# Shih Tzu Face!



## FromHakaryou (Jul 31, 2009)

My fiance and I rescued a shih tzu around the middle/end of August this year. The little guy has settled in so nicely and has made leaps and bounds since we first pulled him out from under a dumpster.

But he still gives me trouble for his face. He doesn't really become aggressive--he does nip but it's clearly the 'get away from my face please' nip and not the 'I'm going to rip off your flesh' bite--but he just moves and jerks and licks and freaks out. He's clearly uncomfortable with me being around his face. 

I feel absolutely terrible by letting him get away with this behavior. The fur around his eyes is stained and caking now. Just as it does when it's not properly cleaned and cut. 

What are some recommendations you can give me? I frequently attempt to rub/brush and pet him in and around his eyes but seem to be getting no closer to my goal of trimming them. Should I look into getting a vet to put him under and do it this once and then work from ground zero?

I am a groomer, I've been doing it for almost four years, so I know most Shih Tzus are a little iffy around the face. My biggest issue is that we have no idea what his background was. I don't want to be aggressive about his face and bring back bad memories which traumatize him further about the grooming experience.

He's not a treat reward dog. We have such a terribly hard time getting him to eat. I have tried keeping him in my lap and feeding him bits of chicken when he lets me get close to his eyes without flinching... but he doesn't eat the chicken after the first one or two tries.


----------



## Tankstar (Dec 30, 2006)

Why not try sending him to another groomer? have a groomer friend, a associate? I understand your a groomer, but your his owner too. Maybe he would let some one else do his face. just a thought.


----------



## FromHakaryou (Jul 31, 2009)

We did try that, actually. They were able to get his nails done--which is something else he gives me a hard time about--but not his face at all.


----------



## LazyGRanch713 (Jul 22, 2009)

FromHakaryou said:


> My fiance and I rescued a shih tzu around the middle/end of August this year. The little guy has settled in so nicely and has made leaps and bounds since we first pulled him out from under a dumpster.
> 
> But he still gives me trouble for his face. He doesn't really become aggressive--he does nip but it's clearly the 'get away from my face please' nip and not the 'I'm going to rip off your flesh' bite--but he just moves and jerks and licks and freaks out. He's clearly uncomfortable with me being around his face.
> 
> ...


Sometimes what works for me with shih-tzus that freak out around their eyes (which is 90% of adults, 100% of puppies ) is to (gently) hold their beard area so they can't fight too bad, and gently rest the clipper handle (NOT the blade, the side of the clipper) against their face and just let them fight it. They soon realize it doesn't hurt, they get used to the vibrating sensation, and fighting doesn't make the clipper or me run away. When the dog stops fighting, I remove the clippers, and it underlines the point that holding still makes the clippers do their job and go away, NOT the other way around. It sounds mean to flood them like this, but letting a dog repededly jerk and fight when there are sharp, moving objects buzzing around hugely protruding eyes is just a horrible accident waiting to happen.
If the fur around his eyes is caked, I wish you luck. The worst the area gets with matting and eye boogars the harder it is to remove without the blades pulling (even slightly) around the eyes, which will just teach him "yep, the clippers hurt around my eyes". Not good.


----------



## DJsMom (Jun 6, 2008)

LazyGRanch713 said:


> Sometimes what works for me with shih-tzus that freak out around their eyes (which is 90% of adults, 100% of puppies ) is to (gently) hold their beard area so they can't fight too bad, and gently rest the clipper handle (NOT the blade, the side of the clipper) against their face and just let them fight it. They soon realize it doesn't hurt, they get used to the vibrating sensation, and fighting doesn't make the clipper or me run away. When the dog stops fighting, I remove the clippers, and it underlines the point that holding still makes the clippers do their job and go away, NOT the other way around.


I think that sounds like a GREAT idea!!


----------



## LazyGRanch713 (Jul 22, 2009)

DJsMom said:


> I think that sounds like a GREAT idea!!


It does work pretty well. The ones I do feel badly for are dogs who are matted around the eyes, because it probably DOES pull, underlining the scary-ness of the clippers. If the OP is able to, it might benefit to daily wash the area with a warm, wet cotton ball to (hopefully) loosen some of the crud up. Eye-washes don't hurt, don't take long, and it would start making the dog realize "hey, she's working around my face and I'm not dying. Cool."
I don't normally tell my own dogs "it's okay" when they're worried about something, but the dogs who are quietly whimpering and trying to pull away seem to benefit from some soothing talk. Ones that are too far gone and are trying to nip or bite (like the OP's guy) don't seem to care if I think they're OK. I think if they could talk, they'd say something like "If it's OK, then switch me places and I'll tell YOU it's OK. OK?"


----------



## Kathyy (Jun 15, 2008)

Artie seems to trust me if I stop when he fusses too much and then go back and work on the problem again. It took me at least 10 attempts to get a little bit of plant material out of his mustache the other day. I would fuss at the hair, he would grumble, I backed off and then went back to it once he was done grumbling. I am not a patient person and this was really annoying that he was so uncomfortable even though it would have taken 10 seconds if he just let me get it. I do know that me ignoring the grumble would have gotten the growl, then the snap, the snap with teeth and probably a real bite to finish off. How I ever got the huge knot out of his mustache back when he first arrived I don't know. Each day I just brushed it a little more and after a couple weeks I got all the way through it. Same with his body coat, I just used the pin brush very lightly every day and somehow his grown out clipped wire haired terrier coat finally released the tiny mats without protest from Artie. I am lucky that he loves his food so I can put kibble in a wet washcloth to wipe his messy face a little before brushing it out too. I tried the holding of the beard and he got really upset with me - swear words and snaps with teeth right away.


----------



## Graco22 (Jul 16, 2007)

Many times, scruffing them works well too. Its a dog "reflex" when scruffed, much like a cat. I also do the above often, rest the end of the clipper on their cheeks, etc and let them wear themselves out fighting. When they give up and realize its ok, you will start to make progress. I'm assuming he won't let you near his eyes with scissors or anything, and that its not just the clippers? If the eye corners are gunky and matted up, soak him in the tub, and when they are good and soft, use a flea comb to comb the boogies out. Those being gone will eliminate any ouchy while you try to shave the corners out.


----------



## PaulBright (Nov 8, 2010)

my dog (maltese) used to give me a hard time with nail clipping and cutting hair near her eyes... i persisted and just rubbed her paws when she sleeps until she got used to me touching them. after a while, behavior changed but it took a while.


----------

