Shi-Poo's Hair HELP Me

jayntim · New member Joined: 17 Apr 2008 Posts: 1

Hi, I have a 9 month old Shi-poo and his hair feels very corse, almost brittle. His fur is black with white sprinkled throughout. He goes to the groomers every 6 weeks and comes out looking great with soft fur, but then after that week his fur begins to feel dry, corse and brittle again. Any suggestions or advice!! PLEASE I want my puppy soft! Confused

Aqueous · Posted: Mon Apr 21, 2008 7:59 pm Post subject:

There are a lot of things that can effect coat texture.

Your puppy is mixed with poodle, and poodle coats do range from soft to coarse. It could just be that your puppy has a coarser poodle coat and not the softer Shih Tzu coat. What are his parents coats like?

It could also be due to his diet. What are you feeding him? I know that when my Yorkie was on Eukanuba he had a much harder coat. Since we switched him (and our Bichon) over to Innova his coat is a lot shinier and silkier.

If it is just down to the simple equation of the coat type that your dog has versus the coat you want it to have, perhaps you should ask your groomer what products they would recommened for your dog or even what products they use on your dog when he is there. I know my Bichon always feels softer when he goes to the groomer, but he does tend to have coarser hair towards his back end just above his tail that I hardly ever notice when he come back from being groomed.

One of the members here, ShineIllusion, is a groomer but I haven't seen them on in a while. Perhaps Shine could weigh in on this.

onlyashihpoowilldo · New member Joined: 23 Apr 2008 Posts: 2

I have a 15 week old shihpoo black in color with a small bit of white on the paws and a little under the chin, and I had the same trouble. First, I found Bear's skin dry and flaky and the groomer told me to bathe him with oatmeal wash for his skin and coat and also to add cod liver oil to his food to help his coat. Now for the brushing part he hates it but i use a spray in conditioner from my groomer that makes the task go so much quicker.I noticed a big change in his coat since he started science diet so i'm not sure which factor worked but he still looks fuzzy but he is soft lol. very nice to meet a fellow shihpoo owner aren't they the best..
Cheryl Surprised