Bathing and Grooming a Tibetan Terrier

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 motivated to keep fine coat even when I am finished showing the dogs. I will proceed with my personal advice and description, while recognizing that "pet" owners will take a less perfectionist approach to this important aspect.

THE BATH

Bath time should be at least monthly. (From late spring until about mid-autumn, I try to bathe all of them every 10 days to two weeks)   Some purists believe that only a freshly clean coat should be brushed at all.  However, I put all mine on a brush-out schedule of  every four days.  Otherwise I regret having postponed because mats and 'wads' make grooming problematic.  Moreover, a TT should be 'brushed out', at least minimally, BEFORE his bath, or a matted/wadded coat turns to 'felt'!

 Put a schedule on the fridge and stick to it!

Use a good quality shampoo.   Some are available in concentrate form, and you then mix a supply into a convenient bottle.  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, so I created a set up in my basement using a "horse trough" as tub and having it installed at my standing 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 if the dog was really dirty or muddy.)  Rinse thoroughly. (Jane Reif says that when you think you have rinsed him enough, do it again!)

Now you apply a good quality Conditioner to his coat, possibly 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 .

Blot him dry with a towel. Do not rub vigorously (tangles).  Chamois work well.  Another product I like and use at this point is Show Sheen, a spray sold in horse places. I spray the dog lightly, 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 at once, but let the wet dog roll merrily 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 one of those free standing 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 and you can leave the heat stream directed while you use your hands -- or another person to manage the dryer while you brush. (In my personal experience, this last method flopped totally, as no one else in house had patience and got quickly bored)

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.

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 and legs while he stands, blowing the coat every direction while brushing, north, south, east, west, doesn't matter, 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.  He will be mostly dry, so this segment will soon resemble a routine maintenance grooming.  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 push the rest of the coat upward, and starting at the 'top', one transversely parted  section at a time, I dry/brush (or perhaps the dryer is no longer needed)  upward 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".  When the coat has been all brushed upward, I take  it down in transverse sections, bottom to top, brushing flat…..

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-D 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 dogs' hair along the back -- if there is a lot of static I use an 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) misted 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.

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.  Scissoring for a show ring TT is also a no-no.

For a pet Tibetan, you may want to trim the headfall over the eyes into wispy bangs so that you can see his eyes. (Use thinning scissors).  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.