Shave down?
So... now I need to figure out how to do it! LOL She hates the clippers, I did some of her face already, what beautiful eyes she has! I had to give up on the clippers and use scissors with erasers stuck on the end so it wouldn't poke her. I gave her some rescue remedy and in a bit I'll give the clippers another try. They fell off the table and my number 4 blade cover broke, and the number 5 is lost, as is 2 and 3, so all I have is #1 and I might as well shave her right down rather than use the number one which won't make much difference but will slow us down considerably. My question is this.... it's been so long since I shaved down an oes, I don't remember how long it took for Micaela to go from almost bald to fuzzy, to one inch etc.... I don't want Dancer to be bald for too long! LOL I think she should have lots of coat back by winter.... but I don't remember how long it takes? |
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| Nope, not a chance this girl of mine is going to let me near her with the clippers.... *sigh* She terrified of them! They are kind of noisy, I wonder if she'd be better with it if I went and bought new ones, hopefully quieter ones! |
| I think I remember hearing that it the hair grew back at 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch a month and it would take a little over a year to get back in full coat. I am sorry you are having to wait to show Dancer, I know how excited you have been. It won't take too long for it to grow out though.
I know there are a lot of people who disagree with me, but Jack and Annabelle really don't seem affected badly by the heat. They do drink more water and we go for walks either really early or really late and they also have either a sprinkler going or in the swimming pool if they are out at the heat of the day. I have heard for a long time that the undercoat insulates them for hotter and colder temps. I don't know how true that is because when I was younger and had an OES, my parents always told me that he could see through all his fur and that if you cut the hair over his eyes the sun would make them go blind.   They shaved Harry down and left long hair in one place, over his eyes.  You wouldn't believe how long it took me to convince them that they couldn't see and that trimming around the eyes was helpful.
Dancer will look beautiful with a new haircut and it will give you some time to focus on other things while you prepare for showing later. She will do wonderful when her time comes to show, and if it doesn't she is happy having a family who loves her so much. We want pictures of before and after, I love those. Good luck, Stormi and co. |
| Some dogs really aren't affected by the heat... Mickey wasn't, I mainly kept her clipped because she was a digger...LOL .... mud mud everywhere!
I could never teach her not to dig, but by the time she was 3 or 4 I had decided to teach her to dig somehwere else, and built her her very own sandbox. She learned quickly that she could only dig THERE. She was such a space cookie, I miss her. |
| I shaved my boy Winston down in May to try to get rid of the baby coat. I spoke to a breeder at Westminster and she told me she shaved them all down to get rid of the baby coat. I was told by her that it takes about a year to grow back. My guy was shaved to the skin...and he has about 3 inches of coat now. He sure confused a lot of people as to what he was when shaved though. You wouldn't believe what people thought he was. Good luck on your decision. My dog is in and out of the house at his own leisure, and we live in the desert. I always clip them for the summer. This is the first time I ever shaved one. |
| I don't know how correct this is, but I have always been told that a dog's hair can actually be an insulate for cold and heat. By that I mean the hair in the summer helps keep the dog cooler, because it keeps the heat away from the skin. The dog may be more comfortable with shorter hair, but not a whole lot cooler. Like I mentioned, it may have no merit, but its something I have been told. I had max groomed down to 2 inches to help with his matting and for the summer so he does not get so dirty in the water etc. |
| Willowsprite,
I always thought that you couldn't shave down a dog that was to be shown - I guess I'm clueless in that area too! I know that the clippers can be frightening for a lot of dogs. Maybe if you just turn the on - without using them and distract her with treats (I know she's not very food oriented - so maybe a toy) - it may de-sensitize her to them. I wish I knew how to shave them down too - Brittney needs to be shaved too - but she can't handle going to the groomers at this point in her life (her health has declined significantly). 
Kristen |
| Aaaww I'm sorry to hear about Brittney's health. Give her a hug for me.
I have been playing with the clippers to try to get her used to the noise, I think it is helping a bit. I think I'm going to go buy new ones this afternoon though. Mine are 8-9 years old. You're not supposed to shave down a dog that is going to be shown. But, I have also heard from others, after seeing the post in this thread about it, that many do shave down show dogs right about this age to be rid of puppy coat and prevent mats when adult coat is coming in. They then wait a year and show their dogs in full beautiful coat. I think that's whats best for Dancer too. I was going to show her as a pup, but she's not ready. I want to make sure her other training issues are dealt with first. I do really want to show her, but it's not my first priority. My first priority is a happy healthy girl who will be a wonderful member of our family for many years to come. If, when she is trained, she is ready for show, then I think she will do really well. Now i just have to figure out how to shav her down! LOL I think I'll have to get my husband to help me do it tonight. And then i'll post baldy butt pics! LOL |
Willowsprite wrote: I do really want to show her, but it's not my first priority. My first priority is a happy healthy girl who will be a wonderful member of our family for many years to come. If, when she is trained, she is ready for show, then I think she will do really well.
Good for you - first things first! Well trained, happy and healthy dog sounds more important to me too! Look forward to the pictures! Good Luck! Kristen (I'll give Brittney an extra hug from you thanks!) |
| Ok.... we're on our way...lol... she looks so funny. So far my husband and I have been doing a little bit at a time. We started with her face, gave her a break, then did a bit of the top of her head, another break, then one ear, a longer break, then the other ear.... we're going to finish up her head and start on her neck, and I think it will be smooth sailing from there. She seems much calmer since I went and bought new, quieter, clippers. And maybe now that she has realized she gets a bit of roasted chicken leftover from supper each time she sits calmly for us!
It will probably take us most of the night, but I don't want to traumatize her, so we're just taking it slow, bit by furry bit....LOL |
| My God, when did I start doing this??? LOL
It's now after midnight. We're done. She's naked. My husband is falling asleep sitting up. LOL I started off taking it down to only an inch of coat, it looked great, but her front legs had so many little mats, that I thought I had gotten, as well as some on her back legs that followed the curve of her thigh close to the skin, therefore I didn't notice them with our regular grooming sessions, sooooo.... off it all went. Took the blade cover off and REALLY shaved her right down. She looks so cute, and weird. Their noses look longer without all that fur! I took some pics, but I have to shrink them down, and I'll post them tomorrow, for now we all need sleep. I don't know if she likes her hair cut.... she seems more playful, but also when she lays down seems more curled up. Maybe she always does that though and I just can't tell...LOL ... poor baby, she reallly really hated having it done. But it's done. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz |
| Okay, here goes... lol
Pics will be in the picture forum. |
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