Life of a Show Dog
Ever wanted to know what goes into taking care of a show dog? Well here’s your chance! It’s a lot of maintenance, time, and all around fun. I am so excited to introduce Really and Figgy, 2 female Tibetan Terriers.
Really is 11 years old and Figgy is 2. Really is retired from the show business but Figgy’s career has just begun! Before I go into detail about their visit, let me tell you about the breed.
These dogs can range from a weight of 18-30 pounds and are expected to live 15-16 years. They can be athletic and agile but at the same time have the deposition of being highly relaxed. Tibetan Terriers are companion dogs that thrive off of human interaction and want to be with you at all times. They also make great loyal family dogs! As you can see from their long hair they do need constant grooming unless you decide to give them a puppy cut hair style. They can be stubborn and timid with strangers if not socialized enough but if you introduce them to people and other dogs at a young age this can be avoidable. For more information on Tibetan Terriers please click here.
My favorite part about watching these 2 loving dogs was seeing Figgy and Mia play together. Since Mia is 3 and Figgy is 2 they both were very playful. It’s always a splendid feeling seeing your dog grow a relationship with the dog you’re sitting.
The video above always makes me laugh. The 3 of them tried so hard to be good guard dogs with their tails wagging. So cute!
Watching 3 dogs at once can be a challenge at times. When one dog starts barking the other 2 join in. They all want to be a part of whatever action is taking place. If one dog sees something out the window, they all need to rush to the window! It reminds me a lot of how children act when they feel like they are missing out on something.
We aimed to groom each dog every other day. The grooming sessions took around 10-15 minutes a day per dog. Brushing is key important to avoid matted fur that can be created. Matted fur is basically densely tangled clumps of fur in a pet’s coat. Sometimes matted fur that is severe needs to be shaved off which is always what we want to prevent.
When brushing the fur you should always spray/wet it down. Once this is done you can begin to brush the hair from the bottom to the top. Why do we start from the bottom and move our way up to the top? If you start from the top you will be pulling on the dog’s hair, which is uncomfortable and painful. When you start from the bottom make sure to do it in smaller sections and be gentle. You do not want to make brushing a negative experience.
We also managed the pigtails on their heads. This helped keep the fur out of their eyes so they can see. We used a small rubber band to make the pigtails. When changing out the rubber bands to redo their hair, never pull it out. Make sure you use a scissor and cut it off. If you pull out the rubber band you will cause knots and discomfort to the dog. After the rubber band is out I would gently brush the area and add the pigtails back in.
Everyday we would take them on a pack walk and bring them to the fenced in dog park on our apartment complex. This gave each dog a chance to run around and be in fresh air.
When dogs have longer hair sometimes going “Number 2″can make it get stuck in their fur. This is something we of course always would like to avoid but the fact is it’s something that can happen and is common. When this occurs I would put them in the tub but not fill it up. I would fill a cup of water and start to rinse off their rear end and shampoo it out until clean. It shouldn’t take that long, maybe around 5 minutes tops.
Some of the most precious times are when they all took afternoon naps together.
I simply enjoyed watching these gals! It was so delightful seeing Mia gain more friends and having them keep me company during the day. They were complete love bugs and though they had a lot of hair to groom their personalities were so easy to care for!
I can’t wait to talk about the next dog/s I watch! Stay tuned 🙂
Until next time,
Chelsea
