The Tibetan Spaniel has a double coat that is thick and lush. It does shed year-round minimally with one or two actually shedding seasons, depending on the gender of the dog. The bitches can lose their undercoat twice a year, while the dogs will lose them only once during the spring or summer. The shedding season can vary based on your climate but it is usually early summer in warmer climates.
The dog does not need a whole lot of grooming unless it is during shedding season. Most of the rest of the year they do shed, but not as much. If you do not like having dog hair in your apartment, brush them regularly during shedding season. Otherwise, grooming them occasionally is enough to keep them looking good and your home from being too swamped in dog hair.
One way to keep the amount of hair down is to vacuum regularly during shedding season. This will help to collect the hair that may be flying loosely on the furniture, the counter tops, and elsewhere. The dogs can be bathed every six to eight weeks and this will also help to keep the amount of dog hair flying around your apartment to a minimum.
The dogs are more comfortable in cooler climates and don't do well in hot, humid climates. Try to keep them indoors and well hydrated. They can suffer heat exhaustion quickly and their thick double coat becomes a bit of a negative for this type of climate. On the other hand, they do very well in colder climates.
If you are the type of person that doesn't like to have fur flying on occasion, then the Tibetan Spaniel might be a bit of a disappointment. Most owners love the thick coat and the dogs do love to be groomed. They are very showy dogs and can be wonderful lap dogs too, although sometimes they are too standoffish to connect this way. It all depends on the owner and the dog as to how well they've connected.
Almost all dogs will shed, but this is a small dog with long hair, so do expect it to shed more than a short haired variety. You can get the underbelly trimmed during the summer to help relieve it from suffering under the sweltering summer heat. This will also help to lessen some of the shedding. The fur will grow back and be just as beautiful as before and the dog will love you for this small kindness. Just be sure to have it professionally done, as trimming the underside of a dog can be a tricky affair. It is easy to cut and nick the dog's skin if you shave it too closely.
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