A question that comes into my mind whenever I see a beautiful full bearded Lhasa Apso in all its glory and majesty rolling in the snow. Do Lhasa Apso’s have an undercoat? So I took out time to research more about the Lhasa to find if the really do have an undercoat.
Does Lhasa Apso have an undercoat? Lhasa Apso’s have a double coat. It has a soft and short undercoat which insulates it from cold, and a long, tough, weighty, straight and thick outer layer. The moderate undercoat of Lhasa Apso is a very reliable insulator which is shed in the summer to make way for the growth of a thinner undercoat. The outer topcoat of the Lhasa is rough textured, and it functions as a waterproof external jacket for a Lhasa Apso.
In warm climates, Lhasa Apso’s will likely not grow much of an undercoat compared to when they are kenneled outside in cold climates.
Though the Lhasa possesses a double coat, the outer coat doesn’t shed, just the undercoat that shed. Because the undercoat of the Lhasa is very soft with a very lightweight, it has a tendency to be airborne for quite a long period, which can lead to breathing issues for people that are allergic to dog hairs.
The fact that Lhasa Apso has its origin from an area that has freezing weather in the Himalayas is one of the main reasons that it possesses a double coat, with an undercoat that serves to protect it from that adverse cold climate.
The undercoat of Lhasa Apso does not only serve as an insulator against cold but also to give the outer coat a flat and smooth look, which enhances the overall beauty of the Lhasa.
The more healthy outer coat consist of protective hairs should look like a human hair so that when touched, you can actually feel the strands of hair separately, but the undercoat is finer and softer, so it needs to rest flat and merge into the outer coat.
A lot of Lhasa owners love to groom out the undercoat of their Lhasa to make them look good as show dogs, while this might be good, you should not forget where Lhasa Apso comes from, an area that is extremely cold, so the undercoat of the Lhasa is very important in helping the dog to survive.
Lhasa Apso is an elegant, adorable show dog, that is well-trained turn out to be a very loyal and dedicated dog to the owner. The beautiful coat of Lhasa Apso that comes in various colors is one of the distinguishing features of this adorable breeds, but there are some exciting things about the undercoat that needs to be well understood by prospective Lhasa owners.
Lhasa Apso Undercoat
The undercoat of the Lhasa is very important for the survival of these cute breeds, but the undercoat tends to cast if not well groomed almost every single day. Grooming should be done correctly, that is brushed down to the skin of your Lhasa. They undercoat of Lhasa Apso will cast when your Lhasa is changing to an adult from a puppy.
While the topcoat of Lhasa is long, dense, and feels coarse when touched, the undercoat of Lhasa Apso is soft and short. Due to the fact the undercoat of Lhasa is softer than the outer coat, you need to regularly comb the undercoat so that tangles and mats are not formed, and also if the undercoat is not groomed well, there is a tendency to have skin problems. Because Lhasa Apso has a coat that doesn’t shed much, the soft undercoat form mats easily. Because dog mats are tangled stacks of dog hair, they tend to gather dirt, other materials, and dander.
What Is the Coat Standard of a Lhasa Apso?
The ideal standard coat of a Lhasa Apso should be weighty, thick, and with a good length. The hair on the skull should be healthy, and it should fall on both sides of the head. The hair only the body should not get down to the ground, and both legs need to be covered to the toes. Make sure the hair of the Lhasa is straight to avoid curling.
The dense, weighty, straight coat of the Lhasa protects and insulates it from different weather conditions, and as a way of windproofing, a degree of felting of the dog’s undercoat is advisable and beneficial to the dog. The ideal thick, straight double coat of the Lhasa leaves the topcoat open so the shed undercoat will be remove naturally.
What Happens During the Coat Color Change of Lhasa Apso?
The changing of the coat of Lhasa is an event in their life that is bound to take place, so Lhasa owners need to get ready for what will happen during that period. The period the coat change is not fixed, but it ranges between when they are nine and fourteen months old, though in some cases, the coat of the puppy Lhasa can start changing around six months, or can be delayed till about sixteen months old. The changing is a beautiful experience. What gets Lhasa owners of Lhasa scared is the matting and the difficulty in grooming that happens in this period.
During the coat change of a Lhasa, the puppy’s soft coat is replaced with an adult’s more harsh-textured coat, and when the more- harsh coat of the adult is coming out, the soft looking coat of the puppy dies. At this point, the coat will require proper brushing, if not tangling and matting will occur, and during this period, you should groom your puppy every day to get rid of soft puppy coat that has died.
How to Effectively Remove Matting from The Coat of Lhasa Apso?
Since Lhasa Apso has a double coat, they are prone to develop mats and tangles in the undercoat if not appropriately groomed. If you decide not to use the service of a professional groomer to remove the mats and tangled in your Lhasa, then you require good mat removing tools such as mat breaker and a rake.
If you brush the coat of your Lhasa in the direction where the hair is growing from, then the outer coat won’t be cut when you use these mat removing tools.
Scissors and clippers are some other tools that you can use to remove small knots that you just need to snip out. I advise buying blunt-ended scissors to trim your Lhasa’s face and areas that have dense mats such as between paw pads.
If you want to apply an advanced method of grooming to remove mats, then you need to buy pairs of long scissors and thinning scissors to trim your Lhasa’s coat.
See also: LHASA APSO GROOMING TOOLS
Related Questions
What Is the History of Lhasa Apso?
Lhasa Apso, also known as long-haired Lhasa dog, bearded lion, bark lion sentinel dog (Seng Kye), is an old guard dog that has its origin from Tibet, in the Himalayan Mountains. This dog breed was most likely gotten from mountains wolf that was small in size, this mountain wolfs lived in that area about 4,000 years back. Some Lhasa experts are of the opinion that the local people began to domesticate and breed these mountain wolves around 800 BC. Out of all the wolf breeds that were taught at that time, Lhasa Apso is regarded as the purest and oldest. That makes Lhasa Apso in the same class with other genuine ancient dogs that are found now in the world. Some other dogs in that class are Shih Tzu, Chow Chow, Samoyed, Siberian Husky,Basenji, Alaskan Malamute, Shar-Pei and Shiba Inu.
What are the health problems of Lhasa Apso?
Lhasa Apso is a healthy and robust dog breed with a life expectancy of about twelve to sixteen years, though some Lhasa’s has been reported to live more than twenty. But just like other breeds, Lhasa Apso has its own health challenges, though none of these health issues are considered serious health problems. Some of the health problems that associated with Lhasa Apso includes:
- Hypothyroidism
- Intervertebral disc
- Hip dysplasia
- Juvenile renal disease
- Patellar luxation
- Sebaceous adenitis
See Also: 7 LHASA APSO HEALTH PROBLEMS
Lhasa Apso is vulnerable to some types of eye troubles like:
- Glaucoma
- Entropion
- Progressive retinal atrophy
- Cherry eye
- Dry eye syndrome
- Distichiasis
See Also: DO LHASA APSO’S SUFFER FROM DRY EYES?