Keeping your Shih Tzu’s face clean

One of the biggest problems people who own Shih Tzus have is keeping those lovely flowing mustaches and beards clean and smelling fresh. Add the challenge of keeping tear stains off of the  fur below your little pup’s eyes, and you have a time consuming job on your hands. Luckily, there are a few tips and tricks that can help you keep your Shih Tzu’s face squeaky clean, at least between meals.

The first thing you may want to consider is whether you need to feed your dog a soft food diet. Soft food and gravy stick to that long mustache hair much more readily than dry food. However, if your pup turns up her little pug nose at the sight of dry food, you can feed soft food without destroying her mustache. Just be ready with a washcloth or wet wipe as soon as she finishes eating so you can wash all the food particles and gravy out of the hair before it drys and sets.

If your pup still has some food particles in her beard and mustache, you may need to use a fine toothed comb to remove those small pieces. A flea comb is ideal for combing out all of the crumbs. A no rinse dog shampoo and a sponge can help you remove tough gravy stains.

Next, consider using a dog water bottle instead of a bowl to keep the hair from getting so wet when your dog drinks. When your Shih Tzu’s chin hair is constantly damp, it can turn into a home for smelly bacteria.

Finally, to clean the hair under your dog’s eyes, wipe the stained spots with a damp sponge. It is important to clean these stains frequently to avoid build up and smelly matted hair. You may need to use tear stain remover on the tough spots that water alone isn’t removing.