A Shih Tzu week is a grooming week
For a Shih Tzu in a longer coat, grooming is not a weekly extra — it is the spine of the week, and the checklist should be built around it. Daily brushing belongs in the daily column, because a coat left three days can mat at the skin in the beard, behind the ears and under the harness. Add the topknot or fringe tidy, a face wipe after meals, and a check that facial hair is not rubbing the eyes. Dogs kept in a short pet clip need less daily work, but the checklist still needs a weekly coat-and-skin pass so the shorter schedule does not quietly become no schedule.
Eyes, face and breathing on the daily list
A Shih Tzu's prominent eyes and short muzzle earn specific daily lines that other breeds do not need. Check both eyes each morning for redness, discharge or cloudiness, wipe tear staining gently, and keep the hair between the eyes trimmed or tied clear. Note breathing on warm days and after excitement: a flat-faced dog that struggles for air, overheats quickly or cannot settle is a same-day vet conversation, not a note for next week. Schedule exercise for cooler parts of the day on the checklist itself, with indoor play as the written alternative when the weather turns hot or humid.
The weekly jobs, grouped sensibly
Put the Shih Tzu's weekly tasks on two days rather than seven. Bath day covers the bath itself, a full comb-through once dry, ear cleaning, and a check of skin folds and the beard area for soreness. Health day covers teeth — small companion breeds build tartar quickly, so schedule brushing several times a week and a weekly look at the gums — plus nail trimming, paw-pad hair trimming so the dog grips floors properly, and a weight check, because extra pounds hide easily under a flowing coat. Add a standing line to confirm the next professional groom is booked; a missed appointment unravels a Shih Tzu's whole coat plan.
Exercise and company, honestly recorded
A Shih Tzu needs modest physical exercise but a great deal of company, so the checklist should track both: short, unhurried walks at the dog's pace, gentle indoor games, and who is home with the dog on long workdays. Sniffing time on walks counts double for this breed — write it in rather than treating the walk as pure distance. If the log shows several days of skipped walks hidden behind bad weather, swap in hallway fetch and scatter games instead of letting the week go blank.
Review the list like a groomer would
Once a week, read the Shih Tzu's checklist back and ask what the coat, eyes and weight are telling you, then adjust one thing: an extra brushing day, a shorter walk route in heat, a dental session moved to bath day. Share the list with anyone who grooms, walks or feeds the dog so the routine survives your absence unchanged. KinsLe's Care Teams fits a Shih Tzu's many small duties especially well, since each brushing, eye check and groom booking can sit with a named helper and show its completion time to everyone involved.