Although little grooming is
required until the puppy is near six months of age, it is during these
early months that you should get him used to all aspects of grooming
care -- bathing, brushing, nail clipping, dental care, etc. This is
also a golden opportunity to accustom him to lying on his side on the
grooming table -- begin with only a few minutes expectation at first,
and slowly lengthen the time period when you expect him to lie quietly
and co-operatively. Be firm but patient and kind. Be sure to handle
his feet often, as many TTs don't like having their feet touched. If
the puppy gets muddy, I suggest you not remove the mud when he is wet,
as you will find it easier if you wait for it to dry up completely.
BUT...... your Tibetan Terrier is a
long coated breed and will require consistent coat care and grooming.
TTs don't shed like most other breeds, but they do blow old coat from
time to time and it gets caught in the permanent coat and can create
mats or tangles. This is usually not a problem until the Tibetan
reaches adolescence (starting around nine months and lasting for
several weeks -- if you are lucky -- or even several months) and his
double adult coat is beginning to appear. This can be a rough time for
coat care by his appalled owner! He is "blowing" his puppy
coat, and mats seem to appear mere moments after you have just brushed
him! But be patient. Put him on a daily brushing schedule, and this
period will pass.
Tibetan Terriers do not have the usual
doggy smell of others, and are a good breed for most people who are
normally allergic to dogs and cats.
Now.... ... re. Bathing and Brushing.
As a breeder, my approach is undoubtedly more fastidious than it needs
to be, as I am gung ho to keep fine coat even when I am finished
showing the dogs. However, I will proceed with my personal advice and
description, while recognizing that "pet" owners will take a
less perfectionist approach to this important topic.
This is a good moment to refer you to
the available video , labelled Bathing and Grooming. This was made in
1995 as a fund-raising project for our First National Specialty, and
we sold them. The video features Amaia as victim -- er, subject -- and
Valerie Weston, well-known Canadian handler and groomer (working in
Toronto). Valerie regularly show-grooms and handles TTs, and took
Alilah (Amaia's littermate) to a BIS, the position of Top Winning
Tibetan Terrier ever in Canada, and to significant wins in the U.S.
THE BATH
Bath time should be at least monthly.
(From late spring until about mid-autumn, I bathe all of them weekly
or at most every 10 days. Some purists believe that only a freshly
clean coat should be brushed. Indeed it is easier to brush a washed
dog, but even when on this bathing regime, I brush them out every four
days.)
Use a good quality shampoo. (I
presently prefer Coat Handlers or Vellus, which come in concentrate
form, you then mix a supply into a convenient bottle, and a gallon of
it lasts a really long time.)
Make sure you put a non slip mat in the
tub. The laundry tub will work for a while until puppy gets too big.
(When he is in the big tub, this bathing routine can be a real back
strain and you can see in the video what set-up I created in my
basement using a "horse trough" and installing it at stand
level!) A crucial investment is a manually held extended shower spray.
Wet down the dog with the spray hose.
Pour on shampoo and work into a lather, taking care not to scrub so
much that it tangles the hair. Rinse thoroughly. He won't be keen on
having his face sprayed, but cover his nose and firmly press on. He
has to get used to this. He's a Tibetan Terrier. Shampoo a second
time, and rinse thoroughly. (Jane Reif says that when you think you
have rinsed him enough, do it again!) Now you will put a good quality
Conditioner on his coat. Again, my current preferred brand is the
accompanying Coat Handlers conditioner, also sold in concentrated
gallons. Mix well, and pour liberally onto the coat, squeezing into
the ends of the hair as you go. Let this sit for a couple minutes and
then rinse very thoroughly until the water runs clear.
Blot him dry with a towel. Do not rub
vigorously (tangles). Another product I like and use at this point is
Show Sheen, a spray sold in horsey places. I spray the dog generously,
working it through the coat. (Be careful where you do this, as it
makes your floors dangerously slippery!)
Some fanciers now take their TT
directly to the hair dryer and grooming table. I personally do not
begin the next phase directly, but let the wet dog roll merrily
(RELIEF!) on some towels, run around like mad for a few minutes, then
put him in his crate in some towels warmed in the dryer (he will
shiver and be cold, otherwise) I leave him for... oh, perhaps an hour
and a half.... while I catch my breath, tidy up after bath, do a chore
or two, and prepare for grooming.
