Does your beloved Shih Tzu look like it belongs to a homeless man begging on the streets? scruffy and unkempt? Even though you look after it with the greatest care…

Well, it turns out, you can dramatically change its appearance with only a few simple changes…

And in today’s post I am going to show you what those simple changes are.. and exactly how you too can easily make those to your Shih Tzu.

Which Brush is the Best Brush for Shih Tzu?

Name	Our Rating	Check Price on Amazon	Good for	Blades?	Deep Edge?	Cleaning button?
FURminator deShedding Brush Editor’s Choice	(4.9 / 5)	Check Price on Amazon	Stop excessive shedding	Stainless steel	Yes	Yes
GoPets Dematting Comb Editor’s Choice	(4.3 / 5)	Check Price on Amazon	Versatile grooming	Stainless steel	Yes	No
HappyDogz Pet Shedding Brush	(4.1 / 5)	Check Price on Amazon	Reduce shedding	Stainless steel	Yes	No
Slicker Pro	(3.8 / 5)	Check Price on Amazon	Easy brushing	Stainless steel	Yes	Yes
Chirpy Pets Dog Brush	(3.4 / 5)	Check Price on Amazon	Easy brushing	Stainless steel	Yes	No
Chris Christensen Pin Brush	(4.6 / 5)	Check Price on Amazon	Easy brushing	Stainless steel	Yes	No

Which Brush Should I Be Using on my Pet?

What you should know before buying a dog brush

4 Things to Check before buying a brush

1. FURminator deShedding Tool – Best Brush to buy in 2021

Most of the Shih Tzu enthusiasts or owners know Furminator because of their top of the line grooming tools. However, for those who don’t know, Furminator is also at the helm for creating several high end, top of the line, all time favourites. The offer we are going to talk about today is known as the FURminator deShedding Tool for Dogs, this tool is priced under $30 and it happens to be one of the best Shih Tzu brushes one can buy right now.

The brush offers a stylish sleek look, something that people will find familiar, especially if they have used a Furminator product in the past. The brush is aesthetically pleasing with its complete black ergonomic rubber grip handle construction and a quick clean button which eliminates all the gathered hair with just once push of a button. Also the deep reaching steel edges will reduce shedding by up to about 90%.

The Furminator deShedding Tool is a brush, not a blade! So it does not cut hair, it only eliminates dead fur, and combines the performance of a deshedding tool, a sleek tool and a steel comb all combined together.

The brush comes with more than 60 deep reaching stainless steel teeth edges to it for deep penetration and removal of unwanted dog hair from both the top coat and especially the undercoat of Shih Tzu.

And do not forget that it can act as a standard steel comb as well. With that said Furminator has paid a significant amount of attention to detail when designing the ergonomic handle as it happens to be super easy and comfortable to use for a long session of brushing and untangling.

This is exactly like using a Dyson vacuum cleaner on a carpet that had been “cleaned” with a standard vacuum cleaner. So if you want to do a quick experiment, use your standard brush then try this, you will be very pleasantly surprised!

Comfort, and Performance

Using the Furminator brush is a breeze, just wash and thoroughly dry the Shih Tzu until both the topcoat and the inner coat are completely dry. Then check for any mats or tangles, if there are any remove them. Search for any skin issues like healing skin infections, or Scabs that are helping a healing skin wound.

If all clear then proceed to brush by holding the Shih Tzu firmly in place with one hand and brush gently using, long gentle strokes with the other hand. Always start from the head and finish towards the tail.

When it comes to performance, the Furminator deshedding tool provides multi layer grooming, removing a serious amount of clumps of dead fur which otherwise would have ended up in your house as sheds.

Once teeth get clogged with fur, just press the FurEjector button to easily remove all collected fur in just one swift motion with the press of a button to give you a fully cleaned brush. This brush stops the itching Shih Tzu feel, when their hair gets longer.

Conclusion

2.GoPets Dematting Comb–2 Sided Professional Grooming Rake (Best Brush under $25)

Next up is another dematting deshedding tool, but this time, the offering is by none other than the Famous GoPets. For those who don’t know, the company is famous for creating a range of top of the range pet grooming products that have become increasingly famous overtime. GoPets is a company that has dedicated itself towards providing top of the line, unparalleled pet care products including their brilliant slicker brushes, detmatting and deshedding tools.

