Shih Tzus....
I like Shih Tzus...
I used to own a Shih Tzu (well he was a mix but mostly Shih Tzu).....
A good portion of our clientele are Shih Tzus.
I am sure that most groomers out there also groom quite a few Shih Tzus, so they will completely understand what I am talking about when I say the
'Shih Tzu sneeze'.
Every groomer has experienced it at one time or another.
More than likely they have experienced it every time they have groomed a
Shih Tzu.
Now, if you are not a groomer and you are wondering; "What the heck is a
'Shih Tzu sneeze'?"
Well, just let me explain.
This is a Shih Tzu.
This little ones nose is not as squished as some.
Many Shih Tzus have very squished noses that are very close to the eyes, with several folds between the eyes and nose.
It takes a lot of concentration to scissor around a Shih Tzus eyes and nose.
The groomer is always saying a little prayer that the Shih Tzu will sit still long enough to scissor the hair from around the eyes safely.
The groomer also always prays that the Shih Tzu will not do this!
Lick!
A groomers worst nightmare.
You can see why we groomers are so busy concentrating, that we temporarily forget about the 'Shih Tzu sneeze'.
So, picture this....
The groomer holding the Shih-tzus chin.....getting their face close to the Shih-tzus face so they can see exactly what they are scissoring......praying that the dog does not move......or lick its nose.....or jerk backwards.....carefully scissoring away.....concentrating very hard ........when.......
SNEEZE!!!!
Like only a Shih Tzu can!
SNEEZE!
Doggy snot sprayed!
Right in the groomers face.
Right in the groomers eyes.
Doggy snot!
Sometimes a lot!
Now, sure, sometimes other dogs will also do this when a groomer is scissoring their face, but a Shih-tzu is pro at it and almost guaranteed to sneeze in a groomers face every time.
It is not like they sneeze all of the time during the grooming.
They rarely sneeze while being bathed, unless the groomer puts their face close to the Shih Tzus face to clean out eye crust.....then .....SNEEZE!
They rarely sneeze while being dried.
They rarely sneeze while the body is being clipped or scissored.
Nooooo, it is bred into them to wait for just the right time to sneeze.
Wait till they are face to face with the groomer.
Wait till the groomer leans in to scissor around the eyes.
Then.....with no warning what so ever.....SNEEZE!
A lot of the time it isn't even a sneeze per say, they just blow the doggy snot out of their noses.
I am convinced that the Mommy Shih Tzu teaches all her puppies to do this before they are weaned.
She tells them; "You are in for a lifetime of grooming my little ones. One day you will be taken to a person called a groomer to give you a bath and cut your hair," she will tell all the puppies. "Now listen closely. Every time that groomer gets their face close to yours, to scissor the hair around your nose and eyes, you just give a good strong sneeze and shoot doggy snot all over their faces. Remember, sneeze only when you are face to face! It is so fun!"
Oh yes, I am fully convinced of this.
If you are a groomer, you are lucky if the Shih Tzu only sneezes once while you are scissoring the face.
Most like to sneeze multiple times.
Just a fun fact I thought that I would share. :-)
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