Here are some things to keep in mind about grooming your Lhasa:

1) Brush the coat in layers.

2) Lightly spray each layer with a detangler or conditioner before you brush through it. This will lubricate the hairs, cut down on static, and make removing tangles easier.

3) Turn your wrist down and toward you when you reach the coat ends. Don't flick the brush upward. That practice tends to break coat ends.

4) Avoid using a comb on the ends of the coat. Use the comb to loosen mats and to work loose hair through the coat, but when you get it near the ends, use a brush. It's easier on the coat.

5) Avoid using a slicker brush. It's too easy to abuse the coat with one if you don't know how to use it correctly.

6) Brush the coat gently. If you rip through it, you'll rip it out.

7) Don't brush a dirty coat. Rinse any dirty or sticky areas with water or wash them with a rinseless shampoo before you groom them. Such areas include the mustache, the loin area on a male, and the rear end if there are particles from a stool stuck to the hairs. A male often gets urine on his side coat in the loin area. Never comb or brush through it without rinsing it. It's sticky and breaks easily.

8) If your Lhasa gets a stuck stool, don't think, "I'll just wait until it dries and then brush it out." You'll wind up brushing it out along with coat you can't afford to lose. Shampoo the offending piece(s) from the coat and condition as necessary.

Joyce Johanson has owned, bred, and shown AKC registered Lhasa Apsos since 1973. The Joyslyn's Lhasa Apso web site contains many resources about the breed. Please visit http://www.joyslynslhasaapsos.com to read more grooming tips, to find links to valuable resources, to see pictures of lovely Lhasas, and to link to Joyce's blog.