Biscuit at 20wks

He is one handsome boy!! You must be so proud of him

He's gorgeous

Biscuit is adorable

aw tooo cute xx

AWWW thank you all we think he is lovely although a ratbag at the moment. Please can you tell me if I want to keep him in long coat what if any bits do i cut. Some people tell me the bottom but I don't think that will look wrong, what about the feet? I really want to try the long coat.

I don't cut anything other than the hair that grows between the pads (if any) and the excess hair that grows past the end of the foot when and if it does. It is an untrimmed breed in the showring

I personally would NOT cut the bottom hair as it has been my experience over the years that the short hair as it starts to grow clogs easily with poo and can cause a blockage whereas the poo tends to slide down the long hair if there is a problem. It doesn't mean that there will never be a problem with klingons but should be easier. The other thing some people cut is the fur at the end of the penis but again if this is cut too short it can make hime quite messy whereas the hair at the end directs the pee away from the body. Other than that, if you are not showing him then I would suggest if he gets any really tight knots particularly in delicate places like the inside of his thighs or in his arm pits then I would snip those out with a small pair of scissors rather than struggle to groom them out and make him sore.
Good Luck - and make sure you have all the right equipment and shampoos and stuff and you should find as you get used to it, it becomes easier. there is a time where everyone struggles as the puppy blows his junior coat and changes to adult coat but once the adult coat is through then grooming becomes much easier. I only groom my adult Josh once a week and bath every other week unless there is a hiccup and he starts to mat up. If I find any small knots/mats through the week I finger groom to part them.

Oh the picture I have now of the Poo sliding down the hair, how I've missed being on here xx

AWWWWWWWWWW how cute is he??!!!
Loving the little blue bobble in his hair...very handsome little fella

Hi just bought some Groomers Groom and detangle spray today from PAH is this one a good one as all i could find. I find Biscuits coat seems to be quite dry at the moment what shampoo is best to use. I say the lovely pictures of Poppy (I think it was Poppy) once she had been bathed in Cowboy Magic. Is that good for their coats?

He's gorgeous!!

Hello Micheala. I used the Cowboy magic shampoo and conditioner on my dog and would absolutley swear by it. The pictures you may have seen are those of my dog Tuppence and Wispa after they had used it.

Could you put a link up for the cowboy magic shampoo/contioner please. I can't find it

Hi tracy if you type in 'hub international' in your search engine you will find it. It was michele and wispa that put me onto to it and it can also be used on your own hair too, I know I've tried it its fantastic (and I am a hairdreser with my own salon )

Thank you. I was looking on petcetera and they brought up lots of cowboy magis products but I was unclear which was shampoo,which conditioner and which other product. Just me I expect!

Hi Tracy, its the one with Rosewater in it, my daughter Sam used it on her long hair as well and said she had no tangles whatsoever and it left her her hair really shiny!

can I ask - should I be shampooing AND conditioning my pup as I would with my own hair? I was recomended a general anti tangle shampoo from the pet shop but have never really been given any advice. She is not a major fan of bathing and grooming as it is! Also, do you use any sprays in between bath times to keep their coats nice? Any advice would be great! Many thanks

Louise and Rusty

The best shampoo and conditioner you can get for the shih tzu coat (which leaves it with the correct texture for the breed) is The Coat Handler 15 to 1 Shampoo and Conditioner. You use very little of it so although it appears expensive a little goes a long way. I use a capful or two at the most to a large bowl of water and pour the shampoo solution through. then rinse out completely. Finally make up a similar solution of conditioner and water and pour through the coat. Leave this in and blot dry with a towel before blow drying.

The spray I like to use between baths is called THE STUFF and it is brilliant for detangling and making brushing easy. You can use conditioner and water or any number of other sprays too.

I have tried the Cowboy Magic shampoo and conditioner as described above but didn't like how it left the coat flat. I only used it the once on Josh so it was an expensive experiment

i have tried quite a few shampoos and conditioners in my time (over thirty years and showing my dogs in the early days) and I wish I had found the Coat Handler products years ago

You can get these things from HUB International, Petcetera (links to both these websites are in my Useful Website links section

Another shampoo lots of people swear by (and does seem to be good for dry ends) is the Plush Puppy Range - but again I was not happy with the final finish.

Many thanks for the advice. It's much appreciated!

Definitely try the 15 to 1 shampoo and conditioner, and also The Stuff made up as a spray between baths, especially if you have a knot when grooming. I tried it after Lesley suggested it when Simba was a puppy, and would never use anything different. It does look expensive, but you use so little of it that it will last for ages. Simba very rarely gets tangles in his hair and he has never been cut, so that is a sign of how good the products are. Mind you, we are lucky, Simba loves his grooming and very often just goes all floppy and falls asleep as he is being combed!

Another thing I would recommend is a comb with rotating teeth, as that does less damage to the coat. It is only about £4.50 I think and comes from Petcetera

oh yes Sue and of course the good old Mason Pearson brush too