Shih Tzu haircut at home (photo): puppy haircut in Korean and Asian style

Kinds

Haircut happens:

everyday (hygienic);
exhibition (demonstration);
original.

Casual

Hygienic grooming of your Shih Tzu should be carried out every month. This procedure is necessary for the animal’s comfort, disease prevention, and easier coat care. For everyday haircuts, hairs are usually cut in the area of the ears, under the nose, around the eyes, on the pads of the paws, and in intimate places. This look is easy to do on your own.

Exhibition

A demonstration haircut is needed to prepare your pet for an exhibition. Only a properly groomed dog has a chance to take a prize, so it is better to entrust this procedure to professionals. Difficulties may arise at home. The Shih Tzu exhibition haircut technique includes several stages:

hygienic hair removal;
trimming fur;
collecting a ponytail on the head (top note);
putting on papillots.

Original

Fancy hairstyles are given to dogs to create a bright, expressive image. Before starting modeling, hygienic grooming is carried out. Among this type of hairstyle, the following haircuts are most common:

Teddy bear;
under a small puppy;
Korean.

These options are ideal for Shih Tzus in the summer, when long hair creates additional inconvenience for dogs of this breed. The first two haircuts are very similar, but there are significant differences between them. Such hairstyles can be done either with a machine or with scissors.

The teddy bear haircut gives your Shih Tzu the appearance of a soft toy. To create this hairstyle, you need to evenly shorten the hair over the entire body, leaving a length of 5 cm. This will make the dog’s coat look like velor. Inside the ears, the hairs are completely removed, but on the head and muzzle the hair remains as before – long.

To make an adult Shih Tzu look like a puppy, an appropriate haircut is used. When doing a “puppy” hairstyle, the hair on the head is modeled in the form of a beret, and the hair on the face is cut quite short. The coat on the body is shortened to a length of 2.5-4 cm.

The Korean hairstyle is considered the most creative and unusual. This option is characterized by uniform shortening of the hair on the body of the Shih Tzu, as well as cutting off the hairs on the paws in the form of cuffs. The haircut on the head is done in the form of a long bob, then the hair is braided into braids. Creating an Asian style involves using scissors and a machine.

In a Korean haircut, bright accessories are always used.

East is a delicate matter

The fashion for oriental-style hairstyles is quickly spreading among shitz owners.

How is a Korean haircut done? Aligned long hair remains on the pet's head, which can be braided into pigtails with bows, gathered into ponytails with elastic bands, and secured with hairpins along the entire length. The paws are cut off, leaving the cuffs. Light clothing in the national style helps complete the look.

Step-by-step guide to cutting your Shih Tzu at home

At home, in natural conditions, the Shih Tzu is washed and then thoroughly dried. If there are tangles in the wool, it is moistened with water from a spray bottle or an aerosol, and the tangled areas are sorted out with your hands or a trimming knife (tangle cutter). Brush your pet in any case.

Using a machine, the fur on the body, neck and chest is shortened to the required length (up to 2.5 cm), and the “skirt” is removed. The machine is guided according to hair growth.

The base areas of the Shih Tzu's tail, abdomen, and groin are also carefully treated using a tool.

In intimate areas, long hair is cut with scissors. All hairs are removed between the paw pads. They work on the limbs with tools from top to bottom. As a result, the dog's legs should have straight column lines.

You should trim your Shih Tzu's face using scissors. At the same time, the eyebrows are trimmed and the beard is shortened along an oblique line. In the area around the eyes and nose, excess hair must be trimmed, and stray hairs must be removed from the ears.

The final stage of cutting a Shih Tzu is thinning out the areas treated with a machine with scissors. It is needed to give the dog a more neat and well-groomed appearance.

Grooming at home or in the salon

It is highly undesirable to groom a show dog at home. The fur can easily be damaged, and the pet will not be allowed to participate in the exhibition.

Non-show dogs can be groomed themselves. It is important to be confident in your actions, otherwise the excitement will be transferred to the pet, and grooming the dog will turn into torture. You can ruin the cover or even injure the dog.

