To Groom or Not to Groom

[LizzieP]

Finnegan, 6 mos. old, does not take to grooming. He is more than happy with his scruffy look. I do brush him, trim his nails and fur around feet and eyes, but the slicker brush and stripping tools are out of the question. What if I don't groom? His fur is very wirey (sp?) and coarse and he does look very much like a yak or a musk ox. Will it hurt his coat in the future not to strip? Also, when I tug gently on his fur there are no loose hairs and when I comb there is very little hair that comes out. Any advice?

P.S. My dh and I think he's very handsome with his "bad boy" scruffy look.

[Catfish1]

I go round and round with this grooming question too. We brush and comb Fergus almost every day. He loves it and it's part of his daily "relaxation time" with us. Being that we do it so often, very little fur comes out with the comb.

We go to a groomer to have his nails clipped as well as feet,ears and tail trimmed. I use the grooming knife, a little, especially around the ruff of his neck and back haunches. He doesn't seem to mind that. Fergus has a sort of Yak look going too. I'm not really sure and maybe someone else can jump into this discussion, but I believe, at some point, these dogs need a total stripping in order for new, fresh and healthy coats to grow in. I've read that it should be at least once per year. Our groomer has offered to strip him and we have him scheduled for tomorrow. I'll reserve my opinion on the value of total stripping until I see the result tomorrow evening.

Fergus & Alf

[wellygoggles]

I hope you take before & after pics of Fergus.

I've recently started using the Mars Coat King on my 1 year old Fergus and it's so simple - just like brushing him really - and now he isn't so scruffy. I'm not sure how to tackle the underside of his tail though as it's very long.

Personally I prefer the new tiday looking puppy.

[Catfish1]

Rene....for the bushy tail, eyebrows and the fur behind the front legs, I use regular barber thinning shears. They do a nice job of cutting without the "straight cut" look of ordinary scissors.

Alf

[wellygoggles]

Cheers Alf - I'll try and find some

[Eliz222]

Hmmm..thinning shears...I'll have to try that! Can you buy them in any store like Target or Petsmart?

[kayharley]

I have a question about the thinning shears...

Do you cut only in one place one time to thin it out or do you go over the same exact spot a few times to actually "cut" the hair?

I found the thinning shears to give a more "fluff-like" appearance when actually I wanted to shorten some stragely/long hair.

I'm not always the sharpest tool in the box.

[Tracy A.]

I have a question about the thinning shears...

Do you cut only in one place one time to thin it out or do you go over the same exact spot a few times to actually "cut" the hair?

I found the thinning shears to give a more "fluff-like" appearance when actually I wanted to shorten some stragely/long hair.  

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I have two different kinds of thinning shears, one with only one toothed blade and the other straight, and one with both blades toothed.

I found that if I cut with regular shears first to trim, then go in with the thinning shears to blend it goes a lot faster. I just comb out the hair and cut downward to blend. I also found that a coarse stripping knife on the legs works really fast and blends well.

I do a bit of hand stripping to, legs are harder- but I can do it while they are sleeping.

Question: Does anyone else have an issue with the grooming tools being chewed on? If I posted a picture of my grooming tools you wouldn't believe gnaw marks.

Tracy

[Catfish1]

Hey Gang...in answer to your questions about the thinning shears

Elizabeth,..Ive seen them in the pet section of WalMart. They didn't look like they were very good quality though. Mine are a pair of professional shears my Mom used to use on my hair ( Yeah..I was one of THOSE kids) You might want to ask your hair dresser where you can get a good pair.

Kay... I don't use the shears like a barber would. I let the Mars Coat King thingy do the thinning. Rather, I use the shears like regular scissors to shorten the long hair, but leave it uneven and natural looking. Tracy...your cutting method sounds excellent...I'm going to to follow your instructions next time I try it. I never heard of the one sided shears...I'm sure they would work great!

Today is Fergus' big day at the groomer......Wish him luck!!

Alf

P.S. Fergus refused to sign this...he hates grooming.

[Tracy A.]

I bought both pairs of my thinning shears at Sally Beauty supply. I think they have stores in most states.

Tracy

[purebella]

I find that Bella hates getting groomed and bites the combs all the time!!! I do around 15 minutes then I have to stop.

I am hoping she will get better with age.....just like a good wine!!!

[Lisad]

My pup is just about to turn nine months old and I too have NOT stripped him yet. I am going to...it's just a question of when. I believe Brad had said that it is wise to strip the pup once by hand if possible and then the Mars Coat King (and other tools) will do a pretty good job from then on (I hope I am not misquoting).

BTW, Raddy, your Bella will quiet down and probably enjoy the brushing and grooming when she gets a little older. My pup also used to bite the grooming tools when he was a little guy but now, he falls asleep while I brush him.

[purebella]

BTW, Raddy, your Bella will quiet down and probably enjoy the brushing and grooming when she gets a little older. My pup also used to bite the grooming tools when he was a little guy but now, he falls asleep while I brush him.

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glad to hear the is some light at the end of the tunnel~

[savannahsmom35]

Savannah still tries to bite at the brush sometimes and she is a year old. This happens much less often than when she was a pup. Now all I do is say "No" and she will usually stop.