New owner needs help

rainer33 · New member Joined: 02 Jan 2007 Posts: 3

Is it true you should shave a shitzu dog in the summer time? If so ,why? I'm a new owner to a 3 month old male named Joey.

Chezza · Posted: Wed Jan 03, 2007 3:20 am Post subject:

Hi rainer33... Very Happy

Its probably cooler for them in the summer time, and its alot better to see ticks and fleas when they are shaved aswell..They have long hair and it covers there eyes too, so trimming is a good idea for them..
When I had my blue heeler, she had thick fur, and even in her fur i missed some ticks..
It might make him alot more comfortable.. Very Happy

rainer33 · New member Joined: 02 Jan 2007 Posts: 3

Thanks for the info Chezza! I really don't want to shave him,i love his coat, but i guess i could cut him down a bit in summer.I was just told by a friend that they don't shed is that true? Thanks for the help!! Rainer33

gypsy · Posted: Wed Jan 17, 2007 3:57 am Post subject:

I would talk to a professional breeder before shaving......it can do really strange things to coats, that might take years to fix. Had to closely clip the hindquarters of one of our poms, and it never did grow back correctly. A haircut might be in order.
When it comes to fleas/ticks, owner vigilance will conquer the thickest coat. Some of our poms are BLACK and we still find every tick. But we do check daily.

rainer33 · New member Joined: 02 Jan 2007 Posts: 3

Thanks a lot Gypsy! Thats what i thought. I'm not shaving him. And i check him everyday as well! Thanks again! Rainer33[/b]

jcarilyn · Posted: Mon Mar 12, 2007 8:27 pm Post subject:

Rainer
I have 2 Shih Tzu's and I have never heard that.

I think they're probably more comfortable in the summer if their hair is shorter, but if you shaved them, they'd probably get sunburned! My boy, Baxter, has a very thick coat, but my girl Lilly has thinner hair that mats worse than the thick stuff. Personally, I don't like them shaved, they need to have some hair, but I need to keep mine "groomed" because I can't manage to keep up with the long hair. I think it's a personal thing.

They don't really shed either, the only time I see their hair anywhere but on them is when I brush them. Just like my brush!

Carrie

Shineillusion · Posted: Wed Mar 14, 2007 2:37 am Post subject:

All dogs shed. But because the Shih Tzu has hair that will grow very long, the individual hairs don't shed very often. They grow and grow and grow. Then they enter the resting phase. After some time, the hair will fall out and be replaced by a new one.

Shaving your Shih Tzu won't damage his coat and make it grow back funny. When coat doesn't regrow correctly, there's a medical reason for it. Usually hypothyroidism, Cushing's disease or diabetes...which are all pretty common in Shih Tzus. There are other metabolic disorders that can be the cause that are less common. And diet can also be a factor.

Shaving your Shih won't make him cooler in the summer, either. In fact, if you shave really close you could make him more susceptible to heat and sunburn because he does need some coat to act as insulation and protection.

As a groomer, I usually recommend keeping the coat in a length that is easy for you to keep up. Some people can keep a long coat brushed and mat free, some can't. It depends on how much time you're willing to spend brushing and combing. And yes, you need to do both. A brush will take the majority of tangles out, but it will pass over some of them. A comb will catch the stuff the brush misses.

There are some things that need to be attended to, though. A sanitary trim to keep stool from matting over his bottom, for example. Shaving the arm pits, behind the ears (done properly it won't show), the bottoms of the feet, and the tummy are also good ideas. Some people like to keep the hair in front of the eyes trimmed, and if you aren't going to put the hair on top of his head up, you might also want the hair over his eyes trimmed in a visor (sort of like bangs), so it doesn't block his vision.

Honestly, I get a lot of people who start out wanting a full coat, and find it to be too much trouble, so they opt for a shorter trim.

And keep in mind that if you let him get matted, the kindest thing is to shave it off and start over. Dematting is painful, and it will make him hate being groomed. It's hair. It will grow. I've seen it happen.

Shineillusion · Posted: Wed Mar 14, 2007 2:50 am Post subject:

I forgot one thing. You said your little guy is 3 months old. Now is the perfect time to get him in for his first professional groom. It should consist of a bath, fluff dry, comb out, nail trim, ear cleaning, and tidying up his feet, face and sanitary trim. Make sure you find a groomer who will NOT just shave him, because there are some groomers that only do shavedowns. You don't want to take him to one of those!

When you take him to the groomer, you can discuss that you want to keep him in long coat, and ask the groomer to show you how to properly line brush his coat to prevent mats. There's nothing more frustrating than getting a dog in for grooming that's perfectly brushed out on the surface but tightly matted at the skin. The only humane thing to do at that point is shave it off, and I've had some that the whole coat came off in one piece, just like a pelt. It was so tight the poor dog couldn't move his front legs without pulling the hair on his butt!