Know Your Pooch
VK Joshi
The writer is former director, GSI, and an avid animal lover. His understanding of man's best friend comes from over six decades of dedicated association with it
The summer has arrived, and soon I will spot many shaven Lhasa apsos, Lhasa terriers, and of course, scores of mixed breeds with long hair. Without hair, they look pitiable, and often I find owners walking these baldies with a stout harness that makes them look even more pitiable.
‘Why did you shave your beautiful Lhasa?’ I asked a lady one day. “Oh, uncle, his hair gets all tangled up, and it becomes a pain for us to untangle the mats. Shaving also keeps them cool during the summer. Moreover, our vet advised that every summer we should shave the dog,” was the reply. The same Lhasa is made to wear a thick coat right from October till the middle of March. I wish the owners of such poor dogs exchange places just for a day and then share the experiences!
When we talk of pure-bred dogs like Lhasa apsos, they have a double coat. An inner woolly coat and an outer rough coat with long hair all over. Wish the owners had read a bit about the breed they were going to acquire! The inner woolly coat in several breeds is to protect them from extreme cold. Even the Alsatians and Labrador Retrievers have a double coat. Among short coats like these two, the outer rough coat is to protect them from rain. It is a kind of water repellent coat.
Let us come back to all the long-coated dogs. They need their hair to be brushed several times a day to stop the mat formation. These grooming sessions also take care of hair floating all over the house. Grooming sessions can be made an enjoyable experience. I will share a hack for that. If you have a puppy, things are easy. From day one, just lift the pup and place him on a grooming table or any table with the surface covered with a towel to make it non-slippery. At that height, it is natural for a pup to be scared. As you place the pup on the tabletop, stroke his body with soothing words. Scratch his forehead and under the chin with your fingers gently, and keep whispering sweet nothings with a smile. After a few minutes, push a tiny bit of biscuit or any treat in his mouth and while praising him, lift him and put him down on the floor. The next day at the same time, repeat the process.
Repeat it for another day. You will find that on the third day, your pup will be eager to be lifted and placed on the table. However, on day four while repeating the same procedure, stroke his hair from the neck to the root of the tail gently with a brush. Thereafter, reward him with a treat. Use the brush once more and reward. Thereafter, just stroke his coat, reward and put him down. In four days, you have almost conditioned your dog to accept the brush.
Gradually, as the days pass, brush him in the direction of the coat and also against it. That is from the neck to the tail and vice versa. Remember, the procedure involves no shouting or rough treatment. Be happy and let him be happy too. In about seven days, he will anxiously await being brushed. Then you can repeat the process after a few hours. Gradually, you will find that he enjoys the combing sessions too. Always use a steel comb with blunt teeth. After every combing and brushing session, always remember to reward him.
Dogs have a very strong sense of association of ideas. In this case, he associates the comb and the brush with the reward. You can also use a command before starting the session. For example, when you lift him, you can say ‘Buddy, comb’ or any other command preceded by his name (I used the name Buddy). Once the dog gets used to it, he accepts it willingly and at times, even as a reward. Once your dog is groomed, he develops a shining coat, and you will be surprised that there is no bad odour either.
This training has other advantages too. For example, it is mandatory to dry the dog’s coat thoroughly after a bath. A wet dog can always develop skin ailments and further complications. A hair dryer is the best option to dry the coat. But the whining sound of the hair dryer scares the dog. For this, place the dog on the table for grooming and run the dryer away from him in the room. Keep talking sweetly to him. Stop the dryer and reward him. Repeat this daily during the grooming sessions and bring the dryer gradually nearer. He will get used to it, and the day you want to dry him, it will be child’s play.
However, a word of caution. The method described above applies to a pup of even temperament. Many dogs are shy, nervous, or vicious. Such puppies are difficult to handle. But with a bit of patience and repetition, bad-tempered puppies can also be trained to accept the brush, comb, and dryer. In case you have an adult dog, the procedure will remain the same, but the time taken will be longer. If the dog is large, you won’t need a table. You can just sit with the dog and gradually condition him to accept the grooming sessions.
A dog with a shaven coat is liable for skin infections. The coat protects him from infections and temperature changes. It is wrong to think that a dense coat will make the dog feel cooler. It is the other way round; the coat is like an insulator and protects dogs against heat or cold. By the way, dogs do not have sweat glands in their skin, hence, they are not bothered by heat. I am strongly of the opinion that the coat must not be shaved, unless due to some skin infection, the vet advises shaving a part of the coat for the local medicine to act faster.
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