Grooming the Lowchen
By Shelly Navarro
About the Lowchen
Lowchens, although on the smaller side of the dog scale, have rather big personalities. Often referred to as little lions, these dogs have been frisky and loving companions to both royalty and peasants throughout their history. How these little lions came to receive their signature cut is a matter of a debate, but one thing is for certain: these dogs wear their breed cut fabulously. With just a little bit of grooming, your Lowchen can wear the look of his ancestors in no time.
How to Groom a Lowchen
Mats & Tangles
To begin grooming your Lowchen, run your comb through his body, face, legs and tail to ensure there are no mats or tangles present. Be sure to check areas of high friction, such as the armpits and behind the ears, where mats are likely to form. If you do run across a mat, try breaking the mat down by slicing it into smaller pieces (always cut way from your dog’s skin) and brushing it out.
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Paws & More
Once you have confirmed the dog’s coat is free of any knotting, using a #10 blade on your clippers, remove the hair from the pads of his feet. Not only will this give him better traction when walking or running, it will also give the foot a much tidier appearance.
Next, you will want to perform what is called a sanitary trim. Take your clippers with the #10 blade still attached and clip the hair around the rectal area, inner thighs and groin. This way, when your dog does his business, it will be a much cleaner process.
Back Half
Next, locate the middle part of the dog’s tail. From the base of the tail, take your #10 blade and clip away the hair to that midpoint. There should be a nice plume remaining on the tail.
Now, feel along your dog’s sides and find the last rib on the ribcage. You will be clipping away the hair from that point all the way back. This includes down the legs up until you reach the hock joint.
Final Touches
On the front legs, clip the hair from the elbow to the knee. Once that is complete, check to make sure there are no stray hairs sticking out of place on the dog. Any out-of-place hairs may be scissored away. Once you are satisfied with the neatness of your Lowchen’s appearance, he should look just like a small lion.
Keep in mind these are instructions for a pet trim, although they do follow the pattern set up by the breed standard. Feel free to alter the length of the blade you are using, leaving the pattern shorter or longer to coordinate best with you and your dog’s grooming needs and lifestyle.
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