You can carry out minimal interventions yourself. First, the dog needs to be bathed, dried and combed. Then, using a clipper without an attachment, you need to trim the hair in the area of the anus and intimate area. After this, use scissors with round ends to remove the hairs between the fingers. Then the claws are cut from top to bottom using a nail cutter.

If you are confident in your abilities, you can trim the hair a little all over your body.

Many owners make mistakes that lead to loss of beauty and even health of the pet:

The hair is over-dried using the wrong cosmetics, which causes its structure to be damaged.
Instruments are not disinfected, which leads to inflammation in case of injury.
They cut without combing, which causes pain for the dog.
Vibrissae (!) and eyebrows are removed.
They treat him rudely and make loud noises, which is why the Shih Tzu associates the haircut with negativity.

If the external attractiveness of your pet is a priority for you, it is better to entrust the haircut to an experienced groomer from a grooming salon.

A set of necessary tools and accessories

To groom your Shih Tzu on your own, you will need several items that can be purchased in specialized stores.

List of tools:

rotary machine or trimmer with a set of attachments;
scissors with pointed and rounded ends, thinning;
a brush with stiff bristles;
metal comb;
trimming knife or welt cutter;
tweezers for removing hair from ears;
shampoo;
conditioner balm;
spray or aerosol.

General rules

Before grooming, the dog is bathed, blotted with a towel, combed thoroughly and dried using a hair dryer.

Using a machine, the length is removed on the back of the nose and at the bottom of the mouth. Select individual hairs from the eyes and nostrils.

They determine how long the fur will be left on which parts of the body. The body is cut to a conventional boundary, which is visually drawn:

along the hind legs - to the ischial tuberosities and groin;
above the line of the elbow joints of the front legs.

Then move on to the chest and neck. Here the machine is driven from bottom to top to:

lines of transition of the neck to the mouth;
bases of the ears.

The lower border of the panties is emphasized at the level of the foot, and the hair between the toes is cut off.

The tail is cut so that it does not fall to the side. The hair around the anus is cut short.

The final stage is to use thinning scissors in a top-down motion through the fur on the paws, ears, and tail.

Finally, the Shih Tzu is combed, the remaining fur is styled and decorated with bright hairpins and elastic bands.

Differences in haircuts for boys and girls

A haircut for boys usually involves shortening the hair as much as possible. Particular attention is paid to the groin and anus areas. The best hairstyle for a male dog is considered to be the “teddy bear” haircut. For girls it should be slightly different. On female Shih Tzus, it is advisable to leave the hair longer, arranging the hair on the head in the form of ponytails or braids, decorated with accessories.

Expert opinion

Anna Abramenko

An avid dog lover. Experience in veterinary medicine since 2009.

Ask a Question

The puppy cut is universal and suitable for both sexes.

Pay attention to the floor

Boys have their hair cut a little differently than girls, choosing a bear and lion hairstyle. The hair in the groin area and near the anus is greatly shortened. The coat in other places is kept short. Girls are left with long locks, which are subsequently turned into braids and ponytails, pinned with hairpins, and decorated with bows and wide colored elastic bands.

Care after haircut

To maintain the natural showiness of a Shih Tzu dog, you need to follow certain rules.

It is recommended to periodically carry out the following actions:

Moisturize and comb your pet's fur. A metal comb and a massage brush are suitable for this.
Once every 1.5 weeks, bathe the animal in warm water. It is recommended to comb your dog immediately before and after washing. Also, tangles are removed before the procedure.
Use conditioner balm when washing.
After bathing the dog, use an antistatic spray or fixative with silk particles.
Keep your Shih Tzu's hair on the top of his head and beard in ponytails.
For walks, use silk overalls, which protect the wool from dirt and tangles.

General rules for combing

The Shih Tzu's long coat needs to be thoroughly brushed at least once every few days. However, in some cases it is necessary to carry out the procedure daily.

During the molting period, it is imperative to pay attention to combing your pet every day to avoid tangles. Don't think that one Shih Tzu brush is all you need to do this.

