Shih Tzu: basic care and maintenance

Features of a lion cub dog: brief characteristics and description of the breed

Shih Tzu is a decorative breed, considered one of the oldest. Their height does not exceed 27 cm at the withers, and their weight is 8 kg.

The breed is called a chrysanthemum dog because the fur on its face resembles the flower of the same name. The pets were also nicknamed “lion cub” (translation of the word “Shih Tzu” from Chinese) and “Buddha’s dog.” Allegedly, the dogs accompanied him during his travels.

Shih Tzus have long, luxurious fur. On the muzzle it forms a “beard” and “mustache”. Folded proportionally. The dogs are lean, muscular, with well-developed bones.

Having a chrysanthemum dog is almost the same as bringing a ray of sunshine into your home. Some owners believe that their pets understand human speech. This is how they detect the slightest changes in people’s moods.

Dogs love to be the center of attention. At the same time, they are unobtrusive. If there is no time for them now, they will simply sit nearby and wait for the owner to sort things out.

Shih Tzus are gentle, affectionate and loving creatures. In puppyhood they are extremely active, curious, and playful. After a year they become more seasoned, but remain lively until old age.

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How to care for a baby Shih Tzu: basic rules and recommendations

All about hair care

Long, thick, luxurious hair is the main advantage of a dog. This is where the most problems arise, since caring for a Shih Tzu's coat is quite complicated.

Bathing

Your Shih Tzu should be bathed every week and a half. Clean wool is less tangled.

The pet must be placed in a bathtub or a wide basin. Place a rubber mat on the bottom to prevent the paws from slipping. The water temperature should be 37-38°C.

Bathe your pet with a special shampoo for long-haired breeds. Thoroughly wash the paws, stomach, back, and genital area. The foam is washed off several times. For easy combing, it is recommended to use conditioner.

Before bathing and after drying, the dog is combed to prevent tangling of the hair. To keep the dog from freezing and drying faster, wrap it in 2 bath towels and use a hairdryer.

Combing

Your Shih Tzu needs to be brushed daily, for an average of half an hour. Otherwise, tangles will form.

Puppies begin to be accustomed to the procedure at 6 weeks of age. Use special brushes: a wide-toothed comb and a massage brush.

If you get completely tired of combing, you can cut the dog “puppy style.” This haircut is especially important in the fall and spring, when the Shih Tzu literally collects all the dirt in its path. However, this way the dog loses some of its charm.

Before the procedure, the dog is placed on the table. It is advisable to place a rubber mat for stability.

They start scratching from the hind legs. First - with a comb, and then with a massage comb. On the back, the fur is divided into two parts.

You should not comb a pet with dry hair. Be sure to use a spray conditioner or moisten the comb with a spray bottle. Tangles that cannot be combed out are carefully removed with a tangle cutter.

Hygienic haircut

Dogs should be trimmed as their fur grows back. To maintain hygiene and a neat appearance, it is advisable to trim your hair at least once a month. But at least once every 3 months, otherwise the dog will become very overgrown.

To get a monthly hygienic haircut, you don’t have to take your dog to the groomers.

The procedure itself is simple, accessible to any owner at home. As a rule, the paws, groin area, and base of the tail are trimmed - there are no difficulties with this. Before grooming, your pet must be bathed and combed.

Dogs participating in exhibitions are not cut. The Shih Tzu standard requires a long and thick coat. But in such cases, the coat requires special care, regular trimming and combing.

Exhibition “specimens” are usually trusted only by professional groomers.

We recommend reading: Hair loss in dogs - causes, prevention, treatment

Taking care of your eyes: removing hair and nitrous oxides

The Shih Tzu's eyes tend to become sour. To prevent wool from getting into them, it is collected on the top of the head in a ponytail. This will provide ventilation.

Tear ducts are checked daily. Oxide is removed with a sponge dipped in lotion or distilled water.

Ear care: clean and remove excess hair

Large hairs from the ears are plucked out with tweezers. Inspect the ears daily for dirt and parasites. However, cleaning once a week with a cotton swab is sufficient.

Shih Tzu teeth: properly clean and remove plaque

Teeth should be cleaned of plaque once a week with a special toothbrush and toothpaste for dogs.

If a stone appears, you need to contact a veterinarian. The doctor will remove hard deposits. You cannot do this yourself - you can damage the enamel.

