The good news is that your starting early and this is a reversible condition!
You simply need to practice putting you dog on the grooming table and have it be a positve experience. Nothing painful. Just many brief plops up on the table and maybe one or two swipes of the brush just to start out. You need to have lots of treats on hand to reward for 1.) getting on the table without fuss 2.) standing still oon table 3.) standing still for brushing and handling And I suggest giving a treat every 30 seconds or a minute or so when you start to really have this down. Before you know it, your dog will look forward to this time as it is also good bonding. If it's painful you're using the wrong kind of comb or brush. PRactice a few times a day with this until your pup eagerly awaits grooming time.

Assign a phrase to this grroming time... I use "Time to get pretty" so the dog knows whats going on and do it every night after dinner. That would be now. Good luck.

Also as for the mats you should go to a groomer to get this mats out as they are painful to the dog and could require a shavedown if left to get really really bad. Get together with someone in your area that is an experienced shitzu owner and see if they will show you some pointers. For mats, you can't really rely on your eyes, you have to feel for them and it helps to have the right tools. During times of heavy shedding or blowing coat (if applicable) you would want to groom very frequently to stop mats in their tracks. Make your home a mat free zone. When I find one I attack it immediately! I'm a nut tbut mats drive me bonkers.

QQ has some good pointers there. I would only add that you need to comb the puppy not brush. Brushes only go over the outer surface of the coat and don't get down to the skin. You can have a dog that has been brushed religiously and is so matted at the skin that it has to be shaved. You can use a brush after combing to help spread the coat oils and leave a nice shiny coat.

Also if you are working with puppy and she pitches one of her little hissy fits DO NOT STOP what you are doing. It might even mean that you will get bitten but if you stop she has just learned a very valuable lesson. If I growl or bite I can make Mom stop. Just procede calmly until she has a calm moment then reward for being calm and stop.

Lisa

The matting underneath needs to be taken care of immediately. If it is matted underneath it will keep pulling hair into the matting. Never bathe a dog that is matted- all matting needs to be removed prior to bath. I would suggest- due to her age and lack of completed vaccines- that you find a groomer that could come to your home and work with the pup and get the matting resolved and shave the eyes to keep the goop from sticking there.

This breed requires daily brushing- with the proper tools- if you want a dog without matting. Also eyes need daily attention- wipe them with a warm damp washcloth.

I have two shih tzus of my own and groomed many-I can't count on one hand the number that were good for grooming and didn't bite. I know two different groomers that refuse shih tzus due to their reputations of being difficult. One of mine is good for grooming and the other will take a hand off- (mine included)

BTW, i'm not a fan of conditioner on shih tzus it seems to make matting worse and dirt stick faster. I use a detangle product called GLO Coat- I spray it on when wet- start drying and mist a little after they are dry and brush it through- you can also use it during brush time to help the brush go through tangled areas.
Best of Luck to you Both!

Thanks for the good advice! I don't have a grooming table, but I have used a dresser in my spare room for my Pekignese with a rug covering it so it won't be slippery.

The conditioner I used is one I use on my own hair and it is a leave in. It did make her hair really soft. I haven't been to the pet store yet, but I will look for the GLO spray. We did get a very small wire brush to use on her. Is that the right kind?

I hate to hear that about them hating to be groomed! I have to admit I didn't really research before getting her, someone I knew was giving her away and I took her. No more, though--I now have three dogs and three cats! Hubby has put his foot down!

I have two shih tzus and when they were little i sat them in my lap and petted them then i just kind of added the comb a little a time. First i would just sort of rub the comb around on them and not actually comb till they got use to being handled like that. It wasn't long before they liked being combed. I put some diluted (doggy) conditioner in a spray bottle and sprayed the mats a little, while combing and soon had them all cleaned up again. Now soon as i pick up there comb there ready to sit and be groomed. Gently wash there eyes with a warm water cotton ball each day.

