How do I groom a shitzu? I found him and he is a mess. I put papers out and nobody claimed him.?

I found a shitzu dog, its a male, and so cute...the only problem is, is he is a mess. he has knots in his fur that i can't get out, he hates baths, and his hair is in his eyes, theres poop hanging off his fur, and theres no way i can get a clippers through all the knots. I need help!!! Is there any way that we can but a special clippers, or special shampoo to make this easier? I am planning on taking him to the vet, but i want him cleaned up first.

How do I groom a shitzu? I found him and he is a mess. I put papers out and nobody claimed him.?

Call the vet and see if they can do it for you, or you could go get him groomed somewhere. I groom my dogs (they're shih-tzu mixes, but have the fur like a shih-tzu) and I went to petsmart and bought the clipper set (the actual clippers and then a bunch of the guards that let you do it different lengths) Maybe try trimming the top layer off of it with scissors first and then using the clippers. I've watched shows where they have to de-mat a dog and it's a long and involved process. You have to go really slowly and do small parts at a time. I'd highly suggest going to the groomers and having them do it. Explain to them that you found him though so they don't think you neglected him, also so they know he might have an unpredicatable temperment since you haven't had him that long.

How do I groom a shitzu? I found him and he is a mess. I put papers out and nobody claimed him.?

A Vet IS your best solution. They can make the proper recommendation on how to care for the animal and what to do with the behavior problems...

How do I groom a shitzu? I found him and he is a mess. I put papers out and nobody claimed him.?

if he is matted, u can do more harm than good by trying to do it yourself. make an appt at the vet or groomers for TOMORROW and have them shave him and clean him up. they are professionals and can make it as painless as possible for him.

definitely , do NOT bathe the dog, that will only make the mattes tighter and more painful.

if u really must resort to doing it yourself, they sell clippers (like electric razors) at te pet store, that can get thru it, it just takes time.

How do I groom a shitzu? I found him and he is a mess. I put papers out and nobody claimed him.?

I would if u can with out hurting him just take a pair of scissors to him. maybe some can help if he's skidish. round tip kind like kids. washing him first will have made it worse. then do the clippers must be careful if doing clippeds first its sometimes hard to see what is dog and what is fur if he is that bad. and take lots of breaks casue he may stress.

thank you for taking him in. and taking him to the vet....take pic of what he is now.

How do I groom a shitzu? I found him and he is a mess. I put papers out and nobody claimed him.?

Take him to the vets. If he is matted that bad, they may sedate him a little to shave him.

How do I groom a shitzu? I found him and he is a mess. I put papers out and nobody claimed him.?

The best thing you should do is to cut all the fur using electric razor but not too thin. Don't worry it will grow again, then when the hair / fur is growing try to brush it frequently. Use dog shampoo and dog conditioner to soften the hair and to prevent knots to your dog. If you can't do it alone, try to go to the pet grooming center. They know how to deal with your dog. I hope I answer your question.

How do I groom a shitzu? I found him and he is a mess. I put papers out and nobody claimed him.?

I have shih tzus and once had a Lhasa Apso that was hard to groom. You will have to take him to a groomer and pay big bucks ($40) to get him shaved down, treated for fleas, ears cleaned, nails clipped and anal glands relieved.

Or you can do what I do and do it yourself. I find that it helps to get the hair cut business over with before attempting a bath. No point in cleaning a bunch of fur you plan on cutting off anyway!

I take scissors and and carefully cut away at the matting first. Then I take detangler or water with a little hair conditioner mixed in and wet the coat. Then I try to detangle and comb through the whole coat of fur. As you go you will have to trim a little more here and there. Then according to how much I had to trim to get the matting off, I go along horizontally and cut the coat like you see barbers cutting hair. Pinch the hair in between your index and middle finger and then cut above your fingers. Try to cut in the same spot as you go along horizontally so the coat looks about even. It won't look perfect but at least you will have a clean dog. I know its a big undertaking but you have to cut the coat down to see what scariness lies beneath.

The dog could have fleas, ticks, all sorts of bugs can be hiding in there so prepare yourself. You will have to remove the ticks with tweezers and take care of the fleas with flea bath you can purchase in any supermarket or pet store. You will have to get doggy nail clippers (no, human nail clippers won't work...you'll hurt your dog). Clip the tips of the nails until you see a tiny round or semi-circle shape in the center. The dog will let you know if you are going too far. Next, check out his ears. You will have to get Q-tips and some warm, soapy water and get all that gunk out. My vet also recommends that I pull the ear hair out so that it doesn't get matted and full of wax. That could cause ear infections or poor hearing because of all the matted hair and wax. You should also trim around his anus so that fecal matter doesn't get stuck there.

Make sure you clean good around the eyes, that gunk that develops around a dogs eyes can sit around their eyes and cause sores. Shih tzus develop a lot of eye stuff because their eyes protrude and it is their natural way of protecting their eyes. Just keep their eyes and the hair around it gunk free.

Last but not least, check your dogs skin out. If there are red spots, bald spots or cuts you will have to ask your vet to help you heal these. They can give you an antibiotic powder to help heal those. Let the vet prescribe something, don't buy over the counter stuff unless he recommends it.

Good Luck!

How do I groom a shitzu? I found him and he is a mess. I put papers out and nobody claimed him.?

take him to a groomer to get all that bad hair off.

How do I groom a shitzu? I found him and he is a mess. I put papers out and nobody claimed him.?

Probably the easiest and least stressful thing (for you and the dog!) would be to take him to a professional groomer. If he is really stressed out by your attempts so far, the best bet would be to find a groomer attached to a vet clinic so that he can be given a bit of sedation if need be.

If he's really matted, all that hair will need to be shaved off before you can do anything else with him. They already have good-quality pet clippers, and it will probably cost you less to pay a groomer than it will to buy the sort of set you'll need for this job! They have also got the handling and clipping experience to be able to do him much more quickly than you could yourself!

Plus, if his coat condition is as bad as your description suggests, trying to clip him is going to be uncomfortable at best and possibly painful for him as well. We had a couple of rescued pound dogs for rehoming a couple of weeks ago- they were so bad that we had to wait until they were under anaesthetic (they were also being desexed) to clip them- when we did, they were so badly matted that their hair came off like a sheep fleece!

How do I groom a shitzu? I found him and he is a mess. I put papers out and nobody claimed him.?

You will more than likely need to take him to a professional groomer. I have yet to find a pair of home chippers that works well on my shih tzu and she's groomed regularly! plus the groomer can do things like shave around the face, which is hard to do on a squiggly dog, and clean the ears and express the anal glands ( a smelly but often necessary task!) This could cost anywhere between 30-60 dollars, depending on where you go. If you take him to the vet and explain the situation, they might be able to shave him down there. It sounds like he may need to be shaves all the way down and sort of "start over " anyways. Good luck, and God bless you for taking such good care of the poor pup.