It is best to introduce your Shih Tzu to these sessions while it is still a puppy. Be very gentle and start by placing the puppy on its back in your lap and brushing the chest and leg hair. When the puppy is accustomed to being brushed you can have the dog stand on a table or a rubber mat on top of the washing machine, which is much easier on your back.

GROOMING EQUIPMENT

• 1 Small Stainless Steel Pin Brush (The Swedog/#1 All Systems Brush is ideal)
• 1 Six-inch Stainless Steel Comb (Medium/Fine with rounded teeth)
• 1 Fine Plastic Tail Comb (for combing around eyes)
• 1 Small Slicker Brush (Soft Type)
• Toenail Clipper
• Spray Bottle for water/conditioner mixture
• Pair Small Scissors with rounded tips
• Pack of small orthodontic elastic bands for topknots
• Shampoo Spray attachment for taps in laundry trough
• Hair Dryer, preferably professional type with stand
• Rubber Bath Mat to prevent slipping in bath
• Bottle Tearless Baby Shampoo
• Bottle Hair Conditioner

To prevent any unmanageable matting from forming, you should give your Shih Tzu a light brushing daily and a thorough brushing once a week.

When you begin grooming, start with the underside, chest and inner legs. Place the dog on it's back, lightly spray the exposed coat with a little conditioner mixed with water and brush lightly with your pin brush. The slicker brush can be used on the leg hair. Next turn your dog onto its side and brush the hair in layers downwards from the skin to the tips, lightly spraying as you go.

When both sides have been groomed, stand the dog up and part the hair from the base of the skull to the tail and brush the hair downwards. Then spray and brush out the tail.

Finally, very carefully comb out the face whiskers using the plastic fine toothed tail comb.

As part of your normal routine, you should also trim off any excess hair from between the toes.

If during your grooming you come upon any severe matting, try gently easing the mat apart with your fingers. Once loosened up, it can be brushed out. Avoid cutting out mats if possible - you will ruin the look of the coat with chunks missing here and there.

The hair on the head can be banded up using the dental bands, making sure the hair isn't pulled too tight which can prevent the dog closing its eyes properly.

Be sure to inspect the eyes daily for accumulation of sleep in the corners. They can be gently wiped clean with a cotton wool ball dipped in Optrex Eye Lotion.

Ears should be examined regularly to ensure that they are clean and sweet-smelling. Contact your veterinarian if there is any sign of reddness, discharge, crusting, unpleasant odour or excessive head-shaking.

At the conclusion of your grooming session, reward the dog with a treat of some kind and some enthusiastic praise.

BATHING

The frequency of bathing your Shih Tzu depends on the coat texture of the individual dog and the environment. Some seem to keep themselves remarkably clean, others are smelly and unkempt-looking in a very short period of time. A bath every 10-14 days should be enough.

Make sure you have everything you will need on hand: shampoo, conditioner, towels, hair dryer, brushes and combs. Thoroughly groom the dog to ensure no mats or tangles are present before proceeding. Bathing a matted dog sets the mats in the coat! It is a good idea to plug the ears with cotton wool to keep them dry.

Stand the dog on a rubber bath mat in the laundry trough (or bath) and, using the shampoo spray attachment, thoroughly saturate the coat with warm water. Apply shampoo and gently massage it through the coat, rinse and apply cream rinse or conditioner, rinse again then blot dry with a towel. If you rub briskly with a towel, you will cause the hair to matt or break off. Allow the dog to shake, then blot dry again. Now, blow dry with a hair dryer whilst brushing with your pin brush.

NAIL CARE

If your dog is getting plenty of outside exercise, it may not be necessary to trim its nails very often. Others, spending much of their time inside, will require frequent trimming. It is important to learn how to perform this task yourself.

Using a canine nail trimmer, just take a small amount from the tip of each nail. Avoid cutting the quick or blood vessel which runs through the centre of each nail.

Dogs have a rudimentary thumb called a "dew claw". All dogs are born with them on their front feet (on the inside of the leg just above the pads of the feet), while some also have them at the back. Dew Claws require more frequent trimming as they do not touch the ground and so do not wear down naturally. Many breeders routinely remove puppies' dew claws at around 3 days of age. If your dog still has his dew claws, be sure to keep them trimmed. Failure to do so can result in the nail growing around full circle into the dog's leg - a very painful condition!