Here is your second-to-last hint about this week’s Purebred of Interest: The coat of this breed is the sort found among animals living in high altitudes.  It’s not the Tibetan Terrier which hails from a country often referred to as the Roof of the World – Tibet.

A few breeds, like the Puli and Komondor, go through a terrible period of grooming when the dog transitions from puppy to adult coat and mats seems to form overnight –  and the TT is no different. While TTs don’t shed like some other breeds, they do occasionally blow old coat which can get caught in the permanent coat and create mats, knots, or tangles, especially behind the ears.

As adults, the breed’s profuse and protective double coat has a soft and wooly undercoat, and a thick topcoat that may be wavy or straight. It’s naturally parted down the center of the back and it’s long, but not to the ground. A totally dry coat should never be brushed, but rather, misted or dampened with a grooming spray. The coat is parted, layered and brushed section by section, always in the direction of the coat growth. It’s important to groom right down to the dog’s skin so that undercoat isn’t left matted. Knots are treated with conditioning or anti-tangle spray, then gently teased out with fingers or wide tooted combs working from the inside out (otherwise, the knot will get tighter).

Some people knit. Coated dog owners fiddle with coat. TT owners, show us your dogs, and especially grooming pictures?!

“You Are In My Spot Again” by Barbara Keith
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