Grooming & Coat

[darkpantherbabe]

I have kept sadie in a short coat the entire summer. Now that fall 'n winter is approaching. I am going to let her coat grow out. I live in a Mildly Cold Climate in the winter... Well okay it gets frigid when the arctic 'blast' front comes through and its below zero before windchill. should i adapt the scottish long coat for sadie or keep it a tad shorter? I live in Nebraska to give ya an idea of where we live and weather conditions... if you live in the plains/mid-west then you know exactly the type of winters we get up here.

Thanks

[Dempsy's Mom]

I let Dempsy's coat grow out all winter, maybe a little shaping. We do have a sweater, but he does not like it and he loves the cold and snow. So I do not think that coats are needed, but they are cute and Sadie may like a little style.

[KShep]

I'm also going to let Ripley's coat grow for the winter. We are still having hot weather though It's taken a while for her coat to fill out, so I'm interested to see what it will look like after a few months of "just" brushing.

[darkpantherbabe]

what tools should i start buying to be able to do some brief grooming at home instead of the costly grooming trips... ???? and how long does it normally take for a coat to grow from short(see pictures i have of her below to know what i mean by "short") to the long winter coat ????

[sanford]

what tools should i start buying to be able to do some brief grooming at home instead of the costly grooming trips... ????

Here is some info from the Col. Potter Cairn Rescue site:

Novice Grooming

by Cyndy Young

As a novice to grooming cairns myself (8 months) I thought it might be helpful for the other novices to hear what has especially helped me with grooming my own dogs. This is not intended for those that wish to show but those that have rescues like mine who present their own problems.

1. Good stripping knives. I have the fine and course McClellan's which I paid about $20 for both and it was well worth it. I hear that Mars are good also. My first knife was a Twinco from PetSmart and cost about $7. It was a good "practice" knife as it had very wide teeth and so I couldn't do much damage with it. Once you get the good knives that are very sharp you will be amazed at how much more hair comes out at one time and how much more precise you can be with it.
2. Rubber fingertips. Available in all stationary supply stores. These are great for a quick all over strip as the hairs that are ready to come out seem to stick to them. This is also good for heads if you don't need to do a show quality job. You can go around the head a couple of times pulling on the longer hairs before the 'little darlings' even realize what you are doing.
3. Stripping stone. This is like a flat square piece of lava. Some people use it for taking out excessive under coats. I find it extremely useful for my females' chest and belly. She is really sensitive here and by laying it flat on her chest and doing long quick strokes I can get a lot of hair off without her even flinching.
4. Under coats. Both of my dogs have a LOT of undercoat. Too much undercoat (besides making them look like a bear and cause the hair to curl) can impede the growth of the outer coat so it is important to thin it. If you lay the coarse stripping knife flat against the coat and pull towards you, then you get the undercoat and not the outer coat unless the outer coat is really loose. This has really made a difference in how their hair lays.
5. Slicker brush. This is the brush with all the small pins. This brush will get out the loose under coat and it really helps to smooth out or pull out the tiny mats that can often be found on the inside of the legs and chest before combing or stripping. Although in my opinion once the hairs start to mat then the hair is too long, and this long coat should be pulled out.
6. Combs. You should also have a wide tooth metal comb and a fine toothed metal comb. The fine tooth especially on the head and legs can pull out a lot of loose hairs just by itself.
7. Frequency. Whether you do a complete strip twice a year or do touch ups every week is really your choice. If you have a rescue that was never stripped and the coat looks blown (long, listless and dead) then I would do a complete strip so you can start with a fresh coat. This is also a good time to thin the undercoat so the new hairs can grow in healthy.
8. Puppy grooming. If you have a puppy then I would suggest the weekly touch ups pulling out the hair as it dies so you always have a good healthy coat.
9. Supply box. You will end up with more tools than you ever thought for these dogs that "don't shed" so get yourself a pretty little box to hold your grooming supplies in and 'grin and bear it'.

I tend to do most of my grooming while they are laying on the bed and I am watching TV so it's a relaxed atmosphere. I hope this helps you a little.

[darkpantherbabe]

thanks sanford. i appreciate this. will start buying the tools in a few weeks with my next paycheck. but since i plan to let her coat grow out into a long full coat, will be awhile b4 i have to use anything besides the slicker brush i already own.

[kittdog]

I live right by Omaha, so know our winters can totally suck! I don't strip my cairns in the winter, I'm going to do one more stripping in the next few weeks, not all the way down but thin it out and get some dead hairs off. Then I let it get thick in the winter so they won't freeze. I continue to keep their ears/head/tails and feet stripped and tidy. As long as you brush her that will get some dead hairs out throughout the winter and she'll be fine and then ready for a good stripping around April, cause we can still get those blizzards in March you know! I don't put coats or anything on mine, they wouldn't wear them anyway, but when it gets really cold and snow covered grounds they hardly stay out because their paws start to freeze. They do however love to play in snow.

You can do all the stripping by hand or with stripping knives. I like latex gloves to get a better grip and use my fingers. I have scissors for the private ears and pad hair. You don't need anything fancy.

Her coat looks pretty short, but it should thicken before we get those freezing temps. Her undercoat will thicken up as well, so it's not neccessarily the length that keeps her warm but the thickness of both her under and outer coats.

[kintra]

I'm quite the opposite. I live in the Sioux City, IA area and I tend to strip my dogs all throughout the winter. On the very cold days, they're only outside long enough to potty. For me, keeping the coats short helps cut down on tracking in snow and mess and the dogs are happier because it cuts down on the drying time and they're less likely to get those uncomfortable "snow balls" in the coat

[oscar's mom]

You can buy the rubber finger tips at Staples.

The stripping stone i use is from a drug store, get the biggest pumice stone you can find.

I use a plastic comb sometimes, but only after brushing the dog with a slicker brush.

Hope these ideas help with purchasing your grooming kit.