Hairy head Sam

[Sam I Am]

So I am trying to groom Sam myself and I must admit it isn’t going all that great. The biggest problem I am having with Sam is his belly hair, his fluffy pantaloons and his hairy face. If I try to do a manual strip with my fingers on any of these areas you would think I was amputating a leg with the response I get from his nibs. Can I use the Mars comb these parts? Any suggestions would be great.

[sanford]

In their younger days I was able to do a decent job with Mars on faces, heads and pantaloons. But with age, (or maybe due to repeated Mars use?) the coarse texture of their coats thinned somewhat and Mars wouldn't work as well. I was never able to use Mars on their bellies... The hair there was always too fine and too short. The skin on their bellies seemed too sensitive for me to try hand stripping, so I resorted to trimming it with thinning shears. My attitude is that nobody should have any business looking down there anyway!

P.S. You might already know this - but I had to be shown - One secret to having them tolerate hand stripping is to grasp and pull as few as 4 or 6 hairs at a time. I know it's tedious, but I watched pros do this and it worked for me, particularly in sensitive areas.

Edited January 18, 2019 by sanford

[bradl]

I concentrate on the jacket (and head)  for plucking and have no guilt using thinning shears elsewhere. Non-show of course. 

[Idaho Cairns]

I can't offer a thing--our girls are horrid when it comes to grooming--they use every tactic in the book, both passive and aggressive to prevent being groomed.  I'm thinking that if you are going to hand groom your Cairn you need to start early and often with your dog--habituate it to the process from the get go.

[Sam I Am]

I know Sams breeder has suggested she show Sam for me as she feels he would well, however that of course takes many hours of grooming and given how badly he reacts I have recently decided that I don’t want to put him through that. I will as suggested resort to the thinning shears. Sam i think appreciates your comments. Something Sams breeder did comment on though, and I find this interesting that intact males do not have the thicker /wooly that neutered males have. Also that dogs that have a tendency towards being a bit chubby are less tolerant of having their coats stripped due to the fact that fat has a lot of nerve ending..mmmmmmm I think Sam must have heard her say that because he is a lean dude. Anything in his books to make a fuss about being groomed. 

[Guest dog person]

I use a variety of combs, brushes, rakes and the Mars for grooming.   My dog loves being groomed and cooperates fully.

I give the dog a quick brushing/combing every evening, especially in the summer to check for ticks.

A more thorough grooming once a week.

My dog is not intact but is lean and mean and has no wooly (whatever that means).  He has  beautiful thick hair.

Anyway, I don't spend a lot of time in that area (private male parts) just keep the area clipped short and clean.  I think the combs (wide and narrow) work best for private areas and legs where the hair is thinner.  If you find a knot just cut it off.

I assume you all know that the Mars blade has to be replaced every so often depending on how often you use it.   It gets dull and hurts.  I could be wrong, correct me if you know.

PS: I am back from my appointments and decided I would like to post.

Oh, I remember now, the male or two I had that was not neutered used to get real stinky and sticky down there every now and then, spontaneous ejaculation, it happens, especially if they smell a female in heat, even a mile away.  

Edited January 18, 2019 by dog person

[Guest dog person]

Here is the rake I like   https://www.chewy.com/pat-your-pet-two-sided-undercoat-rake/dp/153602

[Hillscreek]

Cairn coats vary quite a bit so it is hard to say what's best. Angus has a thick soft undercoat and hard outer one. When he was with me I stripped his coat over several days taking a few hairs at a time which he would tolerate. Used a grooming table. He got more willing as time went on. Trimmed close round private area. Since he's been living with my friend he's never stripped. All she does is brush - not sure what kind of brush. Loose hair is removed. His coat nowadays is much thicker but not really long and doesn't seem to get knots. She pulls out stickers. He is no longer neat and tidy but I think maybe better protected out in the fields and in the brush and bushes and woods that he patrols each day.

 

[Sam I Am]

9 hours ago, bradl said:

I concentrate on the jacket (and head)  for plucking and have no guilt using thinning shears elsewhere. Non-show of course. 

Brad do they actually pull out belly hair and around the caboose? Doesn’t that really hurt? 

[bradl]

Caboose for sure. Dead hair comes out easily. Judges aren't looking for dense undercoat and harsh jacket on the belly, so in those areas it depends on the dog and the person grooming. 

[Sam I Am]

If I change my mind and Sam hits the show ring, if I used thinning shears on his belly hair now would he be marked down for that and is it obvious one has used shears instead of stripping?

[bradl]

On actual underbelly I doubt anyone would notice or care. However it would be noticeable from the side view if you scissored the heavier side coat so that the lines are visibly sharp and the blunt ends of coat are visible. Coat cut with straight shears is very obvious. Thinning shears are sometimes used to thin down puffy pants  but by their nature leave enough unsullied coat to not draw attention. You can probably get away with thinning shears on the lower sides as long as you don't get carried away.

Remember that all these things are to present the dog in an ideal. Some people variously can and do use every manner of shear, gel, spray and all sorts of methods that are contrary to the ideal. Some judges have dismissed exhibitors for obvious use of "product" while other are either oblivious or just feel the dog's merits outweigh it's incorrect grooming. Others hew much closer to the pure ideal of hand-maintained coat.

The "fingers-only" approach is an ideal. On the other hand I don't think I know anyone who doesn't use shears or a knife to trim around and under the feet. 

[Sam I Am]

Thanks Brad, will take it easy with the thinning shears and endeavour not to make Sam look like a greyhound.