# pom poms on a shih tzu?!



## 0hmyd0g (Aug 18, 2008)

Hello everyone, I need your opnions, 

I have a shih tzu mix named Pixel. I'm also a groomer with almost 3 years experience. I like to keep her in a style that reflects my skills. I hand scissor her legs and keep her appearance clean and sharp. Since she comes to work with me she is a walking business card (well she's obviously more than that, but you know what I mean). So it's very important she looks the best she can since I'm still building clientele. 

Well it's summer time, and I want to go a lot shorter on her. Last summer I just simply went shorter on her scissored legs, but this summer I want to do a crazy style, without making it look stupid crazy! My boyfriend (Pixel's dad) wants her shaved! He calls it the chicken bunny look. I don't want to do something that easy. 

So I thought an in-between would work. I'm thinking like bikini clip on a poodle. #4 on the body and feet, pom poms on the ankles. She'll keep the round head, ears and long tail though. I don't know if it would look that good though since she doesn't have the poodle type hair. Her hair is straight, medium thick and very soft. It has good volume, until it gets to about an inch and a half in length then it starts to flop. I'll add a couple of pictures to get a better idea. 

Any advice on this type of style please. I've only done it on poodles and only about 20 times. If you have pictures of bikini type clips on non poodles that would be GREAT!

Also, any ideas of other crazy styles I can do please. I really want to try different things on my dog and show her off but I'm nervous


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## poofywoof (Nov 17, 2006)

I have only Poodles, but I love the Bikini Clip!! I have a red Poodle girl that looks great in that style. If your dog has pretty good texture and volume to the coat, I think you could pull it off even though sh'e not a poodle. I have seen a picture of a shi-type dog in that style and I've seen a spitz-type dog in it too. The key is finding the right length for body and the right length for poms, I like a very short body which makes the poms look fuller.


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## Raggs (Jan 10, 2007)

Hmm.. I say go thru a list of dog breeds and their show style clip.. Like the Lowchen..... That's a pretty funky clip..


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## Love's_Sophie (Sep 23, 2007)

We have a couple of dogs who get 'pom poms' of sorts left; now these are dogs like yours. One's a Shih-mix, and one's a Yorkie mix, and both have drop type coats. Instead of shaved feet, they get the poms left from the knee\hock down, and the foot is rounded. They actually look rather cute. Their bodies are done with a #5, but you could certainly do either shorter or longer. 

They also get the rounded heads and regular flag type tails.

Perhaps you could do a shortened up lion clip on her ? Maybe even try a short face and ears; like a #4 or #5 blade, with a snap on comb over her head ?


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## Raggs (Jan 10, 2007)

Oh, here's another fun one.. I used to groom a Schnauzer to look like a Clydesdale. Left the poms from the hocks down and the face boxy.. Easier to do that with a terrier than a Shih Tzu.. But it was adorable.


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## 0hmyd0g (Aug 18, 2008)

Those are all great ideas, I really like the Clydesdale type feet without the shaved poodle feet. If it's from the hock down on the back legs, I guess it's from the same height from the ground on the front feet. You can kind of tell in my picture there that I tried a terrier type head on my dog without the ears and not as short, but I didn't like that look. I also tried a mow hock all the way down the back once and gelled it all spiky.


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