Some people only see the Shih Tzu’s lovely coat, never suspecting there are actually two coats. The long coat that many pet owners love to brush for hours is the outer coat. It also has an inner coat, that’s usually wooly. So many people find this breed adorable that they decide to buy or adopt one, despite their lack of experience with raising it.

But a Shih Tzu needs to be groomed every single day; couple that with the breed’s demand for attention and some owner give up on it. A Shih Tzu can live from fifteen to twenty years, and the norm is every day grooming; every other day at the least. If you want to have a bouncing healthy Shih Tzu, you need to groom it, devotedly.

Impulse buying or adopting is not going to be a good decision, if it’s a decision at all – just because you spend some time watching a dog show or combing a friend’s Shih Tzu, doesn’t mean you can take care of it. The dogs normally seen in dog show are often finely chosen representatives of their breeds – genuine bloodline, solid, healthy, and friendly. The reason those pets look gorgeous is because their owners spent a lot of time grooming them and training them – that’s not something many owner can do. Shih Tzu grooming is a not an everyday habit anyone can get into.

It’s not news to anyone that some people purchase or adopt this breed, and then, after experiencing first hand just how demanding it is to keep one, they give up – they give it up for adoption. But what turns off some people is exactly what other people need – a routine, a bonding session. There are pet owners who adore grooming their pet Shih Tzu. Because of their fierce loyalty and devotion, the Shih Tzu are a hit companion pet among the elderly.

You could always take your dog to a pet hair stylist, and have your pet’s hair cut stylishly, lowering to a degree the need to religiously groom your pet. You could have your Shih Tzu’s hair cut stylishly, so that your dog remains cute, only with less hair to worry about grooming. Although you may want to consider this, but you might have to put up your dog for adoption.

Again, if Shih Tzu grooming is an everyday habit you cannot establish and stick to, please reconsider getting a Shih Tzu. At its worst, inconsistent grooming leans to health problems; at the least, you inconvenience your dog by leaving its coat dirty, tangled up, and matted. What you want to avoid is for your Shih Tzu’s coat of hair to mat, get tangle up, be the home base of numerous parasites leading to skin lesions and a host of other diseases.  

Shih Tzu grooming should become a daily ritual for owners of this toy dog breed. That’s because a Shih Tzu may develop problems with its coat if not care for, or groomed at least every other day. If you find that you may not have time for Shih Tzu grooming because of your work schedule or other concerns, you may want to choose another breed of dog, as this breed demands constant grooming to avoid health problems.