Lhasa Apso grooming in Gloucester, MA

The AKC breed standard asks for a coat that is double, heavy, straight, hard and dense, not woolly or silky, and of good length. Grown out, it hangs to the floor and parts down the middle of the back. The head carries a fall of hair over the eyes, whiskers and a beard, and the feet are heavily feathered. The AKC puts adults at 12 to 18 pounds and 10 to 11 inches at the shoulder, so a lot of hair sits on a small dog.

That combination is why a Lhasa mats close to the skin. The dense undercoat holds the hair it sheds, and the heavy outer coat lies flat over the top, so the surface can look neat while the base felts. The AKC adds a warning that matters on a damp coast: freshly bathed hair, long or clipped, must be dried thoroughly and brushed, because damp hair will mat even when it is clean.

The fall of hair over a Lhasa's eyes is part of the breed's look, and on a pet it either gets tied up out of the way at home or cut short at the groom. The $10 face trim tidies the eyes, muzzle and ears between full grooms. The beard soaks up water and food at every meal, so wipe and dry it afterward; a beard left damp mats and smells. Bring a photo if you want the beard kept long.

Watch the eyes themselves, too. The AKC lists dry eye, cherry eye and progressive retinal atrophy among the conditions to ask a Lhasa's breeder about, and VCA includes the Lhasa Apso among the short-faced breeds whose breathing can suffer in heat and humidity. A groomer sees the face up close but does not diagnose. A red, cloudy or weepy eye is a call to your vet, and you can ask the groomer at pick-up whether anything looked different.

Brush in layers. Lift the top coat, brush the band of hair underneath from the skin outward, then drop the next layer and repeat, finishing with a metal comb that should glide to the skin. Start with the places that rub: behind the ears, the armpits, the chest and the feathered feet. If you bathe at home, rinse thoroughly, since the AKC warns that shampoo residue irritates the skin, and dry completely before brushing.

A wet coast tests that rule. Fog, rain and a walk on the leash at Halibut Point State Park, where the state requires leashes, leave a Lhasa damp to the skin, and so does an off-season run on Singing Beach in Manchester-by-the-Sea, open to dogs from October 15 to April 14 at the time of writing. Towel the coat, dry it with a hair dryer on a cool setting if your dog accepts it, and brush only once it is dry.