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Shih Tzu Cut Down II

Image: Shih Tzu cut down~starring Ch Mr. Foo's Fire Up The Music~"Jazz"

Starring...Shih Tzu
Champion Mr. Foo's Fire Up The Music..."Jazz"
Jazz has finished her Championship, and she is ready to have her coat cut down.  Jazz is happy to get rid
of all the long hair, grooming, primping, and restrictions on her play. Cut down, she now gets to be a DOG. Thank you to Lisa of Mr Foo's Shih Tzu who is graciously allowing us to document and explain the cut down process.

Image: Shih Tzu maintenance topknots

Image: Full coated shih tzu begin cut down

1)  HEAD: Looking down at the top of Jazz's head, you can see that her topknot hair is sectioned out and the hair is banded in maintenance double topknots. To do this, part the topknot in the middle making two sections. Divided each section and band all.

 

2) BEGIN: The Clippers are started at the base of the topknot hair and the coat is cut with the grain. We are using a #7 blade for this cut. Cutting with the grain of the coat  leaves it one clipper blade length longer. For instance, a #7 clipper blade leaves approximately 1/8" hair when going against the grain, but will leave approximately 1/4" when going with the grain.

Image: Shih Tzu Cut Down

Image: Shih Tzu Cut Down

3) BACK: Keep clipping the full length of the back to the base of the tail. 4 ) BACK: Run the clippers down the back part going with with the grain of the coat, the way it lays.

Image: Shih Tzu Cut Down

Image: Shih Tzu Cut Down

5) RIGHT SIDE: Continue to shave the body one side at a time. Move the clippers in downward strokes as you cut the side hair. 6) RIGHT SIDE: If this body cut is too short for your taste, you can also use a  3 3/4 blade which would leave it 1/2" long and give a short plush puppy effect.

Image: Shih Tzu Cut Down

Image: Shih Tzu Cut Down

7) RIGHT SIDE: Clip the sides all the way under the belly. 8) HIND LEG: Leave the hair on the rear and front leg long and unshaved.

Image: Shih Tzu Cut Down

Image: Shih Tzu Cut Down

9) SANITARY CLIP:  Clip the hair close by the base of the tail and butt with a size 10 clipper blade. 10) RIGHT REAR LEG: Showing the sanitary trim area Lisa has shaved with the #10 clipper blade.

Image: Shih Tzu Cut Down

Image: Shih Tzu Cut Down

11) LEFT SIDE: Clipping the opposite side exactly as the first side was cut. 12) LEFT SIDE: Moving the clippers down the side with the grain of the coat.

Image: Shih Tzu Cut Down

Image: Shih Tzu Cut Down

13) LEFT SIDE: Careful here at the tuck-up; there is loose skin where the hind leg meets the body and can get caught in the clipper. 14) LEFT SIDE: Shaving the side leaving leg hair long.

Image: Shih Tzu Cut Down

Image: Shih Tzu Cut Down

15) RIGHT REAR LEG: Again, being careful of the tuck-up, pulling the leg up stretches out the loose skin to keep it from getting caught in the clipper.

16) RIGHT INNER THIGH: Lifting the leg to pull the skin taunt. (and to see!)

Image: Shih Tzu Cut Down

Image: Shih Tzu Cut Down

17) FRONT CHEST: Holding the hair from the ears, gently brush the hair under the chin down. 18) FRONT CHEST: Begin clipping with the shaver going all the way down between the middle of the front legs with your size 7 blade.

Image: Shih Tzu Cut Down

Image: Shih Tzu Cut Down

19) FRONT CHEST: Holding back the right ear hair to expose the side of the neck.. 20) FRONT CHEST: Size 7  clipper blade

Image: Shih Tzu Cut Down

Image: Shih Tzu Cut Down

21)  FRONT CHEST: Clipping from chest through rib cage using a
size 7 blade.
22) FRONT CHEST: Shaving under arms with long hair of legs held out of clipping area. Again lifting dog up on hind legs so you can clip with the grain of the coat.

Image: Shih Tzu Cut Down

Image: Shih Tzu Cut Down

23) SANITARY TRIM: Raise dog up by the front legs and clip the sanitary  tummy area from the bottom of the rib cage down using a  size 10 blade. This is a closer cut in this area only. 24) Touching up hairs....

Image: Shih Tzu Cut Down

Image: Shih Tzu Cut Down

25) FACE:  Lisa, of Mr Foos Shih Tzu, prefers to use rounded scissors for cutting down her shih tzus. Here she is making the initial cut for the head trimming. 26) FACE: This hair is scissor cut about 2" long and the cut curves back toward the ears.

Image: Shih Tzu Cut Down

Image: Shih Tzu Cut Down

27) LEFT  FACE: Cut the beard by rounding up to the ear to give the face a rounded appearance. Lisa is holding the topknot and ears out of the way while she makes this cut. 28) RIGHT FACE: Same procedure for the right side of the face.