THE BRUSHING OUT
This is where a grooming table will
seem like one of the most useful things you will ever have bought!
This is also where you will need either
one of those dog hair dryers (VERY expensive, but wonderful. And he is
going to live fifteen years......)-- or a home-rigged-up dryer
anchored to the table and moveable so that your hands are free but you
can direct the heat stream -- or another person to manage the dryer
while you brush. (In my personal experience, this last method flopped
totally, as husband and children had no patience and got quickly
bored)
The best instructor here is definitely
the VIDEO, but here goes my attempt at summation in words.
You will need a good medium pin brush
(I like the #1 All Systems brush), and definitely NOT the kind with
the little knobs on the ends of the pins. Never use a bristle brush on
a Tibetan coat or you will break coat.
Begin with your TT standing or sitting,
and blow dry -- while simultaneously brushing -- his face, head and
ears and chest. You will work down his back and sides while he stands,
blowing the coat every direction, while brushing, north, south, east,
west, and proceed to his tail and rear the same way. You are going to
put him on his side shortly, so this is just a preliminary
drying/brushing to warm him, launch the untangling, and straighten the
coat in readiness for putting him down on his side.
Now put him on his side. Push his coat
up, and start with his feet and then legs, blowing dry and brushing
upward as well as downward. Another useful brush for the feet and legs
(but NOT for his outer coat) is a soft slicker brush.
Use short, quick and straight strokes.
Work in small sections, and don't take on too large an area at a time.
Hold the brush very loosely. If you encounter a mat, pull it apart bit
by bit until it is in manageable sections for continued brushing. When
I have done the feet and legs, I begin "pulling down" his
coat a section at a time and drying / brushing it with the pin brush,
lifting his legs to get at his chest and underside and bottom. Your
goal is to brush him out "right to the skin". After you have
finished one side, go through his coat with a Greyhound comb (an
absolutely indispensable piece of equipment) to remove any loose hair
or find any missed tangles. You can also use the comb on his face hair
and beard. Try not to pull or tug (HA!), so that he will not dislike
this grooming experience. Some dogs completely relax and go to sleep
on the table.
Then it's up, perhaps a treat for being
such a GOO-OO-DDD DOG, and down onto his other side for a repeat!
When finished second side, it's stand
up for any admiring final touches -- show folks part their hair along
the back -- if there is a lot of static I use Coat Handlers
anti-static spray for a brief mist and final brush down his sides.
Now GET THE CAMERA!
I mustn't forget to add..... this is a
post-bathing description of grooming. You will have to groom BETWEEN
baths, of course! This is a Tibetan Terrier, after all! Same method,
but without the dryer and I start immediately with him on his first
side. And you shouldn't brush a totally dry coat. Use a fine mist
grooming spray (such as Royal Crown Magic Touch) sprayed lightly over
each section of coat before you work on it.
............................................................
This may have sounded pretty
intimidating, but don't be alarmed or disheartened. Remember that you
will be starting with a young puppy's coat, and you are a couple of
years away from the more major task of bathing/grooming an adult coat.
Moreover, some coats are easier to care for than others, and the
promising news is that Amaia's is quite easy (much easier than my
Ruffles' or Rosebud's coats) and John says that Elliot's is very easy.
The whole operation, for your
full-grown adult, might be 30 minutes for bath and then an hour to an
hour and a half for the brushing out. Maybe less, if you are lucky or
remarkably efficient or if it hasn't been long since he was brushed
out. (And don't forget ... this is written by someone who is gung ho
show-coat fussy!)
Of course, if you prefer and can afford
the luxury, you can always send your Tibetan to a professional groomer
once every month, perhaps, and then you will only have to do
in-between-baths maintenance grooming! But make sure you get a groomer
who knows how to deal with a Tibetan Terrier coat. This is not a Lhasa
Apso. Stripping of undercoat is a no-no. Insist the groomer watch your
Grooming Video.
For a pet Tibetan, you may want to trim
the headfall over the eyes into bangs so that you can see his eyes.
You can also clip a little hair away from the rectal area so that
nothing sticks . I surely recommend that you strive to keep your
Tibetan's coat in its full glory, as this represents the natural look
of this breed.
