i am learning at college grooming we dont get any shitzus, how do you do them eg clipping

They shouldn't be clipped, just trimmed. :)

a lady has asked me to do her dog. i have told her i am training and she said thats ok. she said he has been clipped. i cant find any good pics of a trimmed/clipped one.

sorry i got the spelling wrong shih tzu

>They shouldn't be clipped, just trimmed.

Neither should alot of dogs be clipped,but they are,so i suppose it's best to learn a nice technique instead of just running the clippers over them at the shortest clip.

Gofaster-I cant really help you with the clipping except to say there should be loads of pics on the net,or get the owner to bring you a pic of what she wants.Just dont clipper the head,ears,beard or tail,all of those long haired dogs look horrible when this is done,just make sure to trim these parts.Do the face,head in a teddy bear cut and trim the ears to the same length as the beard.

If the owner REALLY isnt clear, best thing to do is a 'same length all over' puppy style trim, so leaving all the coat on body and legs around 3"/5" long, shape around leggies etc, head teddy ish, tail longer..... that way if its NOT what she had in mind, she can then hopefully say 'no these bits shorter'......

Which is always infinately preferable to an owner saying 'um its meant to be longer'....

(Personally, cant stand longhaired dogs clippered off naked - only good reason for shortening long hair is for oldies/invalids, and even THEN, not bald!)

I prefer to do the teddy bear trim with thinning scissors like you say. But we do get some in at college whose owners want them clipped. Then we do the body all over with whichever blade is good for the shortness wanted (even done one on a 10, he looked AWFUL but that's what was wanted!) and leave the tail untouched, and do the head with scissors like the normal trim. :-) I agree theemx, and would add that even worse is the people who clip off their longhaired dogs and then put woolly jumpers on them! :rolleyes:

The two shih tzus I trimmed when I was still grooming were done with a 1" blade attachment to leave a decent bit of length, feet trimmed round, head round and the tail mostly left - I just took the very ends of the fairs to neaten it up a bit and lessen the chances of tangles on the second dog (he wasn't maintained very well), following the natural shape of the hair as well.

Agree with the jumpers comment Lucy - I mean, what's the point?? Having said that, the one time I didn't mind was the last dog I clipped, in January - my stepmum's mini poodle.  She was taken very short, and had a lovely red knitted jumper to wear afterwards :rolleyes: but in her case, my stepmum and my dad were moving to spain in a couple of weeks so wanted the hair short for when she got there, so they'd have some time to find a good groomer.  The jumper just needed to tide her over till she was in warmer climes :D

Neither should alot of dogs be clipped,but they are

Yep, that's the difference between a dog groomer and a sheep shearer! ;)  I try to encourage people training to be the former if they want to earn a living and have a good reputation. ;)

The first thing that I was taught when I was training was that this is one profession where the customer isn't always right.  There is absolutely no reason for taking money to clip off the weatherproof coat of a breed that shouldn't be clipped for the owner to pay again to provide an artificial coat to protect the dog. :(

If the groomer is happy to see a matted dog once a year and clip it off, then that's just fine.  If they want to keep the dog well groomed, in good condition and looking like the breed that the breeder did their best to produce, then clipping it off is not the way forward for the dog, the owner or to keep a regular clientelle.. :(  A much better way to handle the coat for all concerned is to scissor the coat off the ground and around the hygiene areas. :)

very good advice Val

rofl Yes..... shave it bald....... then give it a jumper...

Never really grasped the point of that

>shave it bald....... then give it a jumper...

>Never really grasped the point of that

I would say it's easier to put a warm jumper on a dog,then to maintain a thick double coat?? Just a wild guess :)

It really isn't difficult to maintain a double coat.  But it is much more difficult to groom once it is clipped and the undercoat grows through with the top coat.  Clipping these breeds really doesn't do the owner or the dog any favours. :(

Totally agree...why get a long coated dog and then not be bothered to look after it?? There is a woman that lives in my village that has 3 Lhasa Apso's...all completely shaved within an inch of their lives, usually left for 6 months to competely matt up and then she pays a someone to shear it all off! Why dont these people buy short haired dogs?

My friend's answer to that is because she loves the character of her chosen long haired breed. But I still don't see why these people can't run a brush over their dogs every few days and pay a groomer to keep them in a nice teddy bear trim, not clip off!