Use gentle wipes or a soft cloth to clean its face. If washing frequently, only water would be fine, but if it has been long since you cleaned its face, adding shampoo to the cloth would give better results.
Clean your Shih Tzu’s face whenever it gets dirty or has stains on it. But that doesn’t mean cleaning it after every five minutes. Cleaning it once or twice a day is best. In worst circumstances, clean it thrice or more if required that badly.
To leave long-lasting results, remember to dry your dog’s hair properly before setting it free to the world because keeping it wet or leaving moisture in can make them dirty in five minutes.
Use clean water for drinking and keep trimming its hair so that the food doesn’t get stuck in it and cause smell or stains.
Table of Contents
How Often Should You Wash A Shih Tzu’s Face?
When talking about cleaning your dog the first thing that comes to mind is giving them a bath. But is it okay to wash your dog’s face or give it a bath every now and then?
Definitely not. Just like human skin problems, dogs also face problems when their skin is not treated correctly.
If a Shih Tzu is given a bath every day, then it may result in very dry skin because the skin will eventually lose its moisture and natural oils. Using products complimenting your dog’s skin pH levels is best for them. It will help from damaging your dog’s skin.
Whenever you see a Shih Tzu, the most visible feature they have is its eyes because they have large eyes. Large eyes make them prone to dirt, leading to many problems and infections. Make a routine to clean its entire face daily.
Sometimes you may notice a crust forming around your Shih Tzu’s eyes. It shows how long it has been since you cleaned its eyes. It is very problematic for Shih Tzu as the crust gets very hard with time, and the hair might also get stuck with it.
Cleaning The Crust On Shih Tzu’s Skin
It is not so easy to clean this crust, no matter how much you try to wipe it off. Cleaning its face daily will save it from dirt and bacteria getting in its eyes and skin.
Use gentle and chemical-free wipes to wipe off stains or dirt. Clean it once a day or thrice if there’s a habit of getting dirty. Using plant-based products is best when it comes to caring for your Shih Tzu.
- In order to clean the hard crust, pour some eye solution on gentle cotton pads and place them on your dog’s eyes. Keep them shut for some time with the solution.
- When you feel the solution has taken enough time to soak the crust, gently wipe it off. Make sure that you are not hurting Shih Tzu’s eyes by wiping off the dry crust.
- If the crust is not coming off easily, then stop forcing it.
- After this, dry the area and repeat the same process after a few days. It is because the remaining crust will easily remove with time. Removing the crust in the first attempt should be a different goal, as it can harm your dog’s eyes.
How Do I Keep My Shih Tzu Face Clean While Eating?
Usually, drinking water can leave stains on your Shih Tzu’s face. There are other stains, like food stains around the cheeks, eyes, etc.
Using food that has no artificial flavors or colors in it. Food that is white and pale is preferred. If your dog’s stool has a pinkish color, it means artificial colors have been added.
- Avoid using artificial ingredient products.
- Use stainless steel or ceramic bowls for them because they have small faces and shallow bowls are good for that.
- Use filtered water for them.
Using a quart glass bottle will keep your dog’s face dry, and your dog will easily drink water free from any other problems. In this way, Shih Tzu stays clean and doesn’t look muddy.
Untangling Shih Tzu’s hair is the first step in cleaning. Using a soft wipe/towel with gentle shampoo on it, you can easily clean its face. Adding water to a separate cloth/wipe and clean off the excess shampoo and dirt left on the face.
How Do I Get Stains Off My Shih Tzu’s Eyes?
Dogs usually get stains from very unexpected things like tears for example. Tears can be due to many reasons, but they leave stains on your dog’s face.
It seems like a huge problem you may need help handling in one easy step. But wetting the cloth again and again will help clean every bit of the dirt and stains.
If you are new to this problem, you need to know that the discolored hair under Shih Tzu’s eyes is actually the stains. This discoloration is usually pink, rust, or in different shades of brown color. These colors depend on the color of your dog and the reason behind the tears.
Sometimes, the tear stains match the original color so much that it is very hard to find the stains. If the color is developed with age, then these are stains that are developing under its eyes.
Stained hair usually changes its texture and is crisper in texture than the original hair. Or when the hair is wet and the eyes are runny it’s obvious that it is a stain.
It is very important to figure out the reason behind the tears. Is it an allergy? Is it dirt? Reaction against chemicals? Unfiltered water? Eye disease? Or It is anything related to emotional health?
How Do You Wash Your Shih Tzu Small Dog’s Face?
