The Hairiest Dog in the World... grooming help!!!

[cecily]

I must look into a furminator or that other thing you mentioned Cathy.
I wonder if you can buy them over here? I'm sure they're available on the internet anyway.

Ste, luckily he doesn't pee on himself, that I know of!! He usually squats as he's been neutered, and when he does cock the leg he's pretty good with his aim Thank goodness for small mercies, eh?!

[cy1266]

I LOVE his coat! His legs are just adorable! I have a 9 month old B/T and his coat is much thicker than Miles' coat. His slippers are really long too - he's going to be a little furry monster pretty soon. I wouldn't trim Dougal if you didn't have too...I just love their long coats, but I know it's a lot of work to keep them clean and tangle-free. I bathe my boys every 2-3 weeks and brush/comb them every other days. I use a straight metal comb or a pin brush...

[Nancy]

My Ruby boy has fur like that , that I attribute to being neutered. My black and tan has a wash and wear coat, needs very little brushing. About twice a year, I take Graham to the groomer and tell her I can't stand it . He ends up looking like a cocker spaniel (that is her breed) but it's sooooooo much easier for many months.

before

after (the one on the left)

[Lisa_T]

I feel your pain. Holly is shocking that way too. Amber's coat is much thinner and would be of the 'wash and wear' kind if it weren't for her habit of chewing her hair. I have to admit they're both clipped at the moment - Amber more so than Holly, since oddly Holly has a lot of coat but its silky more than anything and it doesn't knot anywhere near as badly.

Try the furminator and if that doesn't work get him clipped - but tell them exactly what you want! I personally rather like the skinny look (for a while) and it's certainly easier. If you have a dog with really long ear leathers then it looks cute cos they look like puppies again. But if you do that it's really better to get it done all over rather than in bits if that makes sense.

[joanna]

Daisy Boo has exactly the same coat and it is just unmanageable. I would never have sent her to the groomer but nowadays it's a necessity - she is just too hairy. About twice a year I get her groomed professionally. I ask them to take all the hair on her legs including her feet because everything gets caught in them. I also get a trim aroung the rear end and a groomer can generally comb out the knots under their arms. I think it's easier when they are tied up on the grooming table. She was just done on Saturday and I can tell she feels great. Word of warning though, they look really weird for the first few days because the legs look so skinny. The hair and slippers grow back though and they look fine after about a week.

[Lisa_T]

Yes, sanitary clip is a must for hairy dogs, I think!!! Otherwise the back end just gets so matted and ewww... Smelly too sometimes, I find with Holly. Much easier to keep them fresh and clean if they're short there - especially if you have a dog with a tendency to tummy trouble.

[Davy]

What a mars coat king can do

http://www.groomersmall.com/ck_results.htm

and yes you can buy them in the uk but make sure you have the right disk number.

[Daisy's Mom]

I love his hair-- he is just the cutest little guy ever! I wouldn't trim it, but that's coming from another owner of a super hairy girl who leaves her au naturale. Daisy's tummy feathers touch the ground when she walks, and her leg feathers are about 8 inches long (or maybe more)! I love it.

I've had more than one Cavalier puppy owner say "Oh my gosh! Is my (insert puppy name here)'s hair going to get that long?!! Although I'm never sure if it's a compliment (I suspect not), I always think "Only if you're lucky!" I think Daisy's a glamour girl and I wouldn't trim her for the world. Her hair doesn't tangle too badly, though, so it might not be as thick or as fluffy as your little guy's. I give her a good brushing about every other day and that keeps the tangles managed pretty well.

When she lays down, her feathers go out on all sides and lay flat out on the floor. I always think she looks like a little Lhasa or something when she lays like that. My husband calls her "the mop." I'll have to try to get a picture of her doing that.

[frecklesmom]

Mars coat King works great on the black/tan coat-I use this on Annie and it makes a nice grooming. Using a thinning shears also does wonders for the heavy coat, I esp like to use this on her ears, hips and rump. The thinning shears I use infrequently, the Coat King fairly often it seems.

[joanna]

I much prefer them hairy too and it breaks our hearts to cut it. However, the weather is just so bad here that she gets soaked every time she goes out and she drags allsorts back in with her coat. Plus, we have a baby crawling around now too so anything that helps towards keeping the floor clean is a must.