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the body is mat-free, work on the head with a good steel comb, being
sure to remove debris from the corners of the mouth and eyes.
Sometimes you might need to soften these areas by washing with warm
water first.
Don't forget to clean away, with a pair of blunt nosed scissors,
any hair a good half inch around the anus. This will help to keep
the area free from odorous stool particles from collecting on your
dog's back end coat.
Clip away any hair under his feet between the pads with a good
clipper and #15 blade or scissor it away if it is difficult to
clearly see the bottom. Check to see if there are mats between the
toes and remove the mats with scissors, as this is a common spot to
have trouble arises.
Remove any excess hair from the ear canal and clean with a good
ear cleaner. Because these dogs have fold-over ears, moisture can be
a precursor to ear infections and can make a prime area for breeding
ear mites.
Now you are ready for the bath. Thoroughly wet the dog and apply
a good conditioning shampoo. Don't rub the coat; rather, gently
squeeze the shampoo through to the ends. Be sure to completely rinse
the suds away. A crème rinse can be used as a further aid to prevent
mats and tangle from forming again soon or to aid in removing
tangles missed.
Drying the coat thoroughly is very important. A wet coat left to
dry on its own will tighten and become near impossible to detangle.
Brush or comb a wet coat ONLY while using a blow dry and only on the
spot being dried. Brushing or combing a wet coat will break the hair
and be very uncomfortable for the dog.
Finish the brushing once the dog is dried with a slicker brush,
and part the coat down the center of the back. Apply a spray
dressing to hold in place. A Lhasa Apso has the topknot parted
without bows for showing, but most owners opt to tie the long hair
of a Shih Tzu from the eyebrows into one or two bows gathered in the
center or stayed close to the ears. A pet option is to show their
beautiful big eyes by scissoring the topknot to about one inch all
over and put the bows in the ears.
No trimming on the beard is done, but it can be shortened to
preference. | 