Every dog should be allowed and encouraged to play, run around, get dirty and explore, they are animals and it is in their nature to do so. Whenever you plan to have a bath day for your Lhasa Apso, let them run, get dirty and let it all out. Having regular baths will keep your Lhasa Apso’s coat in good and nice looking condition.
Make sure you keep giving your Lhasa Apso regular baths, that way it will become a chore and something they will enjoy doing. There are various toys you can use to make it more fun for them too! The bathing process is not hard at all, everyone can do it and it is actually a rather fun experience seeing your Lhasa Apso completely wet!
Put your Lhasa Apso in the bath and use a comfortable temperature of the water to wash them well. Using a dog shampoo, wash their coat using gentle moves and avoid circular moves because those can create tangles. You can shampoo your dog twice and then condition their coat using a conditioner of your choice. Rinse the conditioner and gently squeeze out all of the water from their fur, wrap them in a towel and let them warm up a little bit.
Many people forget how important drying is. While drying might take much more time than bathing, it is actually a very important thing you must never overlook. Most dogs like to run around when they are wet, so it is important to soak up as much water as possible with the towel before they do.
Put your Lhasa Apso on the table and spray him/her with a detangler/conditioner, this is used to prevent tangling and maintain a healthy look of the coat on your Lhasa Apso. Take a hairdryer and using the pin brush, gently part their fur over their entire body, brush and part their fur until it is completely dry. You will notice that the outer coat will always dry a lot faster than the undercoat, this is why parting the fur is important meanwhile you dry them. Those who decide not to part the fur and brush it meanwhile drying, they often experience undercoat matting.
Always brush your Lhasa Apso before giving them a bath
Brushing your Lhasa Apso before giving them a bath is a good way of loosening the tangles, getting rid of shedding hair and making bath time much easier. There are many pet salons who use a series of brushes and combs right before bathing their dogs. Their session usually includes a plastic bristle, a slicker brush, a pin brush, and a de-matting comb.
- Plastic bristle brush breaks up the mats on your Lhasa Apso’s coat.
- A Slicker brush will make sure to take out and remove any dead/loose hairs.
- A pin brush will make the fur feel smoother to touch.
- A Dematting comb removes all dirt deep within your Lhasa’s coat.
There are four products I recommend:
GoPets Professional Double Sided Pin and Bristle Brush for Dogs and Cats Grooming Comb Cleans Pets Shedding and Dirt for Short Medium or Long Hair – this is a great
Hertzko Self Cleaning Slicker Brush – this is great for getting all those nasty nits out of you Lhasa’a coat.
GoPets Dematting Comb with 2 Sided Professional Grooming Rake – this is my go-to before a bath – it gets everything out of the coat. She doesn’t like it, but a little discomfort before bath time means a nicer coat afterward. It also has over 3,000 positive reviews on Amazon
I am also going to mention Horicon Pet Premium Dog Brush Set – the set comes with Dematting Undercoat Comb, Slicker Brush, Deshedding Edge Comb, Spring Comb, Ball Pin Brush, Bristle Brush – I am including this product for anyone wanting to but a set. My recommendation is to buy individual products as you can buy the best product
Pick the best shampoo for your Lhasa Apso
Unfortunately, a lot of dog owners take no time to read through dog shampoo labels. There are thousands of dog shampoos on the market, it is really easy to say that the majority of them are not that great at all. You must take into consideration the type of coat your dog has, their skin condition, possible allergies and even shedding levels.
Today, getting a good shampoo is not a hard thing to do, it only requires a little bit of time and research. There are all types of dog shampoos out there and here is a few I found to be great for Lhasa Apso dog breed:
- Espree – Both conditioner and shampoo by Espree are a great choice for any gorgeous Lhasa Apso out there! (Chewy is offering a 20% discount on all Espree products – they are also available from Amazon)
- Buddy Wash Shampoo and Conditioner are a great choice. I personally buy Green Tea and Bergamot because of the health benefits. (Buddy Wash is also available from Amazon)
- For All
Dogkind – A wide collection of high-quality shampoos that seem to have a great effect on Lhasa Apso coat. - ColinTaylorGrooming – These products are great, they leave the fur of a Lhasa Apso silky, perfectly balanced and well-moisturized.
Drying Your Lhasa Apso
When it comes to drying
Best Grooming Life Savers:
Waterpik Dog Shower Attachment is one of the grooming tools you will fall in love with right away! Everyone knows how annoying it can be to bathe a dog without a proper shower wand. This shower attachment will provide you with full coverage and make your bath time much faster for you and your dog. You can take this shower attachment outdoors too! With 8 foot flexible hose, this shower attachment will let you easily shampoo and rinse your dog even outside if you ever wish to!
SHELANDY 3.2HP Stepless Adjustable Speed Pet Hair Force Dryer Dog Grooming Blower with Heater. This blow dryer features a rather powerful and stable motor, it will help you dry your Lhasa Apso faster than before. Aside from being powerful and very durable, this blower can be adjusted to have a different type of airflow too. Most importantly, this dryer is also very quiet, much quieter than most grooming dryers out there.
Bodhi Dog Pet Cologne is one of the things you do not really need for your Lhasa Apso, but it is certainly worth mentioning! This cologne is going to leave your Lhasa Apso smelling flawless, better than some humans even! Quickly spritz it on your Lhasa Apso and enjoy the fresh baby powder scent on your little diva. This cologne is a great way of getting rid of strong, smelly pet odors and it is also veterinary and groomer recommended!
Pet MD, Dog Ear Cleaner Wipes feature an advanced veterinary formula. Designed to gently clean, dry and deodorize your Lhasa Apso’s ears, these wipes will also reduce wax build-up and prevent various ear infections. Very gentle and safe for your Lhasa Apso, these wipes are also alcohol-free and they are non-irritating and disposable!
Not everyone feels good being a groomer to their own dog, if you are one of those people, just do not even try. If you are simply not really interested in grooming, your dog will most probably figure that out and the grooming will not go as planned. Being able to have control over how your Lhasa Apso is styled is great, but it is something you must know how to do and actually enjoy before you try. If you have a dog groomer you use and want to recommend to others – please send me an email with the groomer’s details – steve.opensourcedworkplace@gmail.com with “Lhasa Grooming Recommendation” as the title.