What is the first thing that comes in to your mind when you think Shih Tzu? The flowing hair? The darling Topknot? There are other alternatives.

The Shih Tzu breed is most famous for its long flowing coat and darling topknot. And I am sure many of us go into Shih Tzu ownership vowing that grooming will be a daily delight.

I certainly know I did! And I carried out the promise, too. But my Shih Tzu still got matted, badly so, and once that first mat appeared there was no going back!

I am proud to say that I once, for a span of 3 months, was able to keep Archie matt free, but it took a lot of discipline and long hours. So I thought, "I have it!", and I became proud step mom of a second Shih Tzu.

For two years I would fight the grooming battle, only to lose it and have to shave down Archie. Oddly enough, with my second addition I still felt I somehow owed them the right to have them with a long, beautiful coat.
(I am sure they loved the 2 hour bathing process).

But you know what? For us, there is no need. My Shih Tzu are "pet" Shih Tzu, plus the weather in Panama is hot and humid. Their long coats only caused us stress (yes all of us) and the dogs were prone (and later fell prey to) pest and skin problems. Archie developed an allergy to tick bites with constant itching and bad skin odor, and Connor suffered anemia, from acute blood loss due to ticks. All of this because I could not manage the infestation under the thick coats (even at mid length).

So my decision was final, and now every 3 weeks I religiously take them to the groomer for a cut. The hair is so short you can see their skin, but they are so happy it is worth it. I also noticed more energy and willingness to cuddle at night.

So maybe you should consider going this way with your pet Shih Tzu, you do not need to go to extremes like I do, but 1.5 -2 inches of hair is enough for a pet Shih Tzu, and they look pretty darn good!