Clipping Your Lhasa

I hope it is quite a while before I have to get in the car and make another long drive! Last Saturday I left Macomb to head to Nebraska to attend my niece's high school graduation and graduation party, both held on Sunday. The drive took about 7.5 hours. I admit to speeding! Monday morning found me on the road to Illinois at 6:00. I did not get home until 5:00 PM. I admit to speeding but also to stopping at a couple shopping malls! Tuesday morning I was in the driver's seat once again, taking myself and three co-workers to a meeting in Rock Island. By 4:15 I was home and at 5:15, Desi, Zach and I were back on the highway to Peoria for their training class. I was so very glad to get home last night and so very thankful that I did not doze off while driving.

Both puppies did well at class, but Zach outperformed Desi. She is still more interested in socializing and sniffing the floor! He is such a pretty Lhasa and a great mover too! Memorial Day weekend will be their show ring debut.

Commenting on the previous entry where I'd posted before and after pictures of Mira, Sarah asked about clipping and getting some pointers so she could start clipping her Lhasa Tashi. Here goes:

First of all, invest in a good, reliable clipper and blades. I bought my ConAir Pro clipper and blades from PetEdge years ago. I noticed when I checked the company's website that it currently is selling an Andis clipper set that looks like a good deal. The set includes the clipper, blades, and combs PLUS a DVD to teach you how to use it all. (I wish I'd have had one of those.) In addition to clipper and blades you also need blade wash and a blade lubricant/cooler (e.g., "Kool Lube").

The thing to remember about clipper blades is that the higher the number, the closer the cut will be. Thus a #10 blade will cut closer than a #7 and so on. I've never used combs but have heard that attaching them leaves the hair a little longer than it would be if a comb was not used. (Combs won't work if the dog is matted.)

I use a #7F on the dog's body and a #10 on the belly area.

It is easier to clip a dog that is not matted, but many people resort to clipping their dog because he IS matted. Either way works, but you'll have an easier time if you can comb or brush through the dog before you start clipping. If you are clipping a matted dog, don't push hard to force the clipper blade through the mat. Use a scissors to cut through the mat first and to give the blade something to grab onto.

As you can see by looking at the picture I posted of Mira clipped down, when I clip, my intent is not to do anything cute or fancy. That is so beyond my knowledge and skills! So if you are looking for directions for a "Puppy Cut" or "Teddy Bear Cut," etc. I am definitely not the person to go to for information! You can probably find directions somewhere on the internet for those cuter clips.

Using a #7F blade, I start at the back of the dog's head and run the clipper over his neck and back to the base of the tail. Next I clip both sides in the direction the hair grows; then I then do the chest and rear, followed by the legs and feet. I also clip the tail. Some people like to leave the tail and ear hair long. It's just a matter of preference.

Remember that the blade will get hot after it has been in use for a while, so every once in a while, check it by putting it on your forearm or feeling it with the palm of your hand. If it is getting hot, spray it with Kool Lube before you continue clipping the dog.

The head, ears, and face come next. Often I will do the face with a smaller clipper, like a Wahl mustache trimmer, and do some finishing work with scissors. Again, you can leave the Lhasa's ears and mustache longer if you like that look.

If the dog will lie down, have him do so while you do his underside. When clipping my Lhasas that will not lie down (who trained these dogs anyway?), I ask my husband for a hand and he holds them upright on their back legs while I clip the chest, arm pits, and belly areas, generally using a #10 blade. However, I've been known just to keep using the #7F and it works fine.

When the clipping is done, I trim toenails and use the Wahl clipper to trim between the pads of the dog's feet. Then I give the dog a nice refreshing bath.

Ta-Da … a perfect pet: A Lhasa Apso that does not shed and that doesn't have to be groomed for a while!

The unclipped Lhasa at the top of the page is Multiple Group Winning American Canadian Ch. Joyslyn's Piece of the Rock. The photo was taken at a show in Kansas City in 1976 or 1977 by a Hallmark photographer. It later appeared on one of the company's dog calendars. Rocky was our very first champion. (I have ABSOLUTELY no idea why the font size suddenly changed for this paragraph and why I cannot fix it!)

Life is good when you have a Lhasa to love you!

Joyce