Grooming questions

Hi there, Debbie, Susan here. I have a question about grooming my Gompas. My routine has been to send them to the groomer every four weeks and she has cut them SHORT. That makes life very easy. The kids missed their last appointment (story not worth telling), so they are coming up on an appointment after 8 weeks and I’m thinking…..dangerous, I know. Well, what I’m thinking is about how to go somewhere in between my traditional short short cuts and the very formal very long dooos that the show dogs seem to have and which I don’t like at all. Do you by any chance have pictures of dogs whose cuts are somewhere in between so that I might start on a new longer but not too long journey with Raji and Rinchen and Sammy and Pony (whose tail is now full and fluffy as you said it would be). Susan

I keep most of my dogs in the haircut you seem to describe. In the Apsos! Apsos! section of this blogsite, hit the Grooming link. Scroll way down the-in-need-of-editing-page and check out Aaron’s hairdo. The length on the body can be adjusted, depending on the size of the comb-blade used to set the length. Most of my dogs are shorter than Aaron, but the hair still ‘drapes’. This is my favorite Apso hairdo because it retains the look of the breed, yet is manageable. The instructions are detailed, so share them with your groomer should you decide to make the plunge. There is a point in the growing stage where the hair gets ‘snarly’ – usually at about an inch-and-a-half. Once it’s past that point, I’ve found maintenance easier than keeping the coat really short. Given that your dogs are groomed every 4 weeks, I don’t anticipate much of an issue getting them past that stage.

Anyone have photos of their favorite Apso-dos? If so, send them and I’ll share.