Long haired farm dogs - coat management?

[Texarkana]

This is Rainbow, the 9 month old wonder mutt:

She is turning into a fabulous farm dog, except… the hair. So much hair. And she hates hates hates being brushed, which is already a non-negotiable given her coat. Then on top of that, she romps around the farm picking up burrs, seed pods, mud, and whatever other nastiness she finds.

Any tips for dealing with the long haired dog who lives on the farm? I’ve tried all sorts of topicals, conditioners, and detanglers to make brushing easier and prevent her from picking up so much debris. But I’d love to know if someone has “the magic bullet” product.

Also, and favorite grooming tools? Slicker brushes are a hard no with her. She has a Furminator grooming rake she tolerates, but a metal comb honestly works best. But I’m not sure there is something better.

Thanks!

[Simkie]

Short grooming sessions and treats or whatever she likes as incentive.

Make it a daily thing, or even twice daily. Two minutes of combing before her breakfast & dinner is a hell of a lot easier to manage, for the both of you!!, than thirty minutes once a week.

My go to tool for this sort of thing is a long toothed greyhound comb. Something that goes through the layers of coat & gets to the skin, rather than something that floats on top (like a slicker.)

[endlessclimb]

Honestly, clip her shorter. You don’t have to go to a 10 length or anything, but making her an inch long all over would make both your lives so much easier.

[LaurieB]

I agree about clipping her hair shorter. I bet she’d look adorable with a short coat.

[Kyrabee]

I agree with endlessclimb. Just get rid of the hair. As she said…doesn’t have to be super short just down to manageable.

I had a cocker spaniel and he was always short. As were my parent’s 2 cockers. Unless you can keep on top of getting all the detritus out of her coat on a daily basis, it will make life much easier. I don’t blame them for not liking grooming when it is painful and a tug fest to get all that stuff out. If it is cold where you are, just get her a nice jacket.

[SinMiedo]

I clip my Aussie with a 7 blade. It doesn’t peel him, but it makes it so much easier to remove the burrs and such.
He grows a super wiry wool-like coat that’s impossible to maintain even with constant brushing and clipping has made both of our lives a lot more pleasant, lol

[Texarkana]

@Simkie

Short grooming sessions and treats or whatever she likes as incentive.

Make it a daily thing, or even twice daily. Two minutes of combing before her breakfast & dinner is a hell of a lot easier to manage, for the both of you!!, than thirty minutes once a week.

My go to tool for this sort of thing is a long toothed greyhound comb. Something that goes through the layers of coat & gets to the skin, rather than something that floats on top (like a slicker.)

We do all that! And the greyhound comb is the metal comb I use. It is still a wiggly wrestling match. She just really hates her hair tugged even the slightest. I have to use the tiniest strokes and if the comb snags anything she loses her marbles. She is such a diva about this!

[S1969]

Clipping is a reasonable option.

Metal comb is my favorite tool for all my animals. I have Brittanys, who don’t have long hair everywhere but do have long feathering. But even on their bodies (which are 1-3") it works best.

If she is double coated, I would get an undercoat rake too, which is kind of a bigger metal comb.

My dogs like being groomed most of the time; but it might be a learned tolerance. We have always had issues in the fall with the different types of burrs/sticky seeds. Evenings on the couch are spent gently combing them out. Some types of coat spray make it a little easier but nothing is perfect. Spray, let dry, then metal comb for things like this:

[Texarkana]

@endlessclimb

Honestly, clip her shorter. You don’t have to go to a 10 length or anything, but making her an inch long all over would make both your lives so much easier.

Thanks for the encouragement to clip her (along with everyone else). I know this sounds dingy but I really didn’t know if it would make that much of a difference. But it sounds like it will!

[S1969]

Oh it will definitely help. I clip my Brittanys when they are done showing because the shorter the feathering, the easier everything is - even bathing/drying. Combing burrs out of 1" is always easier than 3". You can use snap on clipper guards to help you keep it even, just shorter.

[Simkie]

@Texarkana

It is still a wiggly wrestling match. She just really hates her hair tugged even the slightest. I have to use the tiniest strokes and if the comb snags anything she loses her marbles.

Then clip her, seriously. I’d you’ve been working on this daily since puppyhood and it’s still not working, it’s just not worth putting more into it. You’ll both be a lot happier with an easier to maintain coat!

This is definitely the gotcha with the doodle dogs–the coat care is hard. Even clipped she’ll still need probably daily grooming to keep from matting, but hopefully it’ll be a lot less of a trial.

[Texarkana]

@Simkie

@Texarkana

It is still a wiggly wrestling match. She just really hates her hair tugged even the slightest. I have to use the tiniest strokes and if the comb snags anything she loses her marbles.

Then clip her, seriously. I’d you’ve been working on this daily since puppyhood and it’s still not working, it’s just not worth putting more into it. You’ll both be a lot happier with an easier to maintain coat!

This is definitely the gotcha with the doodle dogs–the coat care is hard. Even clipped she’ll still need probably daily grooming to keep from matting, but hopefully it’ll be a lot less of a trial.

