I have a 10 month old Shih Tzu.
Now, I'd love to grow her hair out the way a Shih Tzu's hair is supposed to be (AKC standards, I'd love to show her later on)
It's about 3 inches long, now. I brush her every single day, at least 3 times. I also take her to the groomers every two months to get everything done that needs to be done.
Every other day, I seem to find these dime sized mats all along her back legs, and some on her hips! So bad, I have to cut them out! The groomers find this, too sometimes!
Since I want to show her, her hair will never get the proper length!
How can I prevent mats any better than this?
Jordie, isn't Mane N Tail a horse shampoo/conditioner? Is that okay for her?
Thanks, so much everyone! It was also nice to hear from a pro dog groomer! 
Shih Tzu hair is so difficult! Gahh!
Thanks, though! I will buy some good shampoo (mane n tail), and bathe her a lot more than 2 months!
Also, I never thought of snipping at the mat to make it easier to come out! Thanks for that tip!!
Continue brushing her everyday. But bathe her once a month rather than every 2 months. She will be easier to brush out if she's cleaner. Be sure to use a Slicker brush and comb. When brushing her out. Section out the dog by first brushing out her back leg first inside and out and comb check. Making sure there are no matts with the comb. Then move to her tummy area. Get that area completely brushed and combed out. Then move onto her front leg and armpit. Then the front of the dog moving all the way around to the back leg. Then brush and comb the tail, then brush and comb out the face. This is how i thoroughly brush and comb out a dog properly. Rather than jumping all around the dog and not remembering what I've brushed and haven't. If she gets the pin matts you could try taking thinning shears and cut the matts with thinning shears. But only snip the matt once or twice to loosen the matt, then brush repeating the process until the matt falls out in the brush. Don't worry the thinning shears will not leave chop marks. It will blend into the hair and won't be able to tell that the matts were blended or cut out.
Leave in conditioning spray. You can get them at any pet store and they come in great scents!
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I would rub in mane n tail. You can rinse it out every couple of days. Part of grooming something for her to get used to anyway. It will help either keep the mats out and/or make it easier to comb them out without them being cut out. I would mix it in a spray bottle with some water and spray it on before you brush.
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You can find a leave-in, no tangle spray or lotion for dogs in pet shops, or order them online for show dogs.
one site to check is Doctors Foster and Smith.
or Petco, Petsmart may also have products….
good luck
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Main N Tail is fine. They usually sell it at Walmart in the hair care section. ( hair care for people )
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Continue brushing her everyday. But bathe her once a month rather than every 2 months. She will be easier to brush out if she's cleaner. Be sure to use a Slicker brush and comb. When brushing her out. Section out the dog by first brushing out her back leg first inside and out and comb check. Making sure there are no matts with the comb. Then move to her tummy area. Get that area completely brushed and combed out. Then move onto her front leg and armpit. Then the front of the dog moving all the way around to the back leg. Then brush and comb the tail, then brush and comb out the face. This is how i thoroughly brush and comb out a dog properly. Rather than jumping all around the dog and not remembering what I've brushed and haven't. If she gets the pin matts you could try taking thinning shears and cut the matts with thinning shears. But only snip the matt once or twice to loosen the matt, then brush repeating the process until the matt falls out in the brush. Don't worry the thinning shears will not leave chop marks. It will blend into the hair and won't be able to tell that the matts were blended or cut out.
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Professional dog groomer.
Your breeder should have gone over coat care and proper grooming tools with you, but, in case s/he didn't, maybe your groomer would be of help.
If you're using a pin brush that you bought in a pet store, chances are it's damaging your dog's hair because of the little balls on the end of the pins. This causes the hair to matt, and some areas matt more easily than others (like under arms, the hips, and behind/under ears). You'll need a pin brush that does not have those little balls on the end.
You need a steel comb, to comb through the coat after brushing, which will confirm there are no matts hiding anywhere.
You'll need a slicker brush. Again, most of those sold in retail pet stores are junk. You can buy what you need online.
You should lightly mist your dog's coat with conditioning spray prior to any brushing, to prevent damage.
I have Standard Poodles, and when growing show coat, they were bathed once a week. I would think Shih Tzus growing out coat for show would require weekly bathing as well. Have your dog professionally groomed every 4 weeks rather than every two months.
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I had a Lhasa, growing up, and I know how hard it is to keep their coat in good shape! You can also give her Omega 3 Fatty Acids "Fish Oil" Vitamins!! This will make her coat sooo shiny and will make the hair stronger, the skin gets healthier too! My Vet. recommended this! After about 2 weeks you will notice a big difference!! The pill is rather large so, poke a hole at the end of the vitamin, with a tooth pick or something, and squeeze the liquid out of the pill on to something she likes to eat!! This vitamin is also good for her heart! I hope this helps some! Good Luck to you!!
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The brushing is good, but you need a comb also to get to the skin, by combing to the skin, gently and up and out, this prevents the matts from occurring….go to pet store, they will show which comb is best for your breed……;
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