Grooming a Lhasa Apso

Nappanee, Indiana, resident Dave Chupp breeds and raises puppies. Dedicated to ensuring that the puppies stay healthy, he and his family provide them with plenty of socialization. Dave Chupp breeds a wide variety of dogs, including French bulldogs, Havanese, and Lhasa Apsos.

A small and hardy breed, Lhasa Apsos require frequent bathing and grooming to ensure their coats stay healthy. Their coats should be brushed with a coated metal pin brush every day to prevent matting and tangles. Daily brushing sessions can be fairly quick, but a more thorough brushing is needed at least once a week. 

Detangling spray can help greatly when brushing through the dense fur or breaking up matting. Severe matting may need to be cut out with blunt-tipped scissors or broken up with a special mat-breaker brush. When brushing, attend to fur around the dog’s feet. Clipping a Lhasa Apso’s fur regularly will make brushing easier.

Beyond brushing and clipping, Lhasa Apsos need to be bathed every four to six weeks to keep their coat clean and soft. Shampoo should be applied and moved through wet fur in a downward motion to prevent tangling. Use a rubber curry brush to make it easier to get shampoo throughout the dog’s thick coat. Conditioner should be applied in a similar manner before the coat is completely rinsed and dried. 

Lhasa Apsos also require routine eye and ear care to remove stray hairs and prevent infections. Tearing stains can be removed using special eye washes or eye wipes found at pet supply stores, and long fur can be kept away from the eyes using a barrette.

The Akita - a Complex and Devoted Breed of Dog

Maintaining an established Indiana dog-breeding business, Dave Chupp raises puppies of a variety of breeds, including Havaneses and French bulldogs. Dave Chupp also breeds Akitas, which are originally from a mountainous region of Honshu in Japan.

A complex breed of dog, Akitas were initially bred from hunting dogs in the 19th century and used as guard dogs. The first Akita registry was created in 1929, and a standard was introduced in 1937.

Unfortunately, the ravages of World War II brought the Akita lineage close to extinction. After the war, the few surviving pure-bred Akitas were identified, and breeding continued.

Calm and dignified, the Akita has a personality that many characterize as determined and courageous. Reserved among strangers, Akitas are protective without displaying aggressive traits, unless they are provoked.

The Akita can be aggressive with other animals, however, and with other Akitas of the same sex. As a result, one Akita is often kept as the sole family pet. Akitas require a firm owner who maintains status as the alpha in the "pack," and in return, the dog will provide unstinting devotion.