Grooming

..a loving pet...

After adoptiong our Shih-tzu... we saw the true responsibility that comes with this beautiful breed.

Her hair was getting long and we took her to a groomer but it was to expensive and for the same amount of money We would spend with her on the groomers we could use that money to buy things to pamper her more as bows, toys, her winter jacket/coat. etc..

WE LEARN THAT GROOMING HER WAS CHEAPER..

What is needed Electric or/and non-electric..
For Scissors... If your dog is scared of the noise of the SHaver machine.
1. Use "Scaredy Cut ® Silent Clipper Home Pet Grooming - for DOGS AND CATS"
You dont need to have a shaver that makes noise that would scare your pet. Honestly if they would have had this when I started grooming her, it would have been easier.
2. Use "Tiny Trim Ball Tipped Small Pet Grooming Scissor". This is great for the face, nose, eyes, ears, butt and tail. 
For shaving... If you want to shave her with a shaver, you will need 2 types of shavers..
3. BIG: "PET CLIPPER (SHAVER) KIT" this is for the entire body.. this is a normal shaver that has different size cutters that will help you cut the hair of the dog without problems. (hey dont cut her private parts as you may bleed her and you may need to take her to the vet hospital).
4. SMALL: Now WE need a tiny clipper (SHAVER) for the face, nose and paws.  Please see that he/she is calm before poking around their nose as you can hurt their eyes. NEVER USE A SHAVER INSIDE THEIR EAR.. (THE SOUND HURTS THEM).
NAILS..
5. only buy CAT NAIL CLIPPERS (SCISSORS). They have small nails and you dont need a big breed nail scissor to cut their nails.
6. Electric NAIL Sander.. try "PEDIPAWS" as it has a yellow cap that prevents you from cutting more than you need on the nail. WARNING DONT USE A NORMAL SANDER/GRINDER AS YOU WILL CUT THAT NAIL FASTER AND MAY CRACK THE NAIL IN TWO OR YOU CAN CUT MORE THAN NEEDED.
7. Toothbrush, dog toothpaste,
8. shampoo/conditioner for dogs.

BEGINNERS GUIDE TO GROOM A SHIH-TZU...
1.dont get frustrated.. This week you do it bad but dont worry She/he loves you so much that she doesn't care if you cut her hair long and in some parts short.. its your love that counts.
2. If she/he whimper while you are doing this please calm down... its ok for her/him to feel scared. If she hates the electrical stuff just use the non-electrical items to groom her.
 LETS START...
3. Brush dog before showering to remover any mats.
4. wipe their eyes to remove any junk around it.
5. Brush their teeth with PetzLife.
6. I SHAVE WITH ELECTRICAL CLIPPERS FIRST BEFORE BATHING SO ALL THE HAIR GETS REMOVED FROM THE DOG AND I DONT HAVE TO WORRY THAT THE EXTRA HAIR WILL NOT FALL ALL OVER THE HOUSE.
 Shave the body with the big shaver aka clipper.  while you are shaving and feel the shaver warms up please turn it off. Spray Cool off liquid to cool it down and keep using it or you can turn it off and pick up another big shaver same brand to finish shaving him/her. Always Use Your Hand to help you guide so you dont cut the dog.
  Shave feet with the small shaver (clipper). Please be careful as you touch the soft side of the skin of the paw you can make it bleed.  I use the pet clipper combs that comes with the small shaver to help me not cut her while I cut around her anal area and dont forget to hold her tail up. When shaving the face always use caution as we dont want to hurt her eyes or nose or ears or tongue.
7. Shower dog with a dog shampoo and a whitening shampoo for their nose and around mouth.  Some but not many use a conditioner but I recommend you use one.
8. Dry as much as you can with towels.. then Get someone to hold the blow dryer as it can COOK AND HURT THEIR SKIN.  Brush their hair to help it dry faster.
9.  Scissor time... with Tiny Trim Ball Tipped Small Pet Grooming Scissor go around and check if you left any extra long hair that you want to cut..
THEN with the scissors that have a ball on top of it, cut the extra hair around nose. Take your finger and put it inside their mouth (there is a gap where they dont have a tooth) and cut the hair that she/he is eating.. be careful with their tongue please!!
10. Put a bow on her hair. This is easy.
11. Take the cat nail clippers and cut their nails then take the dog nail sander and pass it until the nails don't hurt to the touch.
12. Pull few hairs at a time from inner ear.
13. Blow dry with cool air while we brushing the dog to remove any hair that is left after cutting it with the scissors.

Remember to treat lots while grooming to show her that you are happy with her...

GROOMING IN STEPS:
You can do all this in stages... So you don't stress the dog.
every day or every other day: brush teeth
every day brush their hair
Every other Monday: shave feet
Every other Tuesday: cut nails and sand them so they are smooth to the touch
Every other Wednesday: shave face,
Every other Thursday: shave butt,

Every other Friday: clean ears with doggy ear cleaner
Every other Saturday: shave dog
Every other Sunday: shower dog
On the last Friday of the month: pull inner ear hair,

DONT FORGET TO WALK WITH THEM AT LEAST 15 MINUTES A DAY..
AND PLAY WITH THEM.. SHOW THEM YOU LOVE THEM..