - hygienic or fantasy - there are variations.

Shih Tzu boys look good with a teddy bear haircut. Universal - unisex - is considered a “puppy-style” hairstyle that gives youth and enthusiasm to a dog in any age category. Girls are traditionally sheared more fantastically - in the Korean style or more variably, leaving elongated hair on their heads, hairs on their paws, forming playful tails or pigtails.

When grooming Shih Tzu dogs, you need to take care of the complete set of necessary tools, accessories necessary for every groomer. Among them should definitely be:

• rotary clipper;
• trimmer with a set of additional nozzles;
• conventional and thinning shears of convenient size;
• set of brushes for unraveling wool;
• metal comb;
• a slitter cutter or a special knife for trimming;
• tweezers for plucking excess hair in the ears;
• spray gun or aerosol to facilitate combing;
• shampoo and balm for leaving.

Grooming a puppy and an adult dog traditionally begins with bathing and combing. Dirty wool cannot be processed as it should, first you also need to remove and disassemble the tangles. At home, you can handle your head and legs, but only a real master can beautifully cut an animal according to the scheme for an exhibition or apply fashionable technique.

The order of hygiene - the daily shih tzu haircut - will be as follows.

• The machine shortens the coat on the chest, neck, and body of the animal to a length of 2.5 cm. "Skirt" is also cut to the overall length. The machine should only be driven by hair growth using a special nozzle.
• The inguinal and anal areas and abdomen are gently trimmed. It uses a machine without nozzles, you can choose a separate miniature option for trimming delicate places. Long hairs are previously removed with scissors.
• The hair between the paw pads is completely removed. Legs are trimmed from top to bottom. The limbs after the haircut should look even, without distorting the proportions.
• How to trim the muzzle at home? Scissors come in handy here. For a beard, it is necessary to withstand an oblique angle, the eyebrows are aligned in the direction of growth. Protruding hairs are removed in the ears; the haircut should be short around the nose and eyes.
• All clipped body sections in the grooming finale are necessarily milled with scissors.

Repeating the procedure is carried out as necessary, taking into account the speed and intensity of growth of the coat.

How to properly care for shih tzu dogs after grooming? A cropped pet will look spectacular only if enough attention is paid to it. Among the measures recommended to maintain the attractive appearance of the animal, the following can be distinguished.

• Regular combing of wool with special anti-tangling sprays. The procedure is carried out using a metal comb and a special brush with hard bristles.
• Periodic bathing of the animal - on average three times a month, every 10 days. Before and after this procedure, the hair is thoroughly combed, the clews are removed. During washing, conditioner and balm are used.
• After taking water procedures - thorough processing of the wool with antistatic compounds or special aerosol fixatives.
• Shaping ponytails for everyday wear. They are created on the beard and crown of the animal.
• The use of walking overalls made of silk during each walk.

When cutting shih tzu by inexperienced masters or the owners themselves, mistakes are often made, which can be completely avoided.

But if possible it is better to immediately contact a specialist. The stress experienced when creating the first haircut by both the dog and the owner can lead to distortion of the silhouette or painful sensations in the animal.

You can often hear about the following common mistakes made during grooming:

• excessive moisture or overdrying of the hair when cutting - can lead to a violation of the normal structure of the hair;
• poor disinfection, neglect of hygiene;
• attempts to carry out a haircut without unraveling the tassels, combing;
• refusal of thinning;
• complete removal of hairs in the area of ​​eyebrows, mustaches (including vibrissa);
• inexperience with the machine, skin damage;
• excessively loud and noisy actions that frighten the dog.

It is worth paying attention to the fact that shih tzu can be cut with a puppy. Already from the age of 6 months, it is worth gradually accustoming the animal to small hygienic procedures, allowing to keep the coat in order. For a calm behavior, the pet should be praised and encouraged, fixing positive emotions from grooming. In this case, as the dog grows up, the dog will not associate the grooming process with something unpleasant.

Groomers can easily cope with the vagaries and nervousness of animals.Before starting a haircut, you need to walk the animal, then redeem it. Only clean, slightly moistened hair will give the hairstyle the desired shape.

When grooming Shih Tzu at home, you should arrange a place to perform work. It should be non-slip, well-lit, without drafts. The space around the haircut table should be enough for two people - if the pet needs fixing, it should be convenient for both the master and the assistant. In advance it is worth stocking up with an antiseptic in case of cuts.

How to make a home haircut for Shih Tzu, see below.