Apart from being smart, Shih Tzu is also daring and may try to jump down despite the distance. So never leave the puppy alone on the table. At 4 months of age, the hair in the forehead will be long enough to be collected into a top knot.
This must be practised right from the start. Another thing to do is train the puppy to lie on his/her side on the surface. This skill will make haircare easy later when the dog has matured and has a lot of hair.
You could begin by teaching the puppy to:
- lie on his / her back to your lap while combing his/her paws. When the puppy is getting away, do not give up until he’s calmed down.
- You may start to teach him/her on the table when this practice succeeds. Put a soft cushion on the table and have the puppy on his side of the towel.
- Hold him/her with the other hand and groom with the other hand. It’s better not to ask anyone to hold the puppy with both hands because it’s just going to make him/her feel uncomfortable.
The puppy is going to think, “Now that they’re holding me so tight, I’m wondering what’s gonna happen.”
Instead, the trick is to loosen the grip little by little after the puppy has remained peaceful for a while. In this way, they will learn to loosen up and understand that this is not a big deal to do. Furthermore, while lying on the table and being groomed, you can also take a nap.
Source: PetGroooming
