Shih Tzu grooming in Gloucester, MA

The breed standard asks for a long, flowing double coat with only a slight wave. Two layers mean the soft undercoat tangles into the longer outer hair wherever the dog rubs, and on a dog this low to the ground that includes the belly, chest and legs as well as the ears and harness line. The AKC's advice for a long-coated Shih Tzu is daily brushing with a pin brush, layering the hair so you reach the skin, and a bath about every three or four weeks.

That is the full-coat reality: brushing every day, a bath every few weeks, and a coat that drags through every wet lawn and stretch of beach. The AKC suggests that owners who do not want to spend that time have a professional groomer clip the dog into a puppy trim. A puppy trim takes the body to a short, even length that brushes out in minutes, and it keeps the round, sweet look the breed is known for.

The AKC's tear-stain article names the Shih Tzu among flat-faced breeds whose shallow eye sockets let tears spill onto the face. Wiping the corners of the eyes with a damp cloth every day, as the AKC suggests, and keeping the hair there short does more than any shampoo. If staining appears suddenly or the discharge looks yellow or bloody, the AKC's advice is to call your vet. Whitening shampoo at $8 brightens light hair, but it does not change why the eye waters.

The sanitary trim, $10, shortens the hair around the rear, belly and inner thighs so it stays clean between haircuts, and the breed standard itself allows trimming around the anus for neatness. As for timing, a puppy trim usually holds for about four weeks before the face grows into the eyes and the belly starts to knot. Stretch past six and the groomer may find tangles that take de-matting at $15 per 20 minutes, agreed at check-in.

Two minutes each morning covers the face: a damp cloth at the corner of each eye, then a comb through the mustache and beard, which collect food and water. Three times a week, comb the belly, armpits and the hair behind the ears down to the skin. Our how-to on handling a mat before it spreads shows what to do with a small tangle before it becomes a groomer's job.

Cape Ann summers are the hard season for this breed. The AKC notes that the Shih Tzu's heavy coat and short face mean it does not tolerate heat well and is not a good swimmer, so walk early or late in July and August and keep beach outings to paddling. The beach months are cooler: Gloucester admits dogs to Good Harbor on even-numbered days from October 1 to March 31, and a low-slung Shih Tzu needs the salt and sand rinsed off its belly afterward.