When starting to groom a young puppy, I usually sit down with my legs out in front of me,together
I then lay the puppy on his/her back in the crease formed by my legs. This is quite a relaxing position for the puppy and affords good control over its movements. In this way I can thoroughly groom the legs, stomach and (rolling the puppy slightly) its sides.
Comb right to the skin and in the elbow creases where mats commonly form. If puppy objects, a little shake of the front legs, to get his attention and a firm no, or settle,usually works. If he continues to struggle, just remain still whilst keeping him in the position and he will soon realize what's expected of him.
I cannot stress enough how important it is to be in charge, be firm but kind.
(This position is also good for trimming their pads & nails whilst being trained.) Sit the puppy up to groom his head, front, topcoat,bottom & tail.
Eventually you can progress from your knees,to lying on a grooming table, by which time you will be able to groom him in any position with his full co-operation.
I always groom with a pin brush and wide toothed metal comb, Dog groomers will use a soft slicker brush, but I would suggest novices use slickers with extreme caution so as not to scratch the dog's skin.
It is helpful to use a slicker on a thick coat or if a dog is very knotty as sometimes using a comb in this situation will pull out more coat than necessary.
I know some breeders like to use a good quality bristle brush (Mason Pearson or similar) also.
Experiment with these tools to find what works for you & your particular dog's coat. I try to use very little in the way of grooming spray, & stay mainly clear of silicon type aerosol sprays as they build up in the coat although they can be useful on a heavily knotted dog, I use them occasionally but sparingly.
If you are bathing and grooming regularly you will only require a light conditioning spray or try a little Neutrogena Body Oil on trouble spots if you need some grooming help!!

I usually groom my apsos before they're bathed, but I do know some who prefer not to, I would usually only put them straight in the bath if they were very dirty, as grooming beforehand would then remove too much coat.
I shampoo & rinse twice, (the 2nd time very thoroughly) and follow with conditioner before giving a final good rinse.
When bathing lather the body first and the head last, then rinse the head first so the soap is near the eyes for as little time as possible. Try not to tangle the coat together as you lather, instead, smoothing it down the hair shaft.
Squeeze the coat out so its not dripping and then towel dry going with the lay of the hair, so as not to encourage it to knot.
Groom as you blow dry using a pin brush, stopping regularly (if you're using a hand held dryer) to groom through the area you've dried.
I find it helpful to use sectioning clips to dry the coat in layers, starting with the hind end and working forward, I then lay my dogs down while I blow dry their legs and tummies, then stand them back up to dry the front and head and lastly the bottom & tail, that way they are left with absolutely no knots.
If you need to bathe in a hurry, using a human two in one shampoo once in a while won't hurt. Organics is quite good but I wouldn't use it when bathing a dog for show.

If you are not growing your Apso's coat then you will need to book in at a groomers every 5-7 weeks depending on how fast/thick your dog's coat grows.
If you want to try growing the coat then it is still advisable to clip or scissor the dogs tummy up to the umbilical area, a little of the inner thigh, plus the anal area for hygiene purposes.
You will also need to trim the hair that grows between the dog's pads, don't scissor actually in between the pads unless they are matted, just cut it so you are level & neat, feel in between the pads to check there are no knots or foreign bodies that will cause discomfort. Try to use the tips of the scissors rather than the length of the blades & only use small scissors.
When the leg hair grows long then you will need to trim around the feet. Stand the dog up and brush out the legs thoroughly. Pin up any body hair that obscures your view, you need to carefully determine what is leg hair & what is body coat, comb down the legs & trim round the foot, go slowly and don't trim so short that you can see the nails. You will need to comb as you trim and once you've done the top layer use your hand to push in that top layer of coat exposing the layers underneath for you to trim.
To trim the inside legs pick up the opposite foot & hold the dog steady, comb out & scissor. Remember to trim the backs of the legs, but take off less here as the coat should flow behind the foot a little, both at the front and rear. Once I've done the main trim I pick up each foot and trim off any obvious bits I've missed.
When the dog's body hair grows long it should be trimmed back so it just touches the floor/grooming table, as the head coat grows you need to part it down the middle and tie it back with dental bands from a groomers suppliers or small soft toweling bands.
If you make sure the hair at the outer eye corners isn't in the bands the dog should not rub it out. You can see now why apsos, whether you keep them long or short, need to get used to being handled.
A breeder will trim nails, feet, check teeth etc from a couple of weeks old & it is important that you continue to train them to behave whilst being groomed from the moment they become yours. That way a trip to the groomers or vets will not be a stressful experience for them.

Apsos grow hair right inside the ear canal & if this is not regularly checked and removed, then your dog could end up with an ear infection.
About every 4 weeks look inside the ears & gently tweeze out any excess hair, using tweezers or fingers if you prefer.
Pull only a few hairs at a time and get as close to the roots as possible, wiggling the hair as you pull, will help loosen it.
To aid this process you could put a little ear powder into the ear, which will help you grip the hairs.
If the ear seems waxy put a few drops of ear cleaner in and gently massage the base of the ears to distribute, wipe away any discharge with cotton wool or buds, but don't poke down the canal, as the ear drum is closer to the surface than you think.
Should the dog's ears feel hot to the touch, be very itchy or smelly, the skin thickened or inflamed then this is evidence of an infection and your vet should be consulted.

Apso eyes do tend to protrude a little and many will have some discharge from the eye corners. This is not a problem unless it is greeny or yellow in colour or the white of the eye looks red or inflamed.
These are both signs of infection & will need vets advice, normal discharge can be just wiped away with damp cotton wool.
Keep the coat tied back or clipped away from the eyes at all times.
Lhasa's are prone to red staining around the eye caused by tear flow and due to the positioning of the eyes in the dog's skull. The staining is not usually a problem although it can be unsightly when showing a dog. A little cornflour can be applied to the coat, left to dry and then combed out.
This will help improve the appearance of the stains.
If you are worried that the tearing is excessive then you may wish a vet to check that there is no underlying problem, but generally if the eye is not sore and the skin where the staining occurs does not seem irritated then I wouldn't worry.

As with most small breeds, tartar will form from quite a young age. Although you needn't worry too much about the baby teeth as they're not permanent, it is the time to introduce brushing.
Your puppy should have lost all their baby teeth by about nine months old. If they haven't, or aren't looking like they may come out at any time, then a vet may have to remove them so they don't hinder the normal placement of the adult teeth or lead to gum disease/decay.
If you have the patience I would definitely recommend regular teeth brushing sessions or try Logic Oral Gel, this is just popped in the mouth, with no brushing required.
Giving the dog good quality chews designed to clean the teeth will help, although it is not suitable for dogs in full coat, as they'll just chew the hair off with it!!
Many people also find the homeopathic remedy Fragaria 6C or 3C useful in reducing tartar build up. One tablet popped on the tongue, once a day for a month & then once weekly, (for dogs 2+ yrs)
This does make the tartar easier to remove.
As with all homeopathics avoid touching the tablet with your fingers, it may be more effective if you don't give the dog food or drink for a 15 min period before or after.

This Grooming Information is for general gidelines only and is open to personal interpretation, (originally compiled/written by)