Shih Tzu Grooming at Home
A Shih Tzu is a long-coated dog wearing a flat face, and both halves of that sentence create work. The coat grows continuously like human hair, so it does not shed out — it tangles into itself and forms mats close to the skin that you cannot see from the top. Meanwhile the short muzzle means food, water and eye discharge sit in the hair around the face all day. In Indian humidity, an uncombed Shih Tzu can go from slightly tangled to solidly matted in about three weeks.
Coat type
Long, fine, continuously growing double coat with a hair-like texture
Shedding
Low
Groom every
Every 4 weeks, with daily combing at home
We recommend
Grooming with Extra Care · Rs. 2,500
Grooming a Shih Tzu
Matting that forms from the skin outwards
The dangerous mats are the ones a surface brush glides over — behind the ears, in the armpits, on the inner thighs and under the collar. Once a mat tightens it pulls the skin every time the dog moves, and a heavily matted coat is not something to work through with scissors at home.
The face: eyes, muzzle and hair that grows into them
Hair from the topknot area grows down towards the eyes and hair around the mouth soaks up every meal. Both need regular scissoring and daily wiping. Tear staining is largely a hygiene and moisture issue, but persistent runny eyes, squinting or redness is a vet matter, not a grooming one.
Ears that are heavy, hairy and closed in
Long ear leathers covered in dense hair sit flat against the head, which keeps the canal warm and poorly ventilated — not ideal in a humid Indian summer. We keep the hair around the opening tidy and the flaps clean; anything smelling or discharging goes to a vet.
Skin folds and a short muzzle
Many Shih Tzus have a shallow nose wrinkle that traps moisture and food, and flat-faced dogs overheat easily, so grooming sessions need to be unhurried with proper breaks and a cool-air dryer rather than hot.
Feet and sanitary area
Long hair between the pads picks up grit and makes them slip on tiles, and the hair around the rear traps waste in a way short-coated breeds never deal with. Both need trimming at every single session.
Between our visits
- Comb daily with a metal greyhound comb, not a bristle brush — the comb tells you honestly whether you have reached the skin.
- Wipe under the eyes every morning with a soft damp cloth and dry the area afterwards, because a permanently wet face is what sets tear staining.
- Keep the hair around the mouth trimmed short if your dog eats wet food; it stops the sour smell that builds up in a soggy muzzle beard.
- Ask for a puppy cut through the Indian summer. Shih Tzu hair grows continuously, so a shorter trim is a legitimate, comfortable option for this breed — unlike double-coated dogs, nothing is damaged by it.
- Tie or trim the hair falling over the eyes so your dog can see; use a soft fabric band rather than a rubber one.
- If you find a mat, work it apart with your fingers and a comb from the outer edge inwards, never by cutting blind with scissors against the skin.
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Shih Tzu grooming — FAQs
- My Shih Tzu is badly matted. Can you brush it out instead of clipping?
- Sometimes, and sometimes that would be cruel. A few isolated mats can be teased apart with detangler, fingers and a comb. But when the coat has felted into a solid layer against the skin, brushing it out means hours of pulling on skin that is already sore, and the honest, kinder answer is a short clip and a fresh start — the coat grows back. Our groomer will tell you which of the two you are looking at before starting. If the skin underneath a mat looks raw, inflamed or has sores, that needs a vet before any grooming.
- How short can you cut the face without it looking odd?
- Most Indian pet parents ask for a rounded teddy-bear face, which keeps the cheeks and chin full while scissoring the hair above the eyes short enough to stay out of them. The alternative is a tighter, shorter muzzle trim that is far easier to keep clean if your dog is a messy eater. Both are done with blunt-tipped scissors and a steady hand, one small snip at a time, which is a large part of why a Shih Tzu session takes longer than a Labrador's.
- How often does a Shih Tzu really need professional grooming?
- Every four weeks if you keep the coat long, every six if you keep it in a short puppy cut. That is a genuinely high-maintenance breed and it is worth knowing before you stretch a gap to three months, because the cost of a long gap is usually a full clip-off rather than a trim. Between sessions the daily two-minute comb matters more than anything we do. Book on +91 99905 99189, any day between 8 AM and 8 PM.
Other dog breeds we groom
Golden Retriever
Double coat, dense water-resistant outer coat with heavy feathering
Labrador Retriever
Short, dense double coat with a slightly oily water-repellent top layer
German Shepherd
Double coat, harsh weather-resistant guard hair over a thick woolly undercoat
Pug
Short, smooth, dense single coat — fine hair that sheds constantly
Beagle
Short, dense, weather-resistant double coat
Siberian Husky
Very dense double coat — straight guard hair over a thick woolly undercoat
Book grooming for your Shih Tzu
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- +91 99905 99189
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