My Lhasa Apso x pup will be 14 weeks old, this week coming and I just wondered at what age should she have her first grooming.I am brushing her twice a day now as her undercoat tends to get quite matted.Any advice greatly appreciated.

Sue

Hi Sue ,what is your dog x with ,i have a Westie x Lhasa ,and her coat is Lhasa ,at least thats what a groomer told me ,it grows very quickly ,we rescued her at six and a half months ,The girls at the rescue had given her a hair cut as i think she was in a mess when taken in to them (in fact her coat was so long they thought she was a boy ! her name was Jake ) hence her name now "Lola ",i have to have her coat trimmed (more of a cut really )every six weeks , not sure the earliest you should introduce him/ her to the groomer ,a good groomer will take things gently and slowly to get them used to everything ,ask around for recomendations as the first groomer i went to was not good at all Lola was very scared ,and allthough i told the woman she just complained that she nearly bit her ,i then found a lady localy and she is wonderful ,Lola still would rather  be doing anything else but being groomed !!!!!!! but she certainly is  not scared any more ,good luck ,and i am sure someone will be along here soon with more expert advice,Bye Sue & Lola xx

Hi Sue
Carly's mum was a Lhasa and dad Yorkie but she looks more like a lhasa I think and thanks for your reply.

Sue

From a groomers standpoint, the sooner the better!  It is so much easier to get a yong pup used to the grooming process, including clipping, nails, etc, than it is a panic stricken older dog!    Find a groomer who is happy to deal with ayoung pup, and who you feel you can trust to be kind but firm with your baby.  He needs to feel secure and confident.  A lot of parlours will offer puppy visits, so he can go in for 10 minutes and get used to the surroundings and groomer before anything "big"happens on his proper appointment.

Just to give you an illustration, my pups get their first clip/trim at 4 weeks old, first bath and blow dry the next week, and we keep up weekly clip/bath/nails until they got to new home at 8 weeks plus.  Those who come back to me for 'hairdos" usually come every 3 - 4 weeks just to keep up the good initial training.  Hope this helps
bye
Gwen

Hi Gwen ,i can testify to how good your grooming is Max looks GORGEOUS!! with a  beautiful black coat ,but i had no idea that his coat would be so thick !how would you describe his cut ,i think it would be good for Lola & also maybe for Sue's pup ! Take care i will be listening out for Hannibal again today (IS  he competing  again today ?  ) Sue & Lola xx

Thanks Gwen and Sue for your advice. I am going to the groomers tomorrow where I take Hamish(my mini schnauzer) and will see if she can give Carly a tidy up and maybe in a couple of months a full grooming session.

Sue

Hi Sue, the credit for Max has to go to Lisa, who has been caring for him.  He is in a 'puppy trim' which we find practical, but keeps the character of the breed.  Most of his family have exceptional coats - he has quite a collection of coat colours in his pedigree, and all of them were very heavily coated!
bye
Gwen

Not a relative of Beano by any chance Gwen??????
Lea :)
(who didnt have a green carpet today as gave Beano a complete puppy trim, after picking up tips from crufts on Friday!!!!!!!!!!)

No, no relation!  Beano is Buff/Black breeding, while Max is from a whole different set of blacks, mated to parti colour and chocolate!  But still great coat factor :)
bye
Gwen

Chocolates are lovely. unusual!!!!!!
Lea :)