The Shih Tzu has a coat that is parted down
the middle of the back like those of the Maltese
and the Yorkshire Terrier.  The Shih Tzu also
has his hair tied up in a topknot, but his single
topknot is finished off in a fashion different from
the single topknot of the Yorkshire Terrier.  In
spite of similarities of the part and the topknot,
there are some significant differences between
the Shih Tzu and the other two breeds.
 The Shih Tzu has the double coat-a fine, soft

 outer coat and a heavy, woolly undercoat.    This
 double coat will require more grooming time be-
 cause of the extra quantity of hair.   Because it
 is so thick and soft, the woolly undercoat is
 somewhat more difficult to groom than the silk-
 ier outer coat.   These two qualities contribute
 to a natural tendency for the Shih Tzu's coat to
 tangle and mat.   Mats must never be allowed to
 develop, for the hair will be damaged in remov-
 ing them.   Even if only a small amount of hair is
 lost in working out the mat, some of the hair
 ends will become damaged or broken, and dam-
 aged ends will cause the hair to become brittle
 because of the loss of natural oils.  This condi-
 tion can be offset by spraying the coat with a
 grooming oil during the time that the dog is not
 being shown.    The coat of the Shih Tzu reacts
 nicely to the same type of conditioning recom-
 mended for the Maltese coat earlier in this chap-
 ter.
   Extra time will be required in grooming the
 underside of the Shih Tzu, for the woolly under-
 coat can easily develop tiny mats next to the
 skin.  Thorough layer-brushing of the coat with
 the pin brush, followed by combing, will detect
 any remaining tangles or mats. These mats will
 have to be worked out one hair at a time in
 order to save as much hair as possible.      The
 grooming must go down to the skin each time if
 the dog is to produce a full coat of uniform
 length.  Once a coat has become damaged, re-
 sulting in hairs of different lengths. it is more
 difficult to groom and keep tangle-free.     The
 shorter hairs keep rubbing against the longer
ones, making them brittle and finally b~eaking
them.    It is always much easier to keep a full
coat in good condition than to try to restore a
damaged one to prime condition.
 

 Daily grooming is required for many dogs that
have a heavy undercoat.        These frequent
grooming sessions will never permit any condi-
tion to develop and get beyond easy correction
before it is detected.  Occasionally a specimen
will be found that does not need daily grooming
and still does not have a tendency to tangle or
mat.  This is really an excellent texture of hair
and the dog should certainly be utilized in a
breeding program.
  The dense undercoat is brushed straight down
from the part and parallel to the side of the dog
to give the body the broad look which is desired
in the Shih Tzu.  The undercoat of the Shih Tzu
is not used in the same fashion as the undercoat
of the Pekingese, where the coat is used to give
exaggerated width to the body.   The ear fringes
 and the beard of the Shih Tzu are also groomed
 to the body and add to the smooth outline of the
 dog.
   The single topknot is treated in various ways
 by exhibitors, depending on the shape of the
 head and the tastes of the groomers.    One of the
 methods for setting the topknot is to part the
 hair horizontally from eye to eye, brushing the
 head hair back to form the topknot.     The hair is
 then parted from the outside corner of the eye to
 the inside corner of the ear, and from this point
 across the head to the inside corner of the other
 ear.  This will make the base of the topknot into
 a square.
   Some groomers feel that this will make the
 topknot too large and will give a bulky appear-
 ance to the head.   These groomers will part the
 hair between the eyes as in the description
 above.  They will start at a point at the outside
 corner of the eye and make a diagonal part to
 the center of the head at a point about one-half
 inch behind an imaginary line drawn between
 the forward attachment points of the ears. 

  This
 top point can be moved either forward or to the
 rear to modify the illusion of head shape that the
 topknot will create.  While some groomers use
 the triangle, others make the diagonal line into
an arc when moving the top point, thus creating
a semicircle  rather than a triangle.         The
groomer will want to experiment with these pos-
sibilities on each individual dog, for what will
look right on one specimen may not look correct
on another.
  No matter which parting method is used, the
final treatment for the topknot will be the same.
The hair should be gathered around an imagi-
nary center located about two-thirds of the way
back on a center line between the eyes.         A
white dental rubber band should be slipped over
the hair and placed about one-half inch away
from the head.    With the hair held loosely in
this fashion, it is possible to pouf the topknot
around the edges, keeping the center shorter to
give strength to the finished hair set.  Once the
pouffing has been finished, the rubber band
should be twisted and lapped over one or two
more times so that the hair cannot slip out.
  The final step in finishing off the topknot is to
allow the hair above the rubber band to cascade
gently down the back and the sides in a semicir-
cle, allowing none of the hair to hang forward
over the front of the head.  The topknot can be
sprayed with coat dressing to hold it in place.

    Occasionally a Shih Tzu will be seen in the
 ring with a small bow or a pompon decorating
 the rubber band of the topknot.      This fashion
 trend has not caught on as yet, and it may never
 catch on.

                 Peggy Hogg