The product that we are bringing you today is called the GoPets Dematting Comb with 2 Sided Professional Grooming Rake, as the name suggests, the brush looks nothing less of a professional tool that you would find in a professional and rather expensive Pet grooming parlor. The Double sided, GoPets Dematting comb has a 12 toothed side for tough unruly mats and tangles and a 23 tooth side for less tangly hair that can be brushed faster.

I like this double sided tool more than FURminator deShedding brush reviewed above, because it is more affordable and much more easy to use on semi tangled hair with a single caveat. But unlike the FurMinator, it does not have a button for easy cleaning. During our testing, it was revealed that the double sided rake just might be the best GoPets brush we have used till date. Curious yet? Let’s find out.

Conclusion

3. HappyDogz Pet Grooming Shedding Brush- Best Budget tool for 2021 (Under 20 Bucks)

The next up on our list is one of the top notch Shedding Brushes from HappyDogz, for those who don’t know, this company has a long history of providing some of the best pet grooming products and this Grooming, deShedding Brush isn’t here to tell a different story. As a matter of fact, it is perhaps one of the most stylish looking brushes we have ever encountered. Where the GoPets Dematting Comb resembled a pro gadget, the Magic Pro deShedding Brush looks like it was built by real dog enthusiasts. But looks aren’t everything, right? Let’s find out how this brush fairs in things that actually do matter.

The deShedder is an amazing tool in terms of the balance between effectiveness, and speed of cleaning and the ergonomic functionality.

Our Testing revealed that the Magic Pro is fast, efficient reliable and also very easy use.

This deshedder has a good range of motion when brushing to get in and around all the tight little spots like around the legs, base of the tail, face and neck. Since you need to apply only a tiny and a comfortable amount of downward pressure you don’t need to grip the handle in a vice like grip, which makes this even more comfortable on both you and the dog. Another great thing about this brush is that it comes with the unique ability to be liked by most of the dogs it brushes. In fact dogs loved it, especially the dogs who normally do not liked to be brushed! Perhaps being able to brush without using brute force is the reason for this…

4.Pro Slicker Brush– Good for Grooming, Easy cleaning and Budget friendly

If you liked the FURminator deShedding but thought that you wanted something about half the price (But with the same functionality), then the Pro Slicker Brush is just what you are looking for.

Though do keep in mind that even though this brush from Pet Portal, is quite cheap, compared to others it will give similar results but the results won’t be exactly the same.

The Pro Slicker although has a similar self cleaning technique to some of the highly rated brushers out there, it goes even beyond with an improved clever redesign which makes use of retracting pins while keeping the grid which catches fur stationary.

Although it is a respectable slicker tool, at the business end, which is the pins (or tines or bristles) tend to be too sharp or they bend and obstruct the self cleaning functionality! From out tests, we concluded that this was a nice little cheap slicker tool to have if you can’t afford a more expensive one for your pet.

The Pro Quality Self Cleaning Slicker Brush for Dogs by Pet Portal is an impressive tool whose shortcomings make it a bit of a hard decision to purchase. If you are looking for something that gives you amazing performance and great build quality over the life time of your dog, then this probably should not be your pick. But It is not wrong to call it the Low budget friendly slicker tool!.

5.Chirpy Pets Brush – Slicker and deShedding tool

If you are looking for a brush that has a good price point, a useful design and is effective and removing dead fur as an expensive tool,The Chirpy Pets Brush is a good deal.

As you can tell, this is a good deshedding brush with a low price tag, but you should keep in mind that a number of features that are not available in the brush makes it rather difficult to justify it. For example most of these brushes come with a self cleaning function, but alas this has its own limitations.

6. Chris Christensen Oval Pin Brush, 27mm – The old classic!

The next on our radar is the old classic handcrafted in Germany, with high quality material. Although it has a high price tag compared with other more advanced grooming brushes this is an all time favorite of dog lovers and groomers alike. .

Conclusion

Buyer’s guide to Shih Tzu Brushes

How do mats Occur in dog fur?

Fur gets tangled during normal activities of a dog, scratching, biting on these mat tent to help the mats get bigger 🙁 also other factors like shedding fur, help accumulation of matts. When a matts gets to this stage it is no longer possible to remove is with a simple brush.

Slicker brush vs Deshedding tool which one should I use?

