"…Roll out those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer
Those days of soda and pretzels and beer
Roll out those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer
Dust off the sun and moon and sing a song of cheer..."
~ lyrics by Hans Carste and Charles Tobias
How many more can you name? I managed "A Summer Song," "Summer Nights," "Summertime," "School's Out," "Summer in the City," "A Summer Place," and "Summer Breeze," among others. Those titles probably date me!
My Lhasas have not been loving these temps, so they go out and want back in quickly. We're avoiding being outside with them for any length of time except early, early morning and late at night. The black Lhasas and the ones that have not been clipped down especially suffer in this heat.
Photos
The photo of Bekka's 5-point major win at the Greater Milwaukee Lhasa Apso Club Specialty arrived this afternoon. I like the photo except for her tail. She is a happy girl and wags her tail most of the time. She was doing that as we were trying to get her picture and the photographer captured it in mid swing! She is 10.5 months old in the photo.
Then I felt bad because we have not taken photos of Chance's wins, so this afternoon we had a photo session with Chance, Autumn, and the puppies. The results are below.
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| Chance - 11 months |
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| Autumn, just a week shy of 4 months |
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| Daisy 7 weeks |
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| Paddy 7 weeks |
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| Laney 7 weeks |
Mary Durcott sent a photo of her Gabe, who is a litter brother of our Rafe. (Rafe is Autumn's sire.)
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| Gabe |
Next weekend (July 21-22) the Burlington Kennel Club is hosting its third dog show in Macomb. The other two were quite successful, and this one is off to a good start with 120 more dogs than were entered in last year's show. Saturday 455 dogs are entered and 436 are entered on Sunday. Those counts include 12 Lhasa Apsos. Two dogs, four bitches, two dog specials, and one bitch special are entered in the Lhasa competition. Ring time for Lhasas is at 10:20 on Saturday in Ring 2, after three other breeds, 17 dogs. So the Lhasas probably will not get into the ring until 10:50 or so unless quite a few dogs don't show up. That happens. Sunday Lhasa ring time is 10:45, we are again in Ring 2, but this time there is only one breed, 4 dogs, ahead of us.
This year in addition to the National Owner Handled Series, the club is hosting a Beginner Puppy Competition for puppies ages 4 to 6 months on Saturday. I entered Autumn, who will be 4 months on Saturday, but am not sure I can show her. The puppy competition begins in Ring 1 at 10:30, and I think that by the time they get to the Lhasa puppy, I will be in Ring 2 with Chance, Bekka, and Josh. Autumn may not get to show, or I'll have to see if I can get someone else to show her. She is not used to working with anyone else, so I doubt if she will be comfortable with someone new handling her. She and I have our system and hand signals all worked out!
I hope some of you who are reading this can come to the show!
ALAC National Specialty
The 2018 National Specialty of the American Lhasa Apso Club will be in Frederick, MD. The schedule for the week has recently been published. If you live anywhere close to MD or if you need a vacation week that included watching many beautiful Lhasas from across the US gather and show for a week, the Clarion Inn Frederick Event Center is the place to be. Here is the information:
Grooming Advice
We are in the process of training Autumn for the serious grooming that will soon be necessary. My husband, Lynn, is the "official trainer" when it comes to grooming. He has more patience than I have, and the dogs seem to mind him better than they do me. My job is to get them used to having their mustache combed. His is to make sure they know how to lie down and lie still for grooming. Autumn's progress is so-so. She dislikes having her face cleaned and combed and struggles constantly. Sometimes it takes two of us to complete the job, but it gets done in spite of her protests. She is doing better about lying down on Lynn's lap to have tummy and sides brushed.
Grooming tools for a Lhasa puppy at our house include a small pin brush, a greyhound style comb, a face comb, and a grooming spray. To clean the eye area, I use a cotton round moistened with either Natures Specialties Plum Crazy Facial Wash (but many of my dogs dislike the smell and shy away from it) or a saline solution for sensitive eyes which they don't mind at all. (You can find it in the contact solution department).
Below is an article I wrote on the subject.
Training for Grooming
by Joyce Johanson
Regular grooming is a necessity if you plan to keep your
Lhasa Apso's coat free of mats and tangles. Therefore, it is necessary
to teach your Lhasa puppy--when he is young and before he really
requires a lot of brushing--to accept grooming as part of his routine. First teach him to lie on his side or back while he is being brushed. So many of the trouble spots for mats, such as the insides of the legs, the chest, the "arm"pits, and the stomach, are difficult to reach unless the Lhasa is on his back or side.
Begin your grooming training as soon as you get your puppy. Hold him on his back on your lap and gently rub his tummy until he relaxes. It's best to do this during the puppy's quiet time and not when he is full of boundless energy and wants to play.
Even though the puppy has little coat to brush at this age, accustom him to the feel of the brush by using a small pin brush to groom his legs, feet, chest and stomach. Then allow him to lie on his stomach, sit, or stand while you brush his sides, neck, head, and face. Constantly reassure him and praise him when he is still. Be sure to tell him how gorgeous he looks when the grooming is done.
Keep these sessions short. Their purpose is to familiarize the puppy with the routine of grooming and the feel of the brush.
Of course, not all puppies tolerate lying on their backs or sides and cooperating with you. At times you will be amazed at how stubborn and strong a puppy can be when he is determined not to lie on his back! Be persistent and patient. Do not strike the puppy. You are training him for future grooming sessions that both you and he should come to enjoy. Don't spoil the future by letting your temper flare when the puppy gets uncooperative.
Some puppies will try to convince you that you are "killing" them by making them lie on their backs. Don't be taken in by a con artist. These same puppies are the ones that you will later find sleeping soundly on their backs in their crates with all four legs spread wide.
Once the puppy accepts lying on his back or side, move him from your lap to a grooming table. The transition may cause some regression in the puppy's behavior since he may feel less secure on a table than he felt on your lap. Again, be persistent and firm. Don't be abusive, but insist on the behavior you want.
From the age of six months on, your Lhasa puppy will need grooming on a regular basis. That's when your early training sessions begin to pay off. Depending on your puppy's coat texture and stage of development, mats and tangles will begin to develop behind the ears and on his underside. You're in for a terrible ordeal if you have not taught your puppy what grooming is all about. Sometimes it hurts when mats are taken out. Sometimes you need to use both hands to loosen the mat and remove, and if you have to hold the puppy down, try to reach one of those hard-to-get-at mats, and remove the mat all at the same time, you are in for an unpleasant grooming session. Neither you nor your puppy will enjoy it. And, for the puppy at least, the unpleasant experience will be remembered the next time and the struggle will begin again.
Both you and your Lhasa will enjoy the grooming sessions which will be so much a part of your lives together. If you take time now to teach the puppy what is expected of him when it comes time for grooming, you will be so much better off. The younger you start, the more accepting the puppy will be. The old sayings about an "ounce of prevention" and a "stitch in time" may be trite but they are certainly true in this situation.
Please note: Permission to reproduce and/or circulate information in this article is granted. However, the article must be disseminated in its entirety and credit must be given to Joyce Johanson, Joyslyn's Lhasa Apsos. Thanks
Let me add to this that I am not just referring to people who show their Lhasas. Every Lhasa needs grooming, whether a family pet or a show dog. Even if you take your Lhasa to a groomer, it is your responsibility to train the dog to be groomed. Your groomer will love you for it!! And your Lhasa will be happier also.
That's it for today!
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