Shih Tzu Hairstyles

If you like animals, especially if you like dogs I am sure that you have heard about the breed called Shih-Tzu. It is a breed of small companion dog and the name has Mandarin origins and literally it means ‘lion dog’ (this probably is because the breed was created in a way that dogs resemble lions, which is a well-known Chinese symbol meaning guardian lions). This is one of the most ancient breeds and they have long, silky fur.  As the name already suggests, they might have been originated in China, most probably in Tibet. The name the breed has is interesting because it is both singular and plural.



The dogs have very friendly and relaxed personality and they are very playful so they are perfect for those people who have time to take care of them (and by taking care I don’t mean only feeding it, but grooming it, bathing it and playing with it as well). The fact that they have long flowing coats is liked and disliked by the owners in the same time. They look very cute, but their fur needs a lot of care because it has to be trimmed regularly.

There is nothing sweeter than a Shih-Tzu in full coat with the hair in a topknot but we must know that it takes a lot of time to brush the hair, to bathe the dog, to blow dry all that hair, to brush it again, to create the topknot, to clean the eyes, cut the nails and so on. There are many owners who don’t have so much time for these things, so they are doing everything they can to minimize the time needed. This is why we can see a lot of Shih-Tzus with their hair cut short. This way it is a lot easier to maintain and it doesn’t take so much time.

If you are thinking about taking your dog to a professional you must know that there are no standard names for the trims, mostly every groomer calls the trims different names. It might happen that you enter a grooming shop and you ask for a cowboy trim and the groomer will have no idea about what you want, because he or she knows the trim with the name of pantaloon trim. It might be very useful to take a picture of what you want. You might try to describe the trim you would like but it isn’t sure that the groomer will fully understand you.

There are a lot of Shih-Tzu hairstyles to choose from, such as the Mohawk, braids, cowboy trims (pantaloon trim or bellbottoms), ‘m pretty pony’, geisha look, Kennel cut, shaved down (it is advantageous in the summer or when the dog has a litter), ‘Fu Machu’ (the hair on the body is cut very short while the tail, beard and ears have long hair, also called ‘Lion cut’). No matter what Shih-Tzu hairstyle you choose, be sure that it will not only be nice looking, but it has to be comfortable for the dog.