Long haired farm dogs - coat management?

[Texarkana]

@luvmyhackney

So I take my heeler/ schnauzer mix to get groomed. She used to dislike strangers and it took 5 visits to get her whole body trimmed when I first got her. Now she drags me to the groomers and is fantastic. I send her with her favorite treats, but still.

Have faith if you want to go that route.

Thank you for saying this because both groomers have acted like this is sooooooo unusual and I’m a failure for sending them a reactive dog! I was super up front with them that she is a year old, this is her first grooming experience, she absolutely does not like grooming… yada yada yada. And both places were like “no problem!” Then both acted like this was so atypical for a dog to be less than perfect for the experience.

For some reason I guess I thought professionals would have experience with “green” dogs and be able to provide a positive experience.

[Alterwho]

Are there any mobile groomers in your area? It might be easier on her if she was at home.

[Texarkana]

Went to Walmart and bought some economical Andis. And I’m currently clipping her legs and belly in my kitchen with zero restrain. Hmmm.

[Texarkana]

I think I’d rather body clip a fractious Belgian with cushings than a long haired dog. But I got a lot of the missed hair off, even if it looks like it was hacked off by a blind man with a butcher knife. I ordered some shears from Amazon that should be here before the weekend is out. Maybe I’ll be able to post an “after” picture… for giggles.

[luvmyhackney]

It’s different when Mom does it. Dog groomers are terrified to correct poor pookie as well, I’m sure they have been bite plenty so a bit hesitant.

[Simkie]

This reminds me of the Warwick Schiller rabbits thing.

Along for the ride: How Much Worry Can Your Horse Handle?

You add clippers at home, it’s one rabbit, nbd. Maybe two since she’s not fond of grooming.

But the groomer is a lot more rabbits, you know? It’s

New people
New place
Weird smells
Other dogs
A bath in an elevated tub
Drying with a high velocity blower
A grooming table
A grooming noose
Being handled in weird ways
And
Clippers

That’s just a lot. It’s okay that she wasn’t okay. Baby steps if you do ever want to try again.

And hair grows back! I bet she’ll be happy with her haircut with these warm temps coming, no matter how she looks

[MunchingonHay]

OP, I really feel for you. I feel that the first groomer should have said to bring Rainbow in for baths and brush outs, nail trims to prepare for coming in to be groomed once her adult coat comes in. She had an opportunity to create a really great experince with Rainbow and she let your dog down if you ask me.

Personally, I love her shaggy head.

Groooming is not that hard, it just takes practice and the best thing… its hair and grows back! I perfer a bigger dog than smaller dogs. Its easier to do the fiddly bits like elbows and stifles on larger dogs.

[Texarkana]

This is why you let the pros do this.

[jvanrens]

She doesn’t look so bad. Be kind to yourself, you did better than the pros!

[MunchingonHay]

@Texarkana

This is why you let the pros do this.

You did GREAT! It was both of your’s first time. I think Rainbow looks great! Good Job!

Legs are hard, its easy to want to go against the hair, but you need to go with it. (unless someone with more experience states differently, that is the way I was taught 20+ years ago). When you do her feet, take your brush and brush the hair up towards her leg between her toes and then clip or use your shears to trim the hair that sticks up. That will help her paws look tidy.

Same with her face around her eyes/brows. Watch videos on YouTube. It takes practice, but its really easy once you get the hang of it.

[Saskatoonian]

Wow, surprised at the advice you got from the groomers - though not a pro myself. I have Portuguese water dogs and everything I’ve been taught is to bring them in as young as possible for bath and fluff and sanitary, and then introduce clipping later.

But on to the grooming thoughts.

Andis has lots of good videos, but mostly it’s a question of practice and not that different from clipping horses except that you go with the hair. When my guys are really shaggy, I use my not-best shears to cut most of the hair before brushing, bathing, blowing dry, brushing and clipping. Sharp blades and a clean fluffy dog make a huge difference. Be careful to check how hot the blades are regularly - it’s not hard to burn a dog. Then remind yourself of some of the best advice my breeder ever gave me: the difference between a good haircut and a bad one is 2 weeks!