Tibetan Terrier grooming in Gloucester, MA

The breed standard describes a double coat with a soft, woolly undercoat and a profuse, fine outer coat that may be wavy or straight but is never silky or woolly. It is long, but should not hang to the ground. A fall of hair covers the eyes and foreface, the ears are heavily feathered, and the tail is heavily furnished and falls forward over the back. The AKC adds that texture varies from dog to dog, from softer to harder and from more to less prone to matting.

Puppies start with something different. The standard notes that a puppy's coat is shorter, single and often softer than an adult's, so a young TT's grooming changes as the adult coat grows in. The AKC makes a point that reassures new owners: the flowing coats seen at dog shows are not the only option, and under the hair is an agile, versatile dog with a coat built for everyday life, its woolly undercoat resisting moisture and holding warmth.

The standard calls the feet unique among dogs: large, flat and round, producing a snowshoe effect that gives traction, with thick pads heavily furnished with hair between the toes. It adds that this hair may be trimmed level with the underside of the pads for health reasons. On a Cape Ann winter walk that furnishing gathers snow, which can pack into hard balls of ice between the toes until the dog stops and lifts a foot. Trimming the hair level, as the standard allows, leaves the snow less to grip.

So ask for the pad hair to be trimmed at every full service, level with the pads and with the foot outline tidied, so your dog stands well down on its pads as the standard describes. Salt is the other winter problem. The hair holds road salt from Gloucester sidewalks against the skin, so rinse the feet in lukewarm water when you get home and dry between the toes.

Brushing a TT well means parting the coat and working from the skin out, a section at a time, with a pin or slicker brush followed by a metal comb. Start behind the ears and under the collar, then the armpits, the chest and the legs. The AKC makes a case for doing it yourself even when a groomer handles the cuts: it strengthens your bond, it is good training, and it is a way to keep track of your dog's health.

Water needs attention too. Once a TT is soaked through, the dense double coat takes a while to dry, and the AKC's drying advice is to dry thoroughly to keep mats and skin trouble away. From April to November, check the feathered ears and the furnished legs for ticks after walks on Dogtown Common or the trails at Ravenswood; a tick is easy to miss in a long coat unless you part it.