When washing your Shih Tzu’s face, keeping your dog and yourself patient is essential. Always start by doing little steps especially when your dog doesn’t like getting wet. Constant reassurance to your dog is essential to wash its face cleanly. Be gentle and calm with your hands.
All the skin folds on its face need to be more focused as you need to clean the dirt from lip folds, eye folds, ear folds, etc. Always use lukewarm water for your dog. Wash your dog’s chin area and around the ears so that it can get wet and clean.
Use your hands to rub the water on all the dry areas of your dog’s face so that no place stays dry and dirty. Putting cotton blobs in its ear will help save its ear from water getting in.
The best way to apply shampoo to its fur is by putting it on the corner of the cloth and rubbing only that corner in the fur. Use your finger to spread shampoo evenly; this way, your finger can get to the dirt deeply hidden in its hair.
Drying Your Shih Tzu After Washing/Cleaning
Wash your Shih Tzu hair thoroughly and don’t leave any product in its fur because it can irritate it later. Also, remember to dry it.
Don’t leave any moisture in your dog’s hair because that can also cause bacteria and dirt to stick in. Always reward your dog after for its patience and control, even if it’s 10%.
You can also use a hairdryer that is set on medium to dry your dog’s hair. Brush its fur as your dry it but not continuously.
Every 5 minutes is good. But stop before it starts shivering or feeling cold or too hot because Shih Tzus have thin fur coats on them, and hairdryers can have a double effect on them than any other dog’s skin or human skin.
Use wipes or cotton balls to clean your dog’s ears when all the face cleaning is done. Soak the wipe or cotton in a canine ear cleaning solution before cleaning its ears. Avoid using cotton swabs, as they can hurt your dog by getting inside its ears.
Can You Use Baby Wipes For Your Shih Tzu Dog?
Using wipes created explicitly for dogs is fine. But anything created for humans should not be used on dogs, even if they are gentle (gentle wipes) or mild. These short-term solutions will only lead to long-term problems.
Shih Tzu and Bath
Shih Tzu, at a young age, finds baths very overwhelming. But as they grow up, their tolerance towards baths gets better and better. It is also seen that with time they start liking baths and all the cleaning steps included in them. But after every bath, your dog deserves a reward because a clean dog is also a reward for you.
Why Does My Shih Tzu Smell Even After A Bath?
Leaving moisture in your dog’s hair can lead to causing a smell later. If this smell stays for long, it can be unbearable and can become permanent if not cleaned again. It will cause the bacteria to last for a longer time and cause infection.
Some other reasons can be that your dog is licking and scratching itself a lot more often and is rubbing itself on surfaces like carpet. It can be because of some external irritants, allergies, and bacterial infections. You should take your dog to the vet as soon as possible.
Another reason is that water causes stains and a bad smell, especially when given with its food. Sometimes, food might get stuck in your dog’s hair, along with water. It will welcome smell and a lot of bacteria.
Washes usually make skin lose its natural oils. But this causes glands to secrete more oils which attract dirt and bad smell. It can happen if you wash your dog every day or on a frequent basis.
Shortcuts Lead To Diseases
Avoid looking for shortcuts if you want your Shih Tzu dog to stay healthy. For example, never use your perfume or body sprays on your dog as they carry chemicals and ingredients that may be safe for your skin but will highly affect your dog’s skin and cause harm.
A better way to make your Shih Tzu smell good is to use products like shampoos created explicitly for them because mostly focus on removing bad smells in a non-harmful way.
Dog shampoos remove bad smells for a very long time compared to other shampoos that only last for a few hours or a day maximum.
Some Tips From Dog Owners:
- Use a comb dipped in soda water. It removes the smell and can be licked without causing any harm.
- Trim your Shih Tzu’s hair so that food can’t get stuck in it. It will help to give it a clean look.
- Visiting a professional groomer can help you groom your dog if you’re finding it difficult. You can also learn a thing or two from the professionals to take care of your Shih Tzu.
Conclusion
In conclusion, observing your dog and noticing the causes behind the dirt and smell will help you select the best possible solution for it.
Sometimes, you might be washing your dog too much which may be the main reason for its smelly hair and dirty look. But that doesn’t mean you should avoid washing your dog’s face.
Being sensitive towards your dog and its health will help you be more careful and gentle towards it. Because cleaning a Shih Tzu’s face requires patience and a lot of love for your dog.
Being too disgusted with the smell and giving it a bath several times a week will only worsen its condition and lead to more problems.
So, being patient with your dog is the key to solving all its problems. Using gentle wipes and shampoos specifically made for it will help your dog feel fresh and clean.
Cleaning Shih Tzu’s face once a day is good for it. But missing any part unclean will welcome bacteria to stay for a long.