Because excess trapped hair can cause discomfort like itches, it is important to do this using all 3 tools, not just 2. Use a dematting tool first, then use a slicker brush and then use the deshedding brush.

Is a Slicker Brush Safe to use on my dog?

Yes, but follow our safety information and do the simple test, to check the sharpness of the pins.

Critical information

Always listen to your dog! and Watch him carefully every time you groom. Is he is leaning away or pulling away from you? then there must be some pain or discomfort, so stop grooming and figure out what is wrong! Check the pins, again, or for anything else that could be hurting it. Gentle pressure brush is the key!. If it is leaning towards you then it must be comfortable, enjoyable, and fell good, so just continue for as long as you like 🙂

Here is what you are probably missing, the essentials of grooming!. The best Tips, Tricks and the Techniques…

In here, we would give the best information with regards to everything there is to know about how to take care of your dog when it comes to brushing their hair and coat, and the kind of brushes that are best suited for that purpose, as well as other relevant details.

To do this effectively, we are going to be answering specific questions which we know that shih tzu owners would be asking, and then we would provide the answers to those questions. So, if you are ready, let us go further.

How to know if you are using the correct brush?

Now, a natural question anyone who owns a shih tzu would want to ask is this: how would you know that you are making use of the correct brush to groom? Well, the results would be there for everyone to see.

First of all, you would notice that the coat is always shiny, clean, and neat. And this would be a fact that others would be able to testify to as well. So, it would always be looking neat and beautiful because you are making use of the correct brush to groom her.

Secondly, it would actually be looking forward to being groomed and having her coat brushed. Such a reaction would only be natural. Even as human beings, we all tend to look forward to and cherish experiences which we find pleasing. This is not too different from pet animals. Once you are making use of a good brush to groom them, they would tend to look forward to being brushed and groomed. If on the other hand, they have a tendency of being feisty or avoiding us, then it is probably high time to change the brush you use to groom them.

Dwelling further on this important issue of knowing if you are making use of the correct brush, it is also important to remember that you should train to become accustomed to the process of grooming. In our experiences, the grooming process is something that small puppies tend to dislike. They might pretend to tolerate the process quite well. However, it is important to get them to become used to it, the way they might want to look forward to other activities like getting their legs brushed, having their ears manipulated, and having their feet handled. It is inevitable that during the course of its life, it would have to be examined by a veterinarian, would have to be professionally groomed, and would require its nails to be trimmed. All of these are activities which we should train our dogs to look forward to. And this training starts from when they are young puppies.

No, your shih tzu should never call the shots when it comes to grooming. For example, just because it does not feel like it does not mean you should not get its paws handled.

Once you adopt such a mindset, grooming would become an activity which both you and it would always be looking forward to enjoying every day.

Ultimately, you are going to train to stand, sit, or lay down on a kitchen counter, a grooming table, or any other hard surface. Rather than hoping that it would behave while it’s on your lap, it is actually easier in the long run to groom this way.
Just think about this: standing or sitting on a grooming table can be a scary idea to even the smallest of dogs like the shih tzu. And for them to be there for a long time while being brushed is even scarier. The truth is that it would seem like the top of a mountain for a small dog, even if it is the correct height for you. You can begin to get them used to such heights by getting them to sit on the surface or grooming table that you plan to use to brush them on by picking up the shih tzu at every chance you have and placing them there. When they are on the surface, touch their muzzle, ears, tail, and paws, rub your fingers through their hair, and continuously pet them in a gentle way. This would reinforce their confidence and they would become more comfortable with the height. Eventually, when you begin to brush them, they would not necessarily be scared of the height.

The Right Type of brush for Shih Tzu

Your duty of brushing it becomes a lot easier when you have the right type of brushes. We would recommend that you buy a pin brush of really good quality if you are just getting started. For finishing, a slicker brush which has superb quality should be used.

You are going to have to go over the coat once you are through with thoroughly brushing it with a good brush. We would advise that in any circumstance, you should buy the best combs and brushes that are affordable to you. You might not now know it, but you actually do get to save more money in the long run because the brushes, combs, and other grooming tools which are of higher quality do get to last much longer.

A really good brush for shih tzu are those manufactured by any of the above companies we reviewed. They are reputed to last for long periods of time and can give a pleasurable experience when they are being brushed and groomed.
As you continue reading, you will come across our various recommendations of what brushes to choose for brushing and grooming.

