How to Shave Your Shih Tzu

Using electric clippers will make the process faster.

Shaving your shih tzu dog can seem like a daunting task. But it can also be expensive to have a professional groomer do it for you, and in the long run it helps to be able to do touch-ups yourself. Regardless of the reason (aesthetic or functional) you can shave your dog without worry of doing harm to him. Once you have dog clippers and the right blade size it is a simple procedure that will become even faster and more efficient the more times you perform it. This article assumes that you know how to use a dog clipper.

Things You'll Need

• Dog clipper
• 7- and 10-gauge blades
• Old sheet or piece of fabric to set the dog on and gather fallen hair
• Scissors for hair cutting

Instructions

1. Sit on the sheet with the dog in your lap.

2. Start on the back at the base of the tale and move upward. Use a size seven blade. Shave the front of the legs.

3. Swtich to a size 10 blade. Shave the belly and under the legs. Keep the hair on the tail intact, as well as the hair on the face.

Tips & Warnings

• If you wish to trim the hair on the face and the tail, use scissors. Pull a section of the hair through your fingers and cut off the excess of hair that remains after your fingers end. Go slowly and frequently review your work so that the hair is uniformly cut.

References

• The Georgia Shih Tzu: Shaving

Resources

• All Shih Tzu: Your 1-Stop Shih Tzu Information Center