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d you cut your cavs hair?

Adelya21

Active member
I have read mixed review about this. some say dont cut their hair not even a trim bec it grows differently and some say its not an issue. we are considering trimming our pup when he gets older and has his full coat. thoughts?
 
Trims are a necessity around here! Mine have really long ears (I love the ears!) but they end up really ratting looking on the ends if I don't trim them up a little. Feet get trimmed all the time. We live on a lot of land and they LOVE to run, run, run. Feet get all kinds of grass, sticks and burs in them if I let them grow out too long. Butts get trimmed up often too. If I let there rear ends get too long they start getting poo and pee in the fur whenever they go potty. Mine gets trimmed up about every 4-6 weeks. I've never shaved them completely but we do lots of trimming. I can't see how trimming the fur would cause any permit changed to the way the coat grows. If not done correctly I'm sure it could leave the coat uneven looking but it's not permit. Nothing a future trim done the right way wont fix. Mine have also had the feathers on there legs shaved so many times at the vets. Vets usually do a trim around just one paw where the IV goes. Looks so uneven for a few weeks but eventually it grows out. After a month or two you would never know they had there feathers shaved off.
 
I gave Bella a trim because it is very hot here. I left her ears and her feathers though.
 
A little trimming for practical reasons, such as feet and ears, is sensible. What you do NOT need to do is have your Cavalier clipped all over in hot weather - having long hair in hot weather makes no difference to your dog's temperature. On the contrary, hair trapped in the coat can help to keep your dog cool, just as it helps to keep him warm in the winter, by acting as insulation. Many people clip their Cavalier in summer because otherwise he puffs and pants when walking and therefore must be feeling the heat - then you look at their badly overweight dog and know exactly why he's puffing and panting! Nothing to do with his coat, everything to do with his weight. Apart from lightly trimming Aled's ears and feet, I do also trim his flanks because, being neutered, his coat gets very long, cottony and whispy there, so I just cut the long bits back level with the rest. Neither of mine have ever had a problem with messy feathers, but then they do both seem to have cast iron digestions and firm poos! Most of the light trimming you can do yourself with trimming scissors - we've had instances on this forum of groomers - asked for a light tidy up - who have got carried away and totally stripped the poor Cavalier! My two have never been near a groomer, they don't need it for light trimming and get bathed in the shower.

Kate, Oliver and Aled
 
Thanks! i am considering trimming my baby myself as wel. I thin he wuld probably be calmer if I did it versus a groomer. and I am definitely afraid that a groomer may be carried away.
A little trimming for practical reasons, such as feet and ears, is sensible. What you do NOT need to do is have your Cavalier clipped all over in hot weather - having long hair in hot weather makes no difference to your dog's temperature. On the contrary, hair trapped in the coat can help to keep your dog cool, just as it helps to keep him warm in the winter, by acting as insulation. Many people clip their Cavalier in summer because otherwise he puffs and pants when walking and therefore must be feeling the heat - then you look at their badly overweight dog and know exactly why he's puffing and panting! Nothing to do with his coat, everything to do with his weight. Apart from lightly trimming Aled's ears and feet, I do also trim his flanks because, being neutered, his coat gets very long, cottony and whispy there, so I just cut the long bits back level with the rest. Neither of mine have ever had a problem with messy feathers, but then they do both seem to have cast iron digestions and firm poos! Most of the light trimming you can do yourself with trimming scissors - we've had instances on this forum of groomers - asked for a light tidy up - who have got carried away and totally stripped the poor Cavalier! My two have never been near a groomer, they don't need it for light trimming and get bathed in the shower.

Kate, Oliver and Aled
 
I got a thinning scissors for dogs and this has been extremely useful. It is hard to really mess up with one. I especially find this useful on my one dog that has a heavy cottony coat and she looks great and very natural with length and weight taken out. I used to never advocate trimming but especially with girls with long coats, I trim their leg feathers and behinds and also keep feet neat (but not cut short) -- also you should always take out the fur that grows on the bottom of their feet or they get gunk caught in it and also slide all over on smooth floors.

All of this is NOT a shave nor a groomer style trim. Shaving a dog in summer as Kate says can actually cause problems as their skin is exposed -- leading to greater risk of burns and skin cancers.

It is important to get proper scissors for trimming. For feet in particular, a small blunt tipped trimming scissors -- and pet scissors all tend to have blunt ends (recommended -- very easy to have a bad accident otherwise for non-pro's).

If anyone does go to a groomer be absolutely clear on what you do and don't want done and I'd give it in writing. Too many groomers -- most! -- are clueless about cavaliers and SHAVE them like cockers. :yikes Leaving owners with months and months (even a year or more) of waiting for their coat to grow back. :(
 
Sophie is not a show dog, so practicality rules. We keep her slippers, feathers, ears, and petticoat trimmed minimally, for cleanliness and ease of grooming. Her body/torso is not trimmed, at all, as there is no reason, even when our summers get to 100 degrees F and 90% humidity. She's not running or walking in that type weather, except for potty breaks, and I've read the coat serves as insulation, even in heat. Her short nose/muzzle puts her more at heat stroke risk than her coat.
 