 

Image: Shih Tzu Cut Down

Image: Shih Tzu Cut Down

29) LEFT EAR is trimmed a little bit longer than the face. 30) RIGHT EAR is trimmed same as the left.

Image: Shih Tzu Cut Down

Image: Shih Tzu Cut Down

31) MUZZLE: Spread/Comb the muzzle hair out all around from the nose like a chrysanthemum. 32) LEFT MUZZLE: With curved scissors cut the muzzle hair holding the head firmly to expose the left eye. The cut will end at the top of the nose.

Image: Shih Tzu Cut Down

Image: Shih Tzu Cut Down

33) RIGHT MUZZLE: Cut the right side again angling the scissors to the corner of the eye ending the cut at the top of the nose. 34) MUZZLE: The nose hair is now cut in a  upside down "V".  This exposes the eyes and is cuter than shaving the top of the nose hair. It also leaves the muzzle fuller.

Image: Shih Tzu Cut Down

Image: Shih Tzu Cut Down

35) FEET: Comb all long hair down to begin feet. 36) FEET: Using rounded scissors start cutting feet in a rounded shape.
(Pads are clipped closely with a #30 or #40 blade.)

Image: Shih Tzu Cut Down

Image: Shih Tzu Cut Down

37) FEET: Cut the end of the paw into a nice big rounded shape like this. 38) FEET: Continue the rounded cut up the sides of the foot.

Image: Shih Tzu Cut Down

Image: Shih Tzu Cut Down

39) LAYERING LEGS: Trim down the hair on the hocks. Use the comb to fluff the hair and cut straight down. 40) LAYERING LEGS: Continue fluffing with comb, and cutting straight down to layer the legs.

Image: Shih Tzu Cut Down

Image: Shih Tzu Cut Down

41) LAYERING LEGS 42) LAYERING LEGS

Image: Shih Tzu Cut Down

Image: Shih Tzu Cut Down

43) LAYERING LEGS 44) LAYERING LEGS

Image: Shih Tzu Cut Down

Image: Shih Tzu Cut Down

45) LAYERING LEGS: Fluff up the hair with a comb, then trim with scissors cutting/pointing down. 46) REAR LEG: Cutting inside leg hair...

Image: Shih Tzu Cut Down

Image: Shih Tzu Cut Down

47) REAR LEG: Cut hair even with pads... 48) REAR LEG: Layering the hair with scissors

Image: Shih Tzu Cut Down

Image: Shih Tzu Cut Down

49) Layering with scissors while holding hair straight out... 50) Layering with scissors cutting straight down the leg.

Image: Shih Tzu Cut Down

Image: Shih Tzu Cut Down

51) FRONT LEG: Hold leg out and comb hair, scissor hair in a clean line to armpit. 52) REAR LEG: Hair is combed and fluffed prior to layering...

Image: Shih Tzu Cut Down

Image: Shih Tzu Cut Down

53) REAR LEG: Pull rear leg up, comb hair down, and trim with scissors as shown. 54) ALMOST DONE: Three legs are layered and trimmed...

Image: Shih Tzu Cut Down

Image: Shih Tzu Cut Down

55) Shaping the last foot in a rounded shape. 56) Cleaning up inside rear leg shape.

Image: Shih Tzu Cut Down

Image: Shih Tzu Cut Down

57) Side view of Jazz with her closely clipped body and scissor layered legs. Her tail is left long and full as well as her topknot. 58) STYLE #1: FULL TOPKNOT IS BANDED INTO TWIN TOPKNOTS. You can stop here if you want pigtails or a topknot to band and want to be able to use dog bows.

Image: Shih Tzu Cut Down

Image: Shih Tzu Cut Down

59) STYLE #2: CUTTING THE TOPKNOT: Blunt cut the topknot off with the curved scissors... 60) HEAD: Shave the cut topknot hair to even it out... using a #5 blade.

Image: Shih Tzu Cut Down

Image: Shih Tzu Cut Down

61) Notice that Lisa is holding Jazz's head steady by grasping the chin hair while she evens out the clip on Jazz's head with the #5 clipper blade. 62) Here Jazz is finished being cut down with no topknot. Poor Jazz couldn't figure out what was going on during this cut down process, but it did not take her long to start romping and playing in her new low maintenance cut.

CLIPPER BLADE SIZES USED:

  1. BODY, CHEST, & RIB CAGE= Size 7 Blade for 1/4 inch cut or Size 3 3/4 for 1/2 inch long plush puppy look.

  2. FROM BOTTOM OF RIB CAGE DOWN= Size 10 Blade (sanitary trim...a short but safe blade)

  3. BASE OF TAIL & BUTT=Size 10 Blade (sanitary trim...a short but safe blade)

  4. FOOT PADS=Size 30 or 40 Blade (surgical prep length)

  5. HEAD=Size 5 Blade on forehead after topknot is cut off.

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