Silky n’ shiny…my Lhasa Apso
The Lhasa Apso, with her magnificent, profuse coat is completely a fur ball of companion and is one of the truly wonderful breeds. Here’s how to keep their beautiful manes lovely at all times.
Lhasa Apsos are blessed with beautiful hair…the texture of the hair is excellent and generally straight and if maintained well, their prolific coat can grow and freefall straight to the ground without any curls or waves. They have a very high maintenance coat and need to visit a professional groomer at least once a month to keep the gorgeous coat in shape if one wants to maintain her natural look.
Lhasa Apsos have a definite level of grace and maintain a good temperament towards grooming if introduced to, at the right age. This also makes them perfect for showing in dog shows, if one is keen on going that extra mile. Professional attention and customary upkeep from your side can make your Lhasa come out as a sure shot winner, every time around!!!
Here are a few basic things that should be given attention to while grooming your Lhasa at home:
- If you wish to give Lhasas a clip towards the summer or monsoon season to ease them of the heat and humidity, brushing her everyday is highly essential to keep them free from the matting of dead hair or any kind of skin condition or infection.
- A combination of pin brush, comb & slicker brush while combing the hair is suggested.
- If maintaining a long coat, then before brushing, spray your pet with a coat conditioner (if available) or use water mix. This will help avert breakage and split ends.
- Wiping out the stains around the eye rim with a cotton ball or wipe is a must on a daily basis but one should be extremely careful while doing so and not end up causing any injury to the pet!
- Entrust to memory or keep a weekly reminder to clean your Lhasa’s ears and teeth at least once a week. Use a cotton ball and ear cleaner meant for pets to clean them.
- Brush your Lhasa’s teeth with a toothbrush and toothpaste meant for pets and not the human ones. You can even use a tiny finger brush with plastic bristles which can be sourced from any of the good pet stores. Brushing your pet’s teeth is extremely essential and should ideally be introduced at an early stage in a pet’s life, as this can deter tartar from accumulating and avoid painful and expensive dental surgeries, which also are not so easily available in India at present.
- Remember to bathe your pet fortnightly or at maximum three times a month in summer and monsoon. If your pet sports a ‘show quality coat,’ then weekly bathing is recommended.
- Ensure that after bathing, there should be no trace of any substance in the coat as it may cause irritation or infection to the skin.
- Lhasas are very diffident with people handling their tail and feet, so one should start getting their nails attended to right from puppyhood to keep them trimmed to the right length.
Your Lhasa should be exposed to grooming right from the start and on a regular basis as this is essential for her life cycle and cannot be avoided under any circumstances. So, pick up your grooming tools and make your Lhasa shine and bloom.