If you are wondering how to give a dog bath, relax.  You are not alone. Being a proud owner of this little champ I can give simple tips to keep your puppy clean and happy. Shih Tzus generally have long hair that can be prone to getting messy and dirty. Few tips on how to bathe a Shih Tzu Puppy are given below.

Grooming, bathing, proper coat care and sometimes trimming and getting your dog professionally groomed is all part and parcel of Shih Tzu ownership. Caring for most beautiful coat requires a great deal of time and dedication, but puppies offer a simpler grooming routine.   

Shih Tzu’s temperament towards bathe

Shih Tzu hates baths. She hates getting wet. She does not like getting lathered up with dog shampoo, no matter how nice it makes her smell, or how clean it makes her coats. Shih Tzu and Baths do not mix together. Generally, she used to claw and claw her way out of the bathtub.   If you start when she is very young, she will not be fearful of the bath. She will look forward to this occasion just as we humans do.

How Often Should I Bathe My Shih Tzu Puppy?

The first batch of your Shih Tzu puppy will be between 8 weeks to 12 weeks old. Usually, pups breeder would have taken care of the first bath. You will probably not need to give a bath for few more weeks if your puppy arrives clean and bathed.

• For an indoor and short hair, Shih Tzu requires bath once in 2 weeks.
• For long hair, Shih Tzu requires at least once a week. One week sponge bath and next week complete bath is more suitable.
• Once a month haircut for Shih Tzu is adviced.

Your dog doesn’t need to be bathed as frequently as you think! Your dog has natural oils on the coat, and over bathing can dry out the skin and coat.

How to Give a Shih Tzu a quick Bath

1. Bathing a dog with tangles in it will only tighten them more. You must have the coat completely brushed and combed out BEFORE you get the dog wet.You need a course(not soft) slicker brush and a greyhound comb. The process to use is called “line brushing”.  Depending on how much coat your dog as you will need to brush out anywhere from daily to once in two days.
2. Bath your Shih Tzu with a gentle dog shampoo. No human shampoos at all-incorrect Ph can harm the skin. Not all dog shampoos are alike. Bathing that often with a flea shampoo would severely harm the skin. Medicated shampoos should only be used if your vet suggests them and then following the vet’s strict rules.  The intent of saving coat on show dogs-it shouldn’t adversely affect your dog’s coat at all.
3. You must follow the shampoo with a skin conditioning treatment. Bathing this often without conditioning would dry out the skin. Coat Handler conditioner is great and doesn’t have to be rinsed out-saves a step.
4. Dry the dog and repeat step one of thoroughly brushing and combing out the dog.

Does your Shih Tzu smell  the next day even after a bath

She needs a trip to the vet. He may have an ear infection or a skin infection or some type of allergy. A healthy dog should not smell after one day, or even a couple weeks really.

Preparing to Bath Your Shih Tzu

Consider to prep: Supplies you need, The bathing area and Your Shih TzuSupplies you need:

1. warm water ( no one likes cold)
2. Nonskid mat for the sink (a rubber mat intended for a bathtub ) or Towel works out fine
3. Shampoo
4. Conditioner (vinegar rinse will get rid of any shampoo left on the hair)
5. cup/bottle for diluting Shampoo and conditioner (optional)
6. Cotton Balls for ears
7. a plastic apron to avoid getting wet(optional – required only if your dog hates bath)

The bathing area: The adorable tiny size of your Shih Tzu puppy lets you bathe your little girl quickly and easily in a sink instead of the tub. Kitchen sink suits her well, it’s easier for you to keep her in one spot and access to all the bathing products. Clean the sink thoroughly first, making sure that there is no dish soap residue.   Your Shih Tzu:

The Shih Tzu has a silky coat, but they have an undercoat.Comb and brush the coat before giving your Shih Tzu a bath. Use the soft brush, make sure you go all the way down to the skin. Don’t ever leave the tangled hair, work with hands with its hard with the brush. If you leave any of these on the dog, they will be tighter and harder to remove after the bath.  Place cotton balls into the outer ear canals. This is to prevent water from going into the ear canal. To avoid painful infection. Most of the time this never works, as the dog shake the cotton ball out. So extra care to be taken not to get any water inside the ear by holding my hand over the ear opening.  

Complete proper Bathing Techniques

After all the preparation is done. Let’s take Shih Tzu to the kitchen sink with the supplies mentioned above.

1. Place the skid-free mat or towel on the base of the sink to avoid your puppy from skidding. Place the puppy or dog on to the mat/towel.
2. Fill the sink with 1 to 2 inch of warm water.Get her fully soaked with warm water. Make sure you test temperature of water, before placing your delicate doll in.
3. Squeeze a small amount of the shampoo into your hand (An alternative method that works well is to purchase a plastic bottle from a local beauty supply store and dilute the shampoo in it). Now rub the shampoo into the dog’s coat(leave out the face and ear region). Continue doing it for 2 to 3 minutes especially on their pads as their feet tend to get dirtier than the rest of them. Now thoroughly rinse out the shampoo.
4. Use conditioner generously. time to condition the coat.Work this into all areas for 3 to 5 minutes. Alternatively use  Vinegar (use about ¼ cup of vinegar for a small spray bottle, diluted with water) to get rid of any shampoo left on the hair and also make the hair soft and silky. Rinse out conditioner/ vinegar thoroughly.
5. Look out for fleas or any skin problems, this is the best time to inspect. As the hair is wet and it makes visibility clear to inspect the skin.
6. Facial cloth wash is most suitable. Dilute the shampoo, dip the cloth and wash her face and ear flaps with the cloth. Spend extra time to clean the face. As most of the dogs do not like water on the face, so cloth wash is recommended. Even though we are very careful sometimes the shampoo may slip into their eyes, so it’s better to use cloth wash.

After You Finish Your Shih Tzu’s Bath

Keep a dry towel in handy. Wrap her up in a towel quickly, he will not be able to spray water on you. A quick way to dry her long hair is by using a hairdryer. If she is short haired then blow dryer is not needed. If you are using blow dryer keep low or cool setting.But most of the dogs would prefer a towel to a blow dryer. I personally do not prefer my Shih Tzu to dry using the dryer.   This is an excellent time to trim your Shih Tzu’s nails. They will be nice and soft after being in the warm bathwater. If you don’t feel secure about cutting your dog’s nails, leave them to your Veterinarian or Groomer.   If its warm sunny day, take her to a walk. She really loves it and you feel more relaxed after bath process.