Picking up on Karlin's remark about the danger of sun burn, if your Cavalier has sparse fur around their nose it's worth putting a dab of sunblock on it before going out in the sun - the white parts on the face are particularly vulnerable because the hair is short.

Kate, Oliver, and Aled with the pink patch behind his nose
 
My Cavaliers actually do go to a groomer, but she is very professional and does lots of Cavaliers. For practical purposes, like mentioned by others, they get their ears, slippers and bottom of feet neatened up. They also get their feathers slightly trimmed and a sanitary cut because Stella and Laverne practically sit when they go to potty lol. I love my groomer and they go approx. every 6 weeks. I brush, spot wash and trim (if I have to) in between visits.
 
Well, my dogs are groomed, too. They get cut quite short, with long "feathers", ears and tail, for practical reasons. They are not show dogs, and I know that it's not normal to get them cut that short, but it works for us. Next time they will get cut very short; it's the day before their operation, so they need a very short shave around their bottom anyway - that way it all will grow out the same way.
 
Not sure what is meant by a 'cottony' coat, does anyone have a picture to demonstrate? I 'think' Barney has been clipped over his back and body but not under his tummy or his feathers, he does look a bit strange!!
 
What I mean by a cottony coat is that along his sides Aled has hairs that grow much longer than the others, they are wispy, not shiny, almost entirely white, and they make him look very unkempt and messy. Common with dogs that are neutered - don't know if it also happens with spayed bitches, it certainly didn't with the only spayed Cavalier I've ever owned. Can't help with a photo because I've recently tidied him up!

Kate, Oliver and Aled
 
I trim my dog's feathers around their paws and also their ears when they get a bit too long. This is purely because they're in the mud and running about so many they get them a little too dirty :) I think they look lovely after a trim, like puppies again!
 
I havnt been on here for awhile so Hi everyone...yes I trim feet legs and rear end. I don't show Star so don't see the point in maintaining a longer coat . WEnt for a walk today and he ran through some weeds and picked up a host of little sticky things..took an age to remove them all. So I will continue to do a tidy trim..or at least the Groomers will. I wouldn't attempt it myself...lol
 
Before I decided to show Lyra, I constantly kept her feet and potty areas trimmed. Her feet picks up lots of icky stuff on walks so they need to be cleaned after EVERY single walk... her potty areas too! It's such a pain to keep her fur untrimmed for showing.

When we're done with the shows I'm going back to trimming her feet and potty areas. I'll probably invest in a snood for walks once her ear feathering gets too long.
 
my groomer clippered Tilly all over her body! He admited he never listened to what I told him, her spots have gone back to puppy pale, her coat doesnt seem as smooth and is certainly not shiny. This was only 6ish weeks ago if that so just waiting for it to grow back and hope it returns to normal :(
 
I allow my groomer to trim my dogs feathers and slippers - they would probably be six inches long if I didn't. Feathers usually are at least 4 inches every time we go to the groomer! It seems to grow and grow and grow ...

My dogs have relatively short hair on their backs, so we don't touch that. I wouldn't anyway for fear it would grow back funny. I don't allow the groomer to touch ears either, they wear snoods while they eat so the ears are in pretty good shape and still even.

What I insist on is a sanitary cut as otherwise my boys get too much urine in their coats and bathing too often. With their sanitary trims this is not an issue. Also, after a recent diarrhea episode I ask the groomer to trim the back feathering on their bottoms really short so nothing gets stuck there if we have another episode.
 
I give my Cav a puppy cut - her ears and paws are all trimmed up, and then thinning on the legs and tail. I live in Seattle and the majority of the time it's very wet and rainy, so it's just easier to keep her fur short! I think she looks adorable with her short fur - but I also love the "natural" look. :)
 
Bentley still has shorter fur for a cav, at only 11 months, I just tell the groomer not to trim anything off of him aside from his sanitary area. I am thinking of doing it myself though from now on, they do not do his feet right,they always cut them super short, I personally love his shaggy toes.. (they are growing out again now cause he was at the groomers two weeks ago) Do you have to take them to a groomers? or can you DIY?
 
I don't allow the groomer to touch ears either, they wear snoods while they eat so the ears are in pretty good shape and still even.

This is a great idea!I need to get a snood, I have the groomer trim in his ears to keep him from getting ear infections.. but it thinned them out a little which was a bit disappointing.. they were so long and full before. We go to a VERY reputable groomer, they really are a lovely place but I would really love to find a groomer that specializes in cavaliers.
 
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