A Shih Tzu's sitter bag needs a week of measured food, a harness, his brush and comb, spare topknot bands, face wipes, and a written grooming routine. This breed was bred as indoor royalty, and the packing reflects it: comfort, company, and coat care outrank adventure. A sitter can be wonderful with dogs generally and still miss the daily face and coat work that keeps a Shih Tzu comfortable, so the notes carry this handover.
Small Meals and a Clean Muzzle Afterwards
Portion your Shih Tzu's food by the day and keep him on his usual menu, because small dogs with luxurious facial hair turn every menu change into a digestive and grooming event at once. Note his feeding times and the practical detail that his beard and muzzle need a gentle wipe after eating and drinking, or his face will crust and smell by day three. Include only his regular treats, sized for a small mouth, and warn against hard, oversized chews he might struggle with. If he eats from a shallow dish to keep his face drier, pack the dish, since the sitter's deep bowls will undo the system.
Daily Grooming, Written as a Sequence
Write the grooming routine in the order you do it, because a Shih Tzu's coat tangles daily and mats form fast in the armpits, behind the ears, and where a harness rubs. Ask for a full brush-through each day, the topknot redone with a fresh band so hair stays out of his eyes, and a check that no band is pulling tight. Include his face wipes for tear staining and the folds around his muzzle, and note keeping the hair around his eyes trimmed back or tied up as you usually keep it. A week of skipped grooming is not a cosmetic issue for this breed; mats pull at skin and turn the first groom home into an ordeal.
Short Walks, Cool Rooms, and Heat Honesty
Pack his harness rather than a collar, and describe his exercise truthfully: Shih Tzus enjoy gentle strolls and garden sniffs, not distance work. His short muzzle means warm weather deserves respect, so ask for walks in the cooler parts of the day, rest whenever he wants it, and no adventures in midday heat. Heavy panting, a wide distressed expression, or wobbliness on a walk means stopping in shade with water, calling you, and getting veterinary help if he does not recover promptly. Indoors, note his preferred cool sleeping surface, because many Shih Tzus abandon soft beds for tiles when warm.
Company, Sleep, and the Call-Home List
Shih Tzus expect to be part of the household's social life, so pack the bed he actually uses and note where he stations himself, usually wherever the people are. Warn the sitter that he may follow, supervise, and claim the best cushion, and that being shut away alone is the one arrangement he will genuinely hate. Leave your number, a backup contact, and his vet's details. Ask for a call if he refuses food, rubs at an eye or holds one closed, scratches an ear persistently, or breathes noisily at rest. Eye discomfort in this breed deserves same-day advice rather than watchful waiting.
Setting out the brush order, face wipes, and short-walk rules in KinsLe's Care Pass means your Shih Tzu's sitter inherits his beauty routine and his boundaries in one tidy handover.