Gamby Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 Hi all My Maltese/shitzu's fur is so hard to keep looking nice. She constantly gets knots, whether it be from her collar or harness and general daily romps. I brush her with either a de-matting comb or a comb. She looks so nice when I've finished and then a few hours later her fur has turned into little sections. She wears a coat if she is outside in the rain and I wonder whether it is the coat that is making her mat. I have not taken her to a groomer. I muddle along by my self, having to cut out big mats and trim up areas. Jorja's pain threshold is zero making it very hard to groom her. I must say she is getting much better than she was 14 months ago. Should she have a puppy trim as I've heard people talk about? She isn't bathed very often and when she does have a bath she is washed in Fido's oatmeal & baking powder shampoo. Any suggestions will be very happily accepted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skyehaven Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 Hi all My Maltese/shitzu's fur is so hard to keep looking nice. She constantly gets knots, whether it be from her collar or harness and general daily romps. I brush her with either a de-matting comb or a comb. She looks so nice when I've finished and then a few hours later her fur has turned into little sections. She wears a coat if she is outside in the rain and I wonder whether it is the coat that is making her mat. I have not taken her to a groomer. I muddle along by my self, having to cut out big mats and trim up areas. Jorja's pain threshold is zero making it very hard to groom her. I must say she is getting much better than she was 14 months ago. Should she have a puppy trim as I've heard people talk about? She isn't bathed very often and when she does have a bath she is washed in Fido's oatmeal & baking powder shampoo. Any suggestions will be very happily accepted. Keep her clipped off, then won't get knots. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Havasneeze Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 (edited) Hi all My Maltese/shitzu's fur is so hard to keep looking nice. She constantly gets knots, whether it be from her collar or harness and general daily romps. I brush her with either a de-matting comb or a comb. She looks so nice when I've finished and then a few hours later her fur has turned into little sections. She wears a coat if she is outside in the rain and I wonder whether it is the coat that is making her mat. I have not taken her to a groomer. I muddle along by my self, having to cut out big mats and trim up areas. Jorja's pain threshold is zero making it very hard to groom her. I must say she is getting much better than she was 14 months ago. Should she have a puppy trim as I've heard people talk about? She isn't bathed very often and when she does have a bath she is washed in Fido's oatmeal & baking powder shampoo. Any suggestions will be very happily accepted. Hi, I have Havanese and do regular maintenance on the coat. You MUST use a conditioner and you should be washing once a week, or a fortnight. You need to be brushing every day, particularly if your dog is going through coat change, which it sounds like she is. Show dogs don't wear collars as they cause knots or matts. I would also say that yes, the coat is causing some problems too but if you use a conditioner, you should have less problems. You could also try using a leave in conditioner for added help... Also, get yourself a pin brush. These do a better job than trying to groom with a comb. Edited June 20, 2011 by Havasneeze Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clyde Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 I hate to say it but for the most part it is the mixture of the two coats. As a groomer I rarely come across cross breeds who don't matt up quickly. Malt X Shih's are often very high maintenance coats, most people give up and keep them very short. I have had this cross before and I would brush him out, come back to him 5 minutes later and he has a knot - very difficult coats. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poodlefan Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 Dirt, coats, collars - all will make a fine coat mat. I'd be opting for more frequent washing and conditioning AND shortening the coat. No point in leaving it long if its a pain for both you and her to maintain. I'd be off to the groomers for a 4# blade on her body. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alkhe Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 I'd be opting for more frequent washing and conditioning AND shortening the coat. No point in leaving it long if its a pain for both you and her to maintain. I'd be off to the groomers for a 4# blade on her body. I agree - I would take her to the groomer at least once, see what they do and if you'd rather keep grooming her yourself, invest in a good set of clippers and keep her body short. You'll still need to brush her to ensure that she doesn't get matted, particularly around her bottom and the base of her tail (this is where they're prone to, in my experience), but you'll be able to catch them before they get too bad. They won't hurt her that way, and it'll save a lot of time, effort and pain for the both of you I'd also suggest weekly to fortnightly bathing, which in my experience also helps with preventing matts etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
