The pins of your brush should make contact with the skin at the beginning of the brush stroke. From there, make a straight stroke outward to the ends of the hair. Try to teach your dog (and I say this in a do as I say, and not do as I do, because this is a very hard thing for me to teach my dogs to do….but that is me….and I need more practice. So with practice it can be done, and if you are planning to have the long coat of hair on your shih tzu, you will need to teach the dog to lie still on his side. Brush one layer at a time, then pull another layer and repeat the process until you have brushed to the center part of your dog. So the dog is on its side and you begin brushing at the lower end of the body and work your way up to the top part of the body to the part. Once you complete one side, turn the dog over and repeat the process.

Start out slow, and start midway in the body. Do the legs, the tail, the feet, the head and stomach area last. These can be some of the touchiest areas on the shih tzu.

If you run into static electricity you can try a mixture of two tablespoons or less of your favorite creme rinse mixed with two cups of water in a spritzer bottle and lightly spray that on each layer as you are brushing. Put on some relaxing music for the both of you and try to make an enjoyable time of bonding.

After thorughly brushing the dog, run a wide tooth comb through the layers. What I do is have several types of combs on hand. I have one very wide tooth comb, a regular comb and a very small comb that is actually best to use on the face or the feet. With a comb, you can then get even closer to the skin and drag at each and every tangle. Not really drag out, but gently remove the tangles that get very close to the skin. And if you keep up on your brushing daily you won’t have a big problem running your combs through the coat slowly and gently.

After the bath,when blow drying your shih tzu, turn the temperature down as the hair begins to dry. You can put your shih tzu in a cage with a dry towel in the bottom after they have bathed and you have toweled dried. Allow the dog to shake out as much extra moisture as possible. Turn the dryer in the direction of the cage to blow-dry some of the moisture from the coat while you are not brushing. This can reduce the brushing time and takes some of the stress out of brushing and drying the hair at the same time. You will have a nicer affect if you finish the drying process out of the cage while you brush the hair out.

Now for that beautiful, finishing touch – the topknot and bow. The absolute best way to become a pro at this would be to watch a pro do it, such as a professional dog groomer or handler.

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Connie Limon publishes a FREE weekly newsletter. A professional newsletter with a focus upon health and wellness for you and your pets. Discounts on shih tzu puppies are offered to subscribers. Weekly updates of available puppies. Sign up at: http://www.stainglassshihtzus.com

Who gets a ribbon? Your Shih Tzu puppy or dog will receive a ribbon if your Shih Tzu puppy or dog places first through fourth position regardless of how many entries there are in each class at a dog show. The ribbons your Shih Tzu puppy or dog wins from the American Kennel Club licensed dog shows has the American Kennel Club seal, name of the show, date and the placement.

If you plan to also breed your new Shih Tzu puppy these ribbons can be very impressive to your prospective buyers. Because of this fact a Shih Tzu puppy registered with the American Kennel Club can be worth more in terms of monetary gain for the owner should the new owner ever decide to re-sell the Shih Tzu puppy or to produce puppies for sale. More often than not, an AKC full registration with full breeding and showing rights will cost a consumer anywhere from $200 on up.

The Classes Color Of Winning Ribbons:

Blue ribbons for first place.
Red ribbons are for second place.
Yellow ribbons are for third place.
White ribbons are for fourth place.
Purple ribbons are Winners Dog or Winners Bitch
Purple and White ribbons are for Reserve Dog and Reserve Bitch
Blue and White ribbons are for Best of Winners
Purple and Gold are for Best of Breed
Red and White ribbons are for Best of Opposite Sex

The Six Group Color Ribbons:

First prize is a blue rosette or ribbon
Second placement is red.
Third placement is yellow.
Fourth placement is white.

The Best In Show Shih Tzu puppy or dog rosette is either red, white and blue, or incorporates the colors used in the show-giving clubs emblem.

How does your Shih Tzu puppy or Shih Tzu dog qualify for championship points? Championship points are based on the popularity of the breed in entries and the number of dogs competing in the classes. Championship points are given for Winners Dog and Winners Bitch. The scale of points can vary in different sections of the country. The scale of points is usually published in the front of each dog show catalog. The points can differ between dogs and bitches at the same show. Additional points are gained by winning Best of Winners, if there are fewer dogs than bitches entered, or vice versa. Points never exceed five at any one show. Championship status is determined by earning a total of fifteen points. The fifteen points must be won under at least three different judges and you must acquire at least two major wins. Three to five point wins is a major. One and two point wins are minor wins. Two major wins must be won under different judges to meet championship requirements.

Dog Show Photographs:

Every show has a professional photographer who is more than happy to take a photograph of your Shih Tzu puppy or dog with the judge, ribbons and trophies, along with you or your handler. These proud remembrances of your Shih Tzu puppy or dog show wins can be framed for display purposes. The photos of your Shih Tzu puppy or dog show wins can also be very impressive to advertise puppies produced from their matings.

Connie Limon is a Shih Tzu breeder. She publishes a FREE weekly newsletter. A professional newsletter with a focus upon health and wellness for you and your pets. Discounts are offered to subscribers. Sign up at: http://www.stainglassshihtzus.com

Connie Limon is a Shih Tzu breeder. She publishes a FREE weekly newsletter. A professional newsletter with a focus upon health and wellness for you and your pets. Discounts are offered to subscribers. Sign up at: http://www.stainglassshihtzus.com

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Do not wait too long to start grooming your Shih Tzu. It is hard to make brushing a positive experience if you wait until your Shih Tzu is matted and start by yanking out the mats and tangles. If this becomes necessary, carefully clip out mats, then begin working with your mat-free Shih Tzu to acclimate it to grooming.

When you use scissors to remove mats, snip a few hairs at a time. Be sure you have clearance between the mat and the skin. If your Shih Tzu puppy is too wiggly to do this safely, please seek the help of a professional groomer.

Do not bathe your Shih Tzu puppy too frequently. You will risk drying out its skin and coat. Bathe your Shih Tzu puppy no more than once weekly and every two weeks if possible.

Create a positive association with bath time using the following steps:

1.Let him hop into his bathtub to eat treats you toss on the tub floor (without water in the tub). You can also place him in the tub if he cannot jump into the tube and feed him treats. Provide a nonskid surface on the tub floor.

2.To accustom your Shih Tzu puppy to towels try touching him, then rubbing him with the corner of a towel and feed him a treat. Gradually work up to more vigorous toweling. No water at this time.

3.Introduce the blow-dryer by starting with a handheld pet or human dryer set on low and hold a few feet away from him, turned so it does not blow on him. Feed treats during the process. Gradually bring the dryer closer and start by moving the air across his toes, then his legs. Continue until he is accustomed to the warm air blowing all over his body.

4.While he is standing in the tube, soak a sponge in warm water and dribble it over him. Allow your Shih Tzu puppy to shake it off, and then offer a treat. Gradually work up to turning the faucet on and allow him to stand in the water. Gently begin hosing him with the warm water.

5.Take a small amount of dog shampoo (I strongly recommend using HealthyPetNet shampoos instead of human shampoos). Lather a small part of his body. Rinse. The next time you are at this step, increase the soaping and rinsing until you are bathing the entire dog.

If you will follow these steps slowly, you should be able to teach your Shih Tzu puppy to enjoy his bath time, which will make this very important routine much easier for the both of you.

Connie Limon is a Shih Tzu breeder. She publishes a FREE weekly newsletter with a focus upon health and wellness for you and your pets. Sign up at: http://www.stainglassshihtzus.com

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