How to care for paws and trim claws

The paws are inspected and dirt is cleaned between the toes after each walk. Excess hair is cut off.

The claws are trimmed with a nail clipper as they grow. It is better to do this after swimming, when the nail plate is soft. Only the upper third is cut - then there is the “living part” with nerves and blood vessels.

Features of walking puppies and adult dogs

They start walking the puppy at 3.5 – 4 months.
The first walks last no more than 15 minutes. Babies can be taken outside up to 5 times a day. Gradually, the number of walks is reduced and their duration is increased.

Adult pets do not need long, intense walks. It will be enough to take the dog out once a day for an hour.

The Shih Tzu's flattened face makes it difficult to breathe. Therefore, the dog should not be walked in the sun.

And for the autumn-winter period you will need warm clothes.

Upon arrival home, the paws, ears, eyes, skin and fur are carefully examined. It is necessary to clean out the trapped dirt, make sure that the organs are not injured and there are no mites.

Antiparasitic treatment must be carried out every 3 months and 2 weeks before vaccination.

Shih Tzu coat care

Caring for your Shih Tzu's coat is no less important than all the others. The coat of any dog ​​is designed to protect it from the unfavorable environment. Naturally, when a dog finds itself in certain climatic conditions, its coat changes, adapting to the surrounding conditions.

Shih Tzus have a unique, unusually long coat that they can be proud of. Wool consists of downy hair - undercoat, outer hair and guard hair. There are also tactile hairs, thicker and longer, located above the eyes, under the lower jaw and on the upper lip.

Caring for your Shih Tzu's coat should be done daily, otherwise in the near future you will face problems that will turn into huge, dense tangles that are quite difficult to deal with. Brushes with metal teeth are used for combing. In this case, the owner himself selects the frequency of the teeth depending on the pet’s coat. The tangles must be combed carefully and patiently, cutting them off only as a last resort with a special tool - a tangle cutter.

Many people believe that it is easier to untangle the mat on dry hair, before bathing the dog. I concluded for myself that wet fur still untangles easier and faster, so I comb very tangled hair immediately after bathing the dog.

Show class dogs are typically bathed once a week, after which their coat is blow-dried. Regular Shih Tzus bathe about once or twice a month, depending on the condition of their coat. I don’t use a hairdryer, but I comb everything carefully and patiently - it takes quite a lot of time.

For washing you must use a special shampoo. Of course, the regular one will do, but you need to make sure that the dog doesn’t have an allergic reaction to it. Any shampoo is diluted with water approximately one to seven to eight, so that the resulting composition foams a little. Then the shampoo is washed off and the coat is rinsed with conditioner, also diluted in water. After a few minutes, everything is washed off and the dog is wrapped in a thick towel. Under no circumstances should you dry the fur with a towel; it should dry on its own.

I do this: While my Shih Tzu is wrapped in a towel, I comb the hair on his head and braid it the way I want. Only then, some time later, I turn the dog around and start combing it. I start with the paws and tummy while the dog is lying down, then I turn him over and brush his back. Maybe someone will decide that this is wrong, but it’s convenient for me, and I have a dog not for exhibitions, but for the soul.

Daily grooming for your Shih Tzu includes standard brushing and styling to keep hair out of the eyes.

One last point on caring for your Shih Tzu is caring for your dog's paws.

An unpretentious companion: keeping a pet at home

Shih Tzus are unpretentious in their maintenance. They easily adapt to life in a country house and a noisy metropolis. They get along perfectly in multi-storey buildings - even a one-room studio apartment will seem like a luxury apartment to the dog.

The chrysanthemum dog is primarily a companion. She must constantly be with people. Putting her in an enclosure is a crime.

The place is arranged in a cozy place, but in such a way that the pet can monitor everything that is happening in the house. It should not be in a draft, near heating appliances or air conditioners.

Decorative dogs can be trained to go to the toilet on a cat tray or a special diaper.

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Playful puppy: how to take care of your baby

In the first days when you have a baby of this “royal” dog, pay maximum attention to its nutrition. Find out what the puppies were fed in the nursery and do not suddenly change their usual diet. Follow the recommendations of veterinarians who will tell you how to care for your Shih Tzu:

• Do not overfeed your puppy. The volume of his food is normally 5-10 percent of his weight, and for an adult dog it decreases to 3-5 percent. • If the dog eats with appetite, but leaves some food in the bowl, it should be removed until the next meal. • Any additive must be introduced little by little so that the dog’s digestive system gets used to it. • Any complementary food or food that a Shih Tzu puppy has never tried before is considered new - its care and maintenance requires caution.