Posters who are advising you to take your time and to go slowly and to be gentle are right on the mark. If you take your hand away when your dogs growls at you, bares its teeth or snaps at you, then you will soon have a monster on your hands. Be the alpha but be positive about what you need. Get a Natural Balance meat stick - a small one, and dice it into small pieces, when you start brushing your dog, give her a treat, if she growls, reprimand her by telling her NO, LEAVE IT, in a deep type voice. While you are grooming her, try the back of the bush first, so she gets use to it, and it does not pull her skin, some dogs have tender skin and if matted, brushing can hurt. Take your time, get a detangler spray and go slow, slow, slow, reward your dog for good behavior and for accepting the brushing. You might try and find yourself a good groomer tho, dogs like yours should be brushed daily and groomed about once a month, depending on activity and outdoors time. You will notice your dog equally upset if you try and clip its nails, go slow. If you are patient enough your dog will get use to it, we have a dental hygenist who can work on dogs teeth without putting them out, she talks to them and very gently works with them, taking her time. Good luck.

I agree with most of what's been said. However, when I first started combing Riley, I never use a brush, and I always have him on a high counter, I would have someone help me hold him. Since he was little and didn't have free reign of the yard yet he stayed pretty clean and combing sessions were quick and simple. Now of course he gets a major comb out every evening and as long as I put him on a counter he just stands and takes it. I still need a second pair of hands when trimming nails and around his face but basically he's pretty cooperative.

Groomingal - where would we find the GLO Coat product you mentioned? I searched around town and have not found it locally.

Our labradoodle has a terrible matting problem since he likes to go swimming. We have finally gotten most of the knots out and have trimmed his fur to a more managable length but would love to have something to put on to help with the combout.

Glocoat is sold thru Pet Edge. You can do a web search and find them. Another product that you might be able to find locally is Cowboy Magic. Look at farm supply stores like Tractor Supply for it.

Lisa

Lisa- have you used Glocoat? If so which product do you like better? I've always used Glocoat- but i'm not far from Tractor Supply- it would be much easier to stop there and pick it up.

mboston- I would keep him clipped short especially if he swims mainly in the warm season and let it grow longer in the cool weather if he is out of the water then. It would be really easy for you guys to maintain- main areas to keep tangle free would be his tail, ears, and topknot.

It's been a long time since I've used Glowcoat. I liked it well enough but I don't always need enough stuff to order from pet edge or I end up spending more that I need to. I love Cowboy Magic. It's a thin gel type product. Only takes a small amount applied directly to the matt and after a minute most of them will come right out. It will leave the dog a little greasy if you over do the application but I used it yesterday to de matt a Maltese that anyone else that works with me would have shaved. I applied a good amount to him all over got the mats out then just rebathed him. The owner swears he is going to start bring him in on a regular schedule so I guess we'll see if he does or not.

Lisa

I had Amos groomed twice - once in Feb. and had a Puppy cut done on him. It helped, then again in April we had him just about skinned down. He looked so funny and it wasn't until July that we started seeing and feeling mats. We did okay on most areas until a couple weeks ago. I guess his hair is chainging texture too, seems all of a sudden with the swimming and not getting all the mats out before hand we really had a mess of knots, that just got bigger and bigger. The main area was around his neck. But even the shorter hair on his legs knotted up. We have almost all either combed out or cut out now and have cut his hair short on his legs and about an inch long every else. He has been so good to let us work on him. He will just lay there and put up with the combing and the cutting. I just don't want to have him go through that mess again. We bath both doodles every week and it is usually the weekends that he swims. Our little girl doesn't mat. Her hair is more wiry and the only place I have found a mat I couldn't easily comb out was on her foot, where the hair is curly. The top of her head kinks up but it is easy to comb out. Poor Amos is curlier all over. Using the detangling tool seems to frizz the hair out so badly that we hate to use it, even though it works.

The local pet shop said their other store may have some of the GLO COAT and if they do, they will bring it over for me. Another grooming shop said they use "THE STUFF" and it works as well as the GLO COAT.

Thanks for the help. Will try the website if I can't get it locally.

On trimming aroung the Shih Tzus eyes, I didn't know at first that this was something that had to be done, I had a vet tell me that if it wasn't kept up on that it could eventually lead to blindness, I hold the "beard" under his chin in order to do it, that is one of the only areas that he really fights having done.
Make sure you keep the pads of your puppies feet trimmed as well, Gizmo is not too keen on having that done as his feet are really ticklish but he don't fight me on it he just lays there and whines (he is a big baby) Shih Tzus have hair like humans in that it never stops growing, this summer I gave up and shaved him all over so I wouldn't have to battle the dirt and matts, I miss his long hair but I think he is more comfortable so that is all that really matters.