W Sibs Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 (edited) Invest in a clipper and shaver... Charlie is a Cav x Shih Tzu and I spend every second day thoroughly combing him. Especially the ears area because they get knotted/matted easily. He gets his legs, butt and chest clipped every second week to control his fur (the rest of his body is fine). I don't give him a bath unless he starts to smell or feels too oily but I do use Aloveen conditioner on him every second week while grooming him though. Edited June 20, 2011 by CW EW Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruftybear Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 I would suggest a groomer if you are having so many problems. We have Toby clipped every 8 weeks or so and our new boy Harry will have the same. I have a brilliant groomer that I have been going to for several years, who always clips my dogs beautifully and she also cleans their teeth and does anal glands etc. It makes the coats more low maintenance for me, and I think the dogs are probably more comfortable too, especially in summer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christina Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 If her pain threshold is Zero its best to do it yourself. Use a soft slicker brush. Buy a soft one & try it along your own arm & on your own head to see how it feels. You also need a metal comb with short teeth spaced close together on one end & wider apart on the other. Stand her on a table or the same place every day & brush & comb to train her. If she is difficult a coffee table placed in a corner is good to start. You can block her escape attempts with your body & if she does she won't fall far. If you are handy with the scissors there is no reason why you can't trim her short all over & trim around her feet & under her tail. Small dog is easy to trim neat. You just have to train her to stand still & accept what you want to do. Otherwise buy some clippers & learn to use them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DogNerd Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 I think if you know you can't keep up with the grooming then have her clipped to a length you can maintain, otherwise it's just stress on you and her. I'd find a good groomer and get them to show you how to properly maintain her coat with the proper tools if you want it longer. Or just have her booked in regularly at the groomer to keep it up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Her Majesty Dogmad Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 I imagine you must have thought about this before you took such a high maintenance coat on? I hope so, and hope that you budgeted for it. Matts are painful for a dog so best to keep the dog unmatted by getting a professional to do a good job. I'm not fussed on high maintenance coats but have a couple here, I can't do it so I've found a brilliant groomer who keeps them looking good. I bath every 2 to 4 weeks but if a dog rolls in stuff then I'll do it as and when. Everyone wants non shedding but very few want to keep up with the rigorous demands of their coats. It's why we see so many matted dogs in the puonds and most groomers will tell you that far too many customers leave their dogs for far too long. Only last weekend I was dropping my malt at the groomers just in time to see the groomer removing a thick carpet like mass off a Shihtzu's body. No excuse would work for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atua Posted June 23, 2011 Share Posted June 23, 2011 I agree with using a conditioner not just a shampoo. Do you like her still fluffy? I recommend either a Guide Comb #3 or #4 or even #5. This will ensure that you still have some length that is managable to maintain and also still the fluffy look. If you do decide to go to a groomer let them know that you are not sure what length you would prefer so get them to start off higher because you can take hair off but cant put it back on and show them the rough length that you would like with your fingers. Because it is winter it will be best to make sure you have length that you are satisfied with instead of them just guessing otherwise it can make the whole thing a horrible experience. Talk to other dog owners of who they recommend or even ask on here. If you are thinking about doing it yourself make sure you get a #30 blade and the stainless steel guidecomb set as the plastic ones are a real pain in the butt I have found. Hope this information is of some help and please keep us updated on how you get on Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancinbcs Posted June 23, 2011 Share Posted June 23, 2011 The work involved in a show coat for either a Shih Tzu or a Maltese is huge. They are bathed and conditioned for every show then after the show they are bathed again, put in a heavy conditioner and have the longest parts of the coat wrapped in tissue and rolled to keep it from tangling. If they show on consecutive days, this all happens every day. Once a show dog retires it is clipped or scissored off because the coats are just too much work. Mixing the two coats makes it worse so for a pet you need to at least scissor the coat back to about 2-3cm or have her clipped unless you are prepared to devote time every day to grooming and bath/condition at least once a week. Even then the coat will still knot because of the type of coat it is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gamby Posted June 23, 2011 Author Share Posted June 23, 2011 Thank you all for your replies. They have helped me keep the mats from Jorja's coat. She is much more relaxed when being groomed each night. Today is bath day so I'll see how the shampoo & conditioner help. I'll let you all know how we are coping. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gamby Posted June 29, 2011 Author Share Posted June 29, 2011 Jorja's bath and the use of conditioner has worked. Even combing her when she was still damp especially around the ears, tail and chest helped to dry her more quickly. Thanks once again from a very happy owner and a little maltese/shitzu Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
becks Posted June 29, 2011 Share Posted June 29, 2011 gamby, it is spelled Shih Tzu not Shitzu ;) glad to hear the grooming tips are working. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now