Shih Tzu Topknot and Fringe: Keeping Hair Out of the Eyes

A Shih Tzu’s face hair grows straight down over the eyes, and it never stops. Left alone it pokes the surface of the eye, traps tears against the skin and blocks the dog’s view. There are two ways to deal with it: tie it up, or cut it short. This guide is about doing either well, with the routine we use on Bell.

Why it matters more than it looks

Hair on the eye is not just untidy. In a 2024 study of 1,000 Shih Tzu eyes, hairs growing from the inner corner and touching the eye were found in about one eye in five, and almost every eye examined had at least one problem of some kind. Our guide to Shih Tzu eyes goes through what the vets found. A topknot will not fix hairs that grow from the eyelid itself, but it takes the long face hair, the most common irritant, out of the way every day.

Tie it up or cut it short?

	Topknot	Short face trim
Looks	The classic long-haired Shih Tzu face	A rounder, “puppy” face
Work	A few minutes several times a week	A trim every few weeks
Needs	Small elastics, a comb, a calm dog	Rounded-tip scissors, or a groomer
Watch for	Pulling too tight, matting at the base	Cut ends poking the eye as they grow back

Bell has a topknot. Her fringe is hardly ever cut, perhaps once a year, so tying it up is what keeps it out of her eyes.

How to put in a topknot

1. Comb the face hair first. A knot tied over a tangle pulls on the skin and mats within days. A fine comb gets close to the eyes without catching them.
2. Take only the hair from above the eyes. Comb it straight up from the stop (the dip between the eyes) towards the top of the head, roughly from the outer corner of one eye to the outer corner of the other.
3. Hold it at the top of the head, not further back. Before you add the elastic, check that the dog can blink normally and the skin around the eyes is not pulled.
4. Use a small, coated elastic, wrapped two or three times. Plain rubber bands grip and snap the hair.
5. Loosen it a little. Gently pull a few hairs at the front of the knot so it sits slightly loose. You should be able to slide a fingertip under the base.

Bows are fine if the dog leaves them alone, but check that nothing small can come off and be swallowed.

How often to redo it

A topknot is not something you put in and forget. The hair slips, the elastic loosens, and the base starts to mat if it is left too long. Bell gets a full, careful topknot once a week; every two or three days in between, the fringe is just tidied back up into it.

When you take one out, do not pull the elastic off. Slide a comb tooth or the blade of small scissors under it, away from the skin, and cut it; it costs an elastic and saves a clump of hair.

Trimming the fringe instead

If you would rather cut, the safest home trim is around the eyes and across the stop, not a full haircut. Use scissors with rounded tips, hold them flat and parallel to the face, and cut along the hair rather than towards the eye. Short sessions on a calm dog are safer than one long one; stop if the dog keeps moving its head.

Cut hair grows back stiff and straight for a while, and short stubble can poke the eye more than long hair does, so a trimmed face needs trimming regularly. If the dog will not keep still near its eyes, this is a job for a groomer. Our guide to clipping your dog at home covers face work in more detail.

Signs the topknot is wrong

• The dog rubs its head on the floor or paws at the knot.
• The eyes look stretched, or the dog cannot blink fully.
• Red or sore skin at the base, or a smell from it.
• A tight mat forming where the elastic sits.

Take it out, comb the hair through, and redo it looser. Red, watery or squinting eyes that do not settle once the hair is off them are a vet question; our guides to Shih Tzu eyes and tear stains explain what to look for.