Gosh.. groomin shih tzu

[xochanelox]

i have a 7 monthz old shih tzu and i shaved him about a month ago, because he had ticks (hate those things) anyways, now that his hair is growing back i want to really make it look better than before so how do i do it? his hair seem to be a bit wavy, something i don't like Can i comb it or brush it any way to make it straight? pls tell me all the basic things and equip i need to use. When he was little i was too busy with school so i barely groom him..(i know shame on me ) My final question is, after i shower him, i try to blow dry him off but he's to scared to let me do, how do i stop his fear, and do i just use a regular blow dryer?.. so confused.. i feel so bad.. pls help

[blackgavotte]

Are you ready for the reality of what equipment you should have? Its not for the faint of heart. First off, nope, if his hair is wavy, its wavy. Only at shows and for pictures etc, you can indeed straighten out coats with the same things we use.. curling irons and sprays etc, but basically day in and day out, wavy is wavy.

Ideally, you should buy a grooming table, but if you don't want to do that, at least have a waist or chest high table or dresser or something to work on. Saying that, he needs table training and that means you have to teach him to stay on that table, and with a proper grooming table there can be a grooming arm attached with a leather loop to keep him on. Again having said that, you must NEVER leave a dog on a table unattended or unwatched not even for a minute. They can jump off and either break a leg or if looped, hang themselves. Start table training him a bit at a time, just pop him on, brush a bit or comb, give a few treats, maybe turn the dryer on for a minute or so blowing it away from him, and start doing that every day for a few minutes until he has learned to be confident on the table. Remember what I just said, NEVER leave him, not even for a few seconds....

Its impossible to tell you in a forum how to groom your dog. But the most basic equipment you should have is the clippers and blades which you must have since you say you shaved him a month ago. The next tool is a good quality curved slicker brush, and a medium-and fine-toothed comb, you can get good ones that have both sizes in one comb. Not too fine as in flea combs, but coarse and less coarse teeth. A good quality pair of toenail clippers is a necessity, and you should have a pair of good quality scissors. Don't buy kitchen scissors ( I've seen that done ! ) but proper grooming scissors.

If you look in the yellow pages or whatever you have in your area you should look for grooming supplies, talk to them. Good luck. If you can learn to groom him decently yourself, over the years this equipment will more than pay for itself and its much nicer for a dog to be groomed at home. As far as drying goes, again, if its just one little dog, your own type of hair dryer will do, clip the hair off first so you don't have so much to dry, then bath him and keeping him on the table and soothing him, teach him not to fear the dryer so much. It will take time.

[BoB/335]

I thought that you would want to bathe him first. Doesn't the clipper get gunked up with dirty hair?
I'm specifically looking for help with the different size blades and combs. I want to give my shih-tzu a "puppy cut" which is what he's been getting for 4 years now (maybe 5 but who's counting) How do I decide what size blades and combs to use? And yes I know to use a good scissor around the face.