Many breeders feed their dogs dry food. In the case of a Tibetan pet, it will take 1-2 weeks to switch to this type of food. Choose the best food for Shih Tzu puppies and feed it in the amount indicated on the package. Please note that the food contains all the vitamins the puppy needs, so the puppy will not need various vitamin supplements. The convenience of this feeding method lies in the fact that the dog’s food does not spoil, it does not take much time to prepare, and the Shih Tzu eats it with great appetite.

Nutrition is the basis of a pet’s health and activity

An important aspect of proper care is proper feeding. Natural nutrition is considered ideal.

A natural food diet should include:

• raw meat and offal;
• vegetables and fruits;
• dairy products;
• additional ingredients - eggs, nuts, vegetable oils.

You can choose high-quality premium food. The most popular among owners are Royal Canin, Acana, Origine, Eukubana. Choose products from a special line for small breeds and taking into account the age of the pet.

The dog should not be overfed. She is prone to obesity. On a natural basis, vitamin-mineral complexes will not be superfluous.

We recommend reading: How to properly feed your dog natural food?

A few words about education

Raising a Shih Tzu is a pleasure. They are obedient and quickly understand what is wanted from them. Although this is not a working breed, the dogs easily remember basic commands. With due diligence, they can perform small tricks: bring slippers, newspapers, ask, overcome obstacles.

Additionally, you can do agility or freestyle.

Chrysanthemum dogs are sensitive. Harsh upbringing is not acceptable. A reprimand in a menacing voice will be sufficient as punishment.

Taking care of your health: how to avoid diseases and prolong your life

The Shih Tzu is a strong breed. Some representatives lived up to 20 years. With proper care, the pet will delight its owners for 15–16 years.

Vaccination

The owner of the nursery must be asked for documents confirming vaccination. If the puppy has not yet had vaccinations, they are given according to the scheme:

• 1st course – at 8 – 9 weeks;
• 2nd course – at 10 – 12 weeks;
• subsequently – annually.

Shih Tzus are vaccinated against:

• plague;
• rabies;
• parovirus enteritis;
• parainfluenza;
• leptospirosis;
• Lyme disease.

After vaccination they are quarantined for 2 - 3 weeks. During this period, walks and contact with other animals, especially stray ones, are prohibited.

Possible diseases and their prevention

Shih Tzus are prone to certain diseases:

• Eye pathologies.
  The most common cases are distichiasis, entropion, cataracts, and corneal ulceration. The first two diseases cannot be prevented. To avoid the rest, you need to wash your eyes daily, remove oxides and dirt, and include foods containing vitamin A or vitamin complexes in your diet.
• Urolithiasis
  . Most often found in males. It develops against a background of low mobility, excess protein and lack of water in the diet.
• Disorders of the digestive system.
  For prevention, you should not overfeed your Shih Tzu, give fatty meat, or unhealthy treats: sweets, baked goods, bones.
• Allergies.
  If itching, rash, or hair loss occurs, it is necessary to identify the allergen. As a rule, this is something from food or grooming products. The provoking factor must be eliminated.
• Heart disease and tracheal collapse.
  Genetically determined diseases. Before buying a puppy, you need to make sure that its parents do not have such pathologies. However, this will only reduce the likelihood of getting a sick puppy, but will not reduce the risk to zero.
• Diseases of intervertebral discs
  . To avoid problems with bones and joints, the dog is prohibited from climbing onto high surfaces and jumping off beds, sofas, and tables.

Until 3 months of age, care must be taken to ensure that the puppy does not go up or down stairs. This can cause the hind legs to become bent.

Shih Tzu food

It's no secret that the key to a pet's health and life expectancy, for the most part, consists of proper nutrition. And here it doesn’t matter whether you choose dry food, which is now sold in great abundance, or decide to prepare culinary masterpieces for your pet yourself. The main thing here is that the diet is balanced, providing and saturating the body with various useful micro and macro elements.