Combs and brushes

1. How to groom Puppies with a Bristle Brush and a Puppy brush
   For puppies which have short hair a synthetic or natural brush would work great on them. They should be used for smoothing out the top layer of hair, but you must remember that they do not go well through the coats of most adults. The best time to begin grooming puppies is as soon as their ears and eyes are open.To brush around the mouth, ears, and eyes of young puppies, you should use a soft puppy brush. Such brushes which are soft tend to be soothing and as a result it would get trained to love being groomed by tolerating the entire process. The Bristle Brush for Puppies and Small Dogs is the perfect size for when it is still young and even when they become adults.
2. Pin Brush
   The Grooming Supplies Toolbox for a Shih Tzu must have this essential item. In order to prevent them from being too sharp, these brushes have metal pins with slightly rounded ends.The Pin Brushes are perfect for getting small tangles brushed out because they can go through both the under coat and the top. If you like the feel of a bristle brush then you would be happy to know that some pin brushes come with a flip side bristle brush. We cannot emphasise it more than enough that you need to get a pin brush. Never make use of your human pin brush to brush because you would be left with disappointments.

   Can I use a human hair brush on a dog?

   
   The double coats of a shih tzu are much too thick for the little tips at the end of human pin brushes.If you are searching for a top quality product, a Chris Christensen Wood Pin Brush 20mm Small 7.5 inches would be ideal. Also, an Oval Pin Brush would be wonderful. These are some of the best brushes for grooming as can be testified by the several owners.

   Furthermore, an Oblong Pin Brush can work wonders. If what you require is a brush that you can use for grooming and brushing every day, and one that is not so costly, then you might consider getting the Safar Wire Pin Brush – Small. It is reputed to perform exceptionally well with the double coat.

   They are not only durable but equally have a reasonable cost.The Slicker Brush is perfect for brushing the undercoat because they have little metal bristles without the rounded ends. Please never use them around the dog’s eyes because these bristles are very sharp.

   For the beard and moustache it is better to use a steel or metal comb. There are various sizes and shapes of the Slicker Brush.For a casual groomer, the Safari Self-Cleaning Large Small Slicker Brush for Dogs is recommended because cleaning it is very easy.

   All you have to do to lift off all the hair from it is to push the button. If it is still a puppy, then any of the Lil Pals products would work well on them. They are highly recommended especially for first grooming experience. Shih tzu puppies are known to love the feel of the Lil Pals Slicker Purple and Green Brush for Dogs – Extra Small because it is very gentle.

How to Brush Like a Pro? Tips and Tricks

When you brush, work on one small section at a time using a pin brush. Another option would be to make use of a slicker brush which makes sure that all tangles on the top coat are removed and smoothens the hair.

For detangles in the undercoat You must mist the hair with a detangling product before you brush.
Just Divine by Chris Christensen and Top Performance GloCoat are two favourite products for grooming and brushing.

Another alternative is to get an empty and clean spray bottle, put a teaspoon full of conditioner into it, and then fill it up with clean water. You then make sure that the conditioner has been properly mixed by shaking the bottle. This would assist in removing any small knots and keeping the hair from breaking.

You begin at the foot, brushing in both directions. This technique is which required that you brush one small section at a time after parting the hair in a line is known as line brushing. Ensure that you work outward after you begin at the skin.

You can either make use of your fingernail, a knitting needle, a rat-tail comb, or the end of steel comb when you want to part the hair you want to brush. For coats that are not so thick, you begin brushing below the hair you are holding after lifting that section with your non dominant hand.

Ensure that you brush several times straight out until the brush or comb goes through the hair freely. Remember to work from the region much closer to the skin and then progress outwards.

You will not be able to get to the inner coat but would rather only reach the guard or outer coat if you only brush the surface of the coat. This is because a lot of the mats and knots form inside the inner coat. This is why any knots that are there might not be removed by you.

Brushing must continue all through the head, tail, legs, and body of your pet dog. The length of your god’s coat is what would determine how long this process is going to take. If you keep it in a kennel or a short puppy cot, the process of grooming would considerably be less.

