Category Archives: Puppy Care

Grooming Truth for a Tibetian Terrier

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This breed of dog is a smart family dog with a very high maintenance hair not fur. Just like people hair, its has to be combed daily from root to tip. Can you imagine what your hair would look like it you only combed the tips once a month–avoiding the roots?

Here is a pelt of Tibetan hair matted fused together at the roots with nice straight stands on the right side in photo where, owner was brushing without metal comb. The hair should never come off in one piece. It’s a haven for fleas, fungus, ticks and hotspots.

It seems to be a secret to prospective new owners not knowing what they are getting themselves into for the next 12-16yrs. Monthly I get stories from new clients in frustration not being told the TRUTH of coat care by their breeder. Unfortunately despite the benefits of low dander and low allergy does come at the cost of the the home grooming involved to keep your Tibetan’s hair unmatted over ½ inch long. Some say that the adult coat is easier than puppy coat to keep up but its lots of work regardless.

Here is the TRUTH:

Fine tooth metal comb, root to tip daily to three times a week depending if your dog mats in a day or a in couple of days. Using a brush alone will NOT keep mats away especially if using the wrong type of brush.

Most harnesses, clothing, flat collars, choke chains, burs, and outdoor activity will cause matting if hair is not dealt with daily.

Food and water need to be combed out of beard daily to prevent a sour mildew smell around the face area.

Grooming every 4-6 weeks will not avoid matting. Only daily home coat care will prevent this.

Common areas that I educate about matting are:

Armpits

Ears flaps inside and out

Jaws

Beard

Throat

Chest

Flanks

Inside all legs

Base of tail

Backs of legs

Ribs

Undercarriage

I wanted to blog the truth of this type of hair and know that if you are having problems with this that there is a solution that involves LOTS of daily care and detail along with the right tools. This coat care is also needed for ANY low shedding/low allergy type dog with over 1/2 inch of hair.

Labradoodle “inventor” regrets decision

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Man who ‘invented’ the labradoodle regrets decision to breed world’s first designer dog

BY Rosemary Black
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Original article found on NYDailynews.com

Wednesday, May 5th 2010, 1:57 PM

Labradoodles, a cross between a Labrador retriever and a poodle, have become a popular 'designer' breed for pet owners.

Kazmierski/Getty
Labradoodles, a cross between a Labrador retriever and a poodle, have become a popular ‘designer’ breed for pet owners.

The creator of the popular labradoodle wonders if he was barking up the wrong tree when he came up with the idea for the world’s first designer dog.

The 81-year-old Australian man says he’s not sure he made the right decision to cross a poodle with a Labrador retriever back in the late 1980s. Since then, designer mixed-breed dogs have proliferated, giving pet owners the choice among groodles, snoodles and spoodles, among others.

”Today I am internationally credited as the first person to breed the labradoodle,” 81-year-old Australian resident Wally Conran told The Australian. “But I wonder, in my retirement, whether we bred a designer dog – or a disaster.”

While working for the Royal Guide Dog Association of Australia in the early 1980s, Conran was contacted by a vision-impaired woman in Hawaii. She needed an allergy-free guide dog since her husband had allergies to dogs. Though no breed is completely hypoallergenic, Conran decided to try crossing a poodle with a lab. Once he found a trainable poodle with a good temperament, he mated it to the lab and three puppies were born. The vision-impaired woman’s husband learned that just one puppy was allergy free.

The new crossbred dog was a good fit for allergy sufferers who were vision-impaired, but the world’s first designer dog didn’t really catch on until Conran came up with a great marketing idea.

“I decided to stop mentioning the word crossbreed and introduced the term ‘labradoodle’ instead to describe my new allergy-free guide-dog pups,” he wrote.

The name caught on and interest in the labradoodle soared, but he began to worry about “backyard breeders producing supposedly allergy-free dogs for profit,” Conran wrote. He felt that he had opened up a Pandora’s box.

“Were breeders bothering to check their sires and bitches for hereditary faults, or were they simply caught up in delivering to hungry customers the next status symbol?” he wrote.

And, Conran added, “It’s not something I’m proud of. I wish I could turn the clock back.”

Important part of the life of your puppy

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Socialization is a vital part of your puppy’s existence.  Some puppies that are not socialized may have a hard time with strangers, new experiences, house guests or family members.  Some do end up in shelters after dealing with a variety of behavior problems.

I have met many owners who chose not to socialize in the effect that they plan to have a dog as a protector.  A social dog can do the same when he senses fear or danger but also be gentle enough with a new experience of a newborn or someone watching your dog when you are out of town.

Puppy classes are a great way to help with these important beginnings in a dogs life.  I highly recommend a puppy class for your new little friend.

Grooming for your puppy

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Bringing in your puppy before its completed its vaccinations may not a good idea and most reputable salons wouldn’t allow it due to the safety of the puppy. Parvo can kill a puppy in one week if not detected and other viruses can be just as deadly. However frequent home grooming practice is better than a one time visit at a groom shop every 4-8 weeks.

Combing and brushing two times a week is important. Root to tip, head, ears, face, tail, legs, all over. Most puppies will try to nip or scream, try to make them comfortable but also be focused. Make it rewarding with treats or with praise with what the puppy will allow. Give breaks if necessary.

Getting your puppy used to having its feet and nails touched. One helpful tip is to tap the nail with a pencil or pen, one by one just to get it used to the act of being handled in the future. If you are not able to trim the nails for whatever reason then when the groomer does it for the first time, it will be routine for your dog’s feet to be handled and not as traumatic.

For long haired dogs, trimming near the eyes may be apart of its future. One of the scariest tasks to trim near the eyes of a wiggly puppy with scissors or thinners hoping that no accidents happen. A helpful tip is use your fingers to piece the hair together near the inside corner eye including wiping any debris. Doing this two times a week should make an impact.

If a client works with their puppy two times a week=8 times a month, it definitely shows. They never put up a fight or flinch, for them its routine by the time they see a professional groomer making a comfortable situation for everyone.