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Shih tzus on Cape Ann: face, eyes and the monthly groom
The shih tzu is a lap dog with a show coat and a face that needs daily attention. Our groomers see the eyes before anything else, our handlers watch the breathing in August, and both know the breed does not need the exercise its owners feel guilty about. This page is the care plan, face first.
Health notes
The eyes and the flat face: what our team watches first on a shih tzu
A shih tzu's eyes sit forward in a shallow socket and the face hair grows straight into them. That is why our groomers check the eyes before the coat: a squint, a cloudy patch, a dog that keeps one eye half shut or paws at it. Hair rubbing the surface of the eye is the everyday cause and the face trim is the everyday fix, but a scratch on the eye is a vet visit the same day. We tell you what we saw and leave the diagnosis to your vet; the AKC's expert advice pages explain why this breed's eyes need watching.
The nose is short and the airway behind it is narrow. On a humid Cape Ann afternoon in July our handlers listen as much as they look: a shih tzu that snores at rest may be normal, but one that is panting with a wide tongue and a rattle in the throat is getting into trouble. The AVMA's heat guidance names flat-faced breeds as the first to overheat. That dog comes indoors onto the cool floor and you get a call. The folds under the eyes and beside the nose trap tears and food, and the teeth crowd a small jaw; ask your vet how often to check both.
- A squint, a half-closed eye or pawing at the face: told to you the same day
- A wide tongue and a rattle in the throat on a humid day: indoors, then a call
- The fold under each eye, wiped daily at home
- Teeth brushing at $10 with every groom; the crowded jaw tartars early
The coat
Puppy cut every four weeks, face trim at two
The shih tzu coat is long, double and hair-like, and left to grow it reaches the floor. Almost every shih tzu we groom wears a puppy cut, an inch or so all over with a rounded head, because the full coat needs daily brushing to the skin and a wrap for the topknot. In a puppy cut the interval is four weeks: a bath, a blow-out, the clip, the feet, a sanitary trim and the face. A full service groom is $75 in the small band, a bath alone $55.
The face is a groom of its own. Between full grooms the hair over the eyes, the beard and the corners of the mouth grow back in two weeks, and that is what the $10 face trim is for: eyes cleared, beard shortened so it dries after a drink, the fold under each eye opened up. Owners who book the face trim at the halfway point bring in a dog with clean eyes; owners who wait the full month bring in a dog with a crust under each one. Dematting is $15 per 20 minutes, and on this breed mats start behind the ears and under the harness.
At home the routine is short and daily. It takes three minutes and saves the eyes.
- 01
Wipe the corner of each eye and the fold beneath it with a damp cloth every morning
- 02
Comb the beard after meals; food in the beard sours by evening
- 03
Line brush the ears, the armpits and the harness line three times a week
- 04
Book the $10 face trim at the two-week mark and the full groom at four
- 05
Add teeth brushing at $10 to every groom
This coast
July is the hard month; January is only a matter of snow depth
A shih tzu's problem on Cape Ann is the humid stretch from late June to early September. A short nose cools a dog badly on a wet, hot afternoon, and a shih tzu on hot sand or a hot sidewalk is in trouble twice: from above and from below. Walk before 8 AM or after 7 PM in July, keep the walks short, and never leave the dog in a car in the Good Harbor lot. At Dogtown the small groups run their outdoor block first thing and spend the afternoon on the indoor floors.
Winter is easier than it looks. A shih tzu in a puppy cut wants a sweater below freezing, and fresh snow above its chest is a wall, but the cold itself does not trouble the breed the way heat does. Rinse the belly and the beard after salted sidewalks; a low dog carries the salt home on its chest. The beach months are its favorite: Singing Beach in Manchester-by-the-Sea takes licensed, vaccinated dogs from October 15 to April 14 at the time of writing, two per person, and a shih tzu will trot the length of it at low tide.
The Gloucester Dog Park at Stage Fort Park has a separate small-dog side, fenced, which suits a shih tzu that wants company without a Labrador landing on it.
- Late June to early September: dawn and dusk walks, indoor afternoons
- A sweater below freezing; a shoveled path in fresh snow
- Singing Beach from October 15, the small-dog side at Stage Fort Park year round
The playgroup
A half day with the small dogs, and no guilt about the rest
A shih tzu does not need a nine-hour day, and giving it one does not make it a better dog. At the free evaluation it goes into the small-dog group, 7 to 10 dogs of similar weight and calm play style, and it usually plays for an hour, sits on a handler's feet for the next, and naps. A half day at $33, morning or afternoon, fits that dog exactly. A full day at $42 suits the sturdier, bolder shih tzu that wants to be in the middle of things.
The dogs to keep it away from are the bouncy ones. A shih tzu rolled by a cheerful young cockapoo does not get hurt, but it stops playing, and a shih tzu that has decided a group is not for it is slow to change its mind. Our handlers place it with the gentle circle from the first day. On the days it would rather stay on the couch, a 20-minute at-home walk at $25 is the honest alternative to daycare, and a good one.
Dogtown for shih tzus
Groom first, group second, walks for the couch days
Because grooming needs no evaluation, most shih tzus meet us on the table: a $75 puppy cut, the eyes checked, the face trimmed. The free evaluation for daycare or walks comes after, weekdays between 6:30 and 9:30 AM, with Rabies, DHPP and Bordetella on file and a current town license. After that the calendar is the four-week groom, the two-week face trim, a half day or two a week in the small group, and a walk on the days in between.
For an overnight stay the suite is $78 a night, and a bath before pick-up sends the dog home with clean eyes and a dry beard. The Pup Van runs at $10 each way in Gloucester, Rockport, Essex and Manchester-by-the-Sea. First daycare visit as a new customer: use FIRST15 for 15 percent off.
At Dogtown
What a shih tzu uses at Dogtown
The monthly puppy cut with the face trim between, a gentle small-dog group for a half day, and a short walk on the couch days.
Asked and answered
Questions people ask about this
Short, complete answers you can act on today. More in the full FAQ.
How often should a shih tzu be groomed?
What does the $10 face trim include, and does my shih tzu need it?
Can a shih tzu come to daycare during a heat wave?
Should I keep my shih tzu in a long coat or a puppy cut?
More questions? Read the full FAQ
Sources
Rules and dates change. We re-check every beach, licensing and ordinance page each spring and fall; the source above is the current word.
Keep reading
Next step
Book the face trim online.
No evaluation for grooming. Choose the full service puppy cut or the $10 face trim, add teeth brushing, and ask about the small-dog half day when you collect.
- 01Free evaluationWeekdays 6:30 – 9:30 AM
- 02Book a dayOnline, in the app or by phone
- 03Play, rest, repeatReport card at pick-up