Some areas like under the ear, on the neck behind, and under the arms in the soft sensitive chest area all tend to mat worse than other parts of its body do. as a result, you would have to be very careful and apply some precautions when brushing those mentioned areas as too rigorous brushing can easily hurt the shih tzu.
In addition, around the eyes and the face in general, you have to be extremely cautious. It is better to make use of a small comb around the eyes and muzzle area, especially until when you have trained it to stay while brushing.

Combs and Combing

An essential part of the process of brushing and grooming would entail using a good comb to run its coat over at least once. You have to go back over the dog’s coat with a steel comb after you have brushed all the areas. Because it is going to pull at the hair, it is not advisable to use a plastic human comb to do this.

The most ideal type of comb is the steel comb which possesses two different sections, one of which has teeth which are spread far apart and one which has teeth spaced closely together. It is possible that while you are combing its coat, the comb might come out with some small tangles or knots. Remember that the next step to follow here is as outlined where you discover the coat being detangled by any large knots.

A flea comb or a slicker is a neat trick to be used to remove any hardened debris from anywhere close to or around the eyes. To get rid of such debris, begin with a cotton ball that is warm and then use water to moisten it. A flea comb can be used to remove not just dried debris from their eyes but also to spot a flea inside coats. They have very fine teeth and they work well on the face because it is also a comb that is extra fine for finishing and faces.

Every owner is advised to get a flea comb even if your pet dog does not have fleas. You can still use it to get rid of debris around the beard, in the whiskers, and under the eyes. Some shih tzus love their food being ‘worn’ on them so the flea comb is the best way to get out those crumbs.

You now remove any debris that you can by dabbing and wiping. Thereafter, you use a comb to go over the area. The metal comb will remove most of the debris. However, if this does not happen, make use of the flea comb. Begin at the eye’s inner corners and then comb outwards. You then get the flea comb cleaned and then repeat this process until face becomes clean.

Steel Combs

There are steel combs which are normally used once you have brushed out the dog’s coat thoroughly. In order to remove any last mats or tangles you can go over the entire face and body with the comb.

It is one of the best tools for de-tangling because any small mats which might remain can be worked out with the end of the comb or loosened out with the steel comb. To make a part down the back of it, you can also make use of this comb although from experience the best tool to use to make a part down the center of the shih tzu’s back is a comb with a rat tail because it works much better.

Rather than brushing the hair, some owners prefer to comb them. Greyhound combs (which are a less popular name for steel combs) are available in different sizes, ranging from wide toothed combs to fine toothed combs. A lot of combs would have styles like face/finishing, medium/coarse, and fine/coarse.

If you have a lot of puppies which you are grooming, it is good to maintain a little puppy comb close by to ensure that puppies don’t only get used to being combed, but being brushed as well. The faces of adult dogs can also be kept clean by using a puppy comb. It performs well as a flea comb as well as a facial finishing comb. Until your puppy gets a little older, you are not really going to need a detangling comb. But on adult coats it is going to work well.

When you want to part your shih tzu’s hair, you would require a rattail comb. This rattail comb would not be required if you prefer to keep your in a puppy cut that is short with no topknot. A rat tail comb works much better than using the side of a regular steel comb for parting.

What these combs are used for is to create down the back of a shih tzu which is long haired a part. Also, they are utilized when making a topknot for partitioning off the hair. If you want to grow the hair out and have the top hairs pinned up into a topknot or a ponytail, then this comb is recommended for you.

When brushing a shih tzu why you should be concerned about mats

Whenever we don’t have time to brush or comb our shih tzu’s coat, mats tend to occur in a creepy way. They also occur when the coat’s entire thickness does not get brushed. Remember that without touching the inner short coat where the tangles begin, it is quite easy to make the dog to look great by just going over the top coat with a brush. But this is not what we want. We want it to not only appear neat and beautiful on the outer coat, but deep inside its inner coat.

The dog would experience discomfort because tangles would pull its hair. The dog’s skin would become inflamed and air would not be able to circulate if the tangles become too big. Badly matted coats can lead to the occurrence of infection. Apart from being quite painful to our pet, mats can also detract from the appearance of the coat.

There would be every likelihood of a mat when you find a shih tzu scratching and there are no obvious signs of any irritation on its skin. The best solution remains to brush daily because the removal of large mats can be a painful ordeal for our dog.

In summary, apart from being a major grooming and brushing problem, tangles can equally become the cause of major health issues which every owner would encounter.