Rules for feeding your dog dry food

What is good for one pet may not be good for another. And if you heard from someone that a certain brand of food suited another representative of a given color, this does not mean at all that your pet will gobble it up with joy. In addition, you should adhere to some rules regarding feeding, namely:

• for the first time after purchasing a puppy, feed it the same food that it received in the nursery;
• If you decide to transfer from one type of feeding to another, do it gradually. For example, if the puppy ate cereal, vegetables and meat products in the kennel, and you decide to switch it to dry food, then initially soak it in a small amount of water so that the particles swell. Thanks to this trick, it will be easier for the puppy’s body to accept new food, and he will gladly refuse other foods.
• Adult dogs should be fed twice a day, that is, morning and evening. You can do this both before and after your walk. As for small puppies, their number of “sits at the table”, depending on age, can reach up to five times. But, it’s worth understanding that each of these five meals is not a heaping plate, and a couple more delicacies after! Of course, unless you want to raise a small swallow and a beggar.
• Never overfeed your pet. What he could manage for breakfast or dinner was enough for the wave. Therefore, we immediately remove the plate with leftover food until next time. If it so happens that a little glutton has come into your home and there is never enough of everything, then you should keep the amount of food given under strict control. It is best to follow the table, which is usually indicated on the purchased package.

Rules for feeding natural food

Even despite the huge abundance of dry food, many owners consciously give preference to natural food. Firstly, it is simpler and less expensive. After all, you can feed approximately the same thing that you yourself eat. But even such a simple method of feeding has its own subtleties:

• only quality products. In the old fashioned way, many people believe that dogs can be fed anything. What is lying around in the refrigerator is unlikely to be useful for your pet. Do not forget that this breed’s stomach and intestinal tract are very vulnerable places. Therefore, if you decide to cook for your dog yourself, and not rely on dry food manufacturers, then carefully monitor the quality and freshness of the products. After all, little Shih Tzus are the same as children. We doubt that you would give an incomprehensible moldy piece of cheese lying around from the New Year holidays to your child.
• No chicken meat. No matter how much you love chicken, the body of this breed is not able to accept it. It may not make your dog sick, but you are unlikely to avoid food allergies.
• "Oatmeal, sir!" - a great start to the day and a great idea for breakfast. Do not overload your dog's already sensitive stomach. Cook any porridge and make it liquid, cook vegetable soups and don’t forget about the treats. Of course, donuts, chocolate and gingerbread are not the best friends for health. But dried apricots, prunes or a small rye cracker will make your pet’s soul feel warm.
• The bigger, the better. The judgment is incorrect. It’s better for your dog to feel slightly hungry than to be unable to move and fall into a pleasant and satiated slumber right next to the plate. Feed little by little and remember that the norm for puppies is five to a maximum of ten percent of the Shih Tzu's weight. For an adult – from three to five percent.

Positive and negative aspects of the breed

Cutie Shih Tzus have many advantages, but they also have disadvantages.
The advantages of the breed include:

• mental stability;
• good character - dogs get along well with all family members, love children and easily find a common language with other pets;
• lack of anger, aggression;
• good health;
• there is no need to walk your pet for a long time and often;
• hardly bark;
• ease of education and training.

The Buddha dog has much fewer disadvantages:

• long-term daily grooming is required;
• lack of guard qualities;
• does not tolerate loneliness well, even if the owner is in the next room.

Some representatives may be capricious, disobey commands, and overreact even to mild remarks. Usually this behavior appears due to improper upbringing - lack of attention or excessive spoiling.

Brief summary

Shih Tzus are easy to keep, raise and train. But they are difficult to care for. The main troubles are associated with thick long hair. Dogs shed quite intensively, especially in spring and autumn.

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We wash ourselves correctly: regimen and preparation

First . Follow the regime. Long-haired pets should be washed at least once every 7-10 days. If your pet has a haircut, bathe him once every 2-3 weeks. When bathing, make sure that the skin is well washed: after it is freed from dead cells and begins to breathe better, the hair will grow better.

Second . You need to wash your dog correctly. What does it mean? Consult a specialist about which bath products are right for your dog. You need to select cosmetics according to the type of coat: if it is too soft, in addition to shampoo, you need a balm with protein, ceramides and herbal extracts that increase volume. For dry and brittle hair, you need protein-containing products with vegetable or animal fats (wheat germ, mink, etc.). Some representatives of the Shih Tzu breed have slightly curly hair. Such dogs need rinsing balms that make the coat heavier, thereby straightening it.