You will need several combs, including a massage brush and a long-toothed metal comb. The ideal option would be a double-sided comb with different densities and lengths of teeth.

Let us describe in detail the procedure for combing a pet:

Combing begins from the hind legs, strands at a time. You need to start scratching from the bottom up, and then back. It is better to lay the animal on its side. If there are tangles and tangled hair, they need to be taken apart and untangled with your fingers, and then comb the hair with a comb;
Using the same pattern, you need to comb your paws, belly, and armpits. Then you need to part your back and comb from top to bottom;
Carefully comb behind the ears and remove tangles. To determine the direction of combing, you should focus on the depression on the nose. The hair above it is combed upward, and below it - in a downward direction. The mustache is also divided evenly and combed down;
If your pet has a lot of tangles, you first need to untangle or cut them off. It is not recommended to bathe an animal with mats, as this will only worsen the situation.

For a Shih Tzu's everyday neat appearance, a short haircut is quite appropriate. It will not require much effort, nor much time, nor much expense. When an animal has a short haircut, the combing process is reduced, but a short hairstyle does not eliminate the need for combing.

Basic mistakes

Grooming a Shih Tzu, especially the first one, is a very important undertaking. A novice dog breeder may make various mistakes during this process. The main ones that affect the appearance, health and behavior of the dog:

cutting completely dry or too wet wool (leads to damage to the structure of the coat);
neglect of disinfection of instruments and cleanliness of hands;
leaving tangles, not combing the animal before the procedure;
lack of final thinning;
shaving the mustache and eyebrows (for dogs these are organs of touch);
careless use of the machine, leading to cuts and skin irritation;
the pet is located in an inconvenient place, which creates discomfort for him and the owner;
sudden movements during the procedure, causing fear in the Shih Tzu.

Tips and tricks

The dog can have its first haircut from a young age (from 6 months), so that it immediately gets used to this difficult procedure. Moreover, it is not necessary to do all the manipulations. They start small. When the dog remains calm and does not run away, it is rewarded. In this case, the animal will associate the haircut with positive emotions.

If the owner of the Shih Tzu is not confident in his abilities, then the first procedure should be carried out by a professional. But there is another solution to the problem: turn to video tutorials in which the process is commented in detail.

It is recommended to take your pet for a walk before grooming. Experienced groomers also advise you to first draw a mental diagram of your Shih Tzu’s future hairstyle. In addition, you need to think through the procedure in advance so as not to get confused. This is especially important during the first haircuts at home, when the owner has no experience at all.

Shih Tzu hair should be cut on a flat surface. It should not be located too high or low. A rubber mat is laid on it to prevent the paws from slipping. During the procedure, it is necessary to contact the dog and behave affectionately with it. It is easier for animals to relax when they hear the owner’s voice and feel his stroking.

Cuts left accidentally after the procedure must be treated with hydrogen peroxide or chlorhexidine.

Reviews

Elena: “My favorite Ronya is the owner of a wonderful thick coat. When it grows back, I take him to a dog beauty salon. There, Shih Tzus get a comprehensive haircut. After this, the dog is transformed. We don’t go to exhibitions, but for myself I want the dog to look great.”

Natalya: “Daisy the Shih Tzu lives in our house. Relatives and friends admire this beauty. And achieving a spectacular look for a dog is very simple. Every day we comb her, and once a month, together with my husband, we cut her hair and make braids or ponytails.”

Dmitry: “My son loves dogs, and I decided to give him a Shih Tzu puppy. The dog became a great friend to us. But in autumn and spring this breed sheds heavily. Therefore, during the off-season, I always call home a groomer who gives the dog a teddy bear haircut.”

Photo and video review

To familiarize yourself with hairstyle models, it is recommended to look at photos of all options. In the video you can see several Shih Tzu haircuts performed by professionals. This is the best guide for a beginner.

Photo gallery

We invite you to view a photo selection of dogs of this breed that can help you decide on a hairstyle for your beloved pet.