It would be a non-issue if she wasn’t finding every sticky, grabby thing on the farm multiple times a day.

[endlessclimb]

That’s the life of a farm dog. It’s either that or getting in a nasty pond or rolling in something rancid lol

[Simkie]

@Texarkana

It would be a non-issue if she wasn’t finding every sticky, grabby thing on the farm multiple times a day.

I’d you do want to maintain a long coat rather than just clipping her down, shortening and thinning out her furnishings (under belly, legs, chin) and keeping a light jacket on her could perhaps reduce her collection of daily flotsam

Is she still meh about treats? That certainly makes it tougher if there’s nothing that’s really high value to entice and reward a process they really don’t like. She’s going to have to learn to tolerate some sort of grooming, be it combing or clipping or thinning!

[luvmyhackney]

Clip with a 5 or 7. It won’t be that short, plenty of hair but not enough to knot. I clip my heeler/schnauzer with a 7 and it’s the perfect length. She finds all the burrs.

[Texarkana]

@endlessclimb

That’s the life of a farm dog. It’s either that or getting in a nasty pond or rolling in something rancid lol

Life of a farm dog:

Asks to go out, I let her out. She runs out into the dark, I assume to do her business, and comes back. A couple minutes later she is following me around inside on the light colored carpet when I hear CLUNK. And out of her mouth rolls a huge frozen manure ball, leaving behind quite the skid mark along the rug.

[Bonnie2]

We call them frookies here.

[Live_Wire]

I have a long coat shepherd. She really leaned into the farm dog life, she’s filthy 110% of the time. I use a #7 on her belly, bum, and feathering on her legs. I keep her chest and her tail trimmed well with curved shears. I keep a towel hung by the dogs to dry her off if its rainy or snowy. If its damps for days on end, I force a rain coat on her. Once a week or so I will spray her down with detangler and run a pin brush through her. If she ends ups getting really wet I will also spray her down with a detangler and use the pin brush. She tolerates that much better than the comb and it keeps the mats at bay. I really only use the comb when she finds a burr brush - like the time she brought the entire bush back attached to her. It sounds like a lot, but once you get into a system its really easy. I don’t even put her away wet, either. I bought a blower and it’s been the best thing ever.

It’s pricy but the Chris Christensen Fusion Oblong brush has been my holy grail .

Chris Christensen Fusion Oblong Pin Brush

^ they also make a detangler, ice ice something? that my groomer friends recommend.

I personally have been using the Mane n Tail Pet Me spray because it’s a deodorizer too and she just permanently smells like a skunk…I do like it though because it doesn’t leave any heavy residue.

I try not to bathe anymore than i have to. When I do I use the really like Microtek shampoo. I rinse the heck out of her after shampooing. Sometimes I’ll use my fancy car wash nozzle and rinse her with vinegar after a shampoo, especially in the summer. I don’t ever skip the conditioner. I really like the Rosewater conditioner. I do not ever let her air dry, ever.

[Knubbsy]

@Live_Wire

^ they also make a detangler, ice ice something? that my groomer friends recommend.

It’s Ice on Ice spray and it’s pretty awesome. I’ve used it as a post-wash and a pre-brush with my shelties. It’s also a sunscreen (not sure how effective) to avoid fading. But for coat care, it’s really the whole schedule of matching shampoo (system) to the coat type as well as regular grooming maintenance - there is a difference to using a general shampoo-conditioner to using one designed for the dog’s specific texture.

[Texarkana]

@Live_Wire

I have a long coat shepherd. She really leaned into the farm dog life, she’s filthy 110% of the time. I use a #7 on her belly, bum, and feathering on her legs. I keep her chest and her tail trimmed well with curved shears. I keep a towel hung by the dogs to dry her off if its rainy or snowy. If its damps for days on end, I force a rain coat on her. Once a week or so I will spray her down with detangler and run a pin brush through her. If she ends ups getting really wet I will also spray her down with a detangler and use the pin brush. She tolerates that much better than the comb and it keeps the mats at bay. I really only use the comb when she finds a burr brush - like the time she brought the entire bush back attached to her. It sounds like a lot, but once you get into a system its really easy. I don’t even put her away wet, either. I bought a blower and it’s been the best thing ever.

It’s pricy but the Chris Christensen Fusion Oblong brush has been my holy grail .

https://chrischristensen.com/chris-christensen-fusion-oblong-pin-brush/

^ they also make a detangler, ice ice something? that my groomer friends recommend.

I personally have been using the Mane n Tail Pet Me spray because it’s a deodorizer too and she just permanently smells like a skunk…I do like it though because it doesn’t leave any heavy residue.

I try not to bathe anymore than i have to. When I do I use the really like Microtek shampoo. I rinse the heck out of her after shampooing. Sometimes I’ll use my fancy car wash nozzle and rinse her with vinegar after a shampoo, especially in the summer. I don’t ever skip the conditioner. I really like the Rosewater conditioner. I do not ever let her air dry, ever.

This is really helpful. Thank you!