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Twigs/Leaves in Coat

joandesan

Well-known member
Hi Everyone-

I have a one year old CKC, Bosco, who loves to go the woods with me. There is a trail and Bosco pretty much stays on it, but he still manages to get all sorts of leaves/twigs/burrs tangled up in his fur, usually in the hind quarters. It bothers him to the point where he will sometimes just sit down, as I think he thinks he is getting attacked from behind (he can be a little jumpy at times). In these instances, I will call him over, pull off the leaves/twigs/whatever off him, and he happily romps away. It gets a little tiresome repeating this exercise through what should be a nice walk in the woods.

Here's my question...Do any of you trim the fur to stop stuff from getting stuck in it? He's got a beautiful coat and I would have to cut/shave, but how else can I prevent our walk from turning into 10-15 mini grooming sessions?

Thanks for any suggestions you can provide.

Joan
 
Could you try trimming just around the bum/underneath area? That way you wouldnt really be destroying his coat but may prevent some of the debris from getting stuck in there.
 
I do trim his butt area and also his feathers (a little). I still have this issue though. I was thinking of getting more trimmed off though because my guys like to eat the leaves and I'm concerned that some of them may make them sick.
 
Hi

I go through the woods with my four girls and I keep them all in full coat and I would never ever start trimming unless theres gum or
something there ,the only way is slowly slowly groom them gently Every night it takes me an hour to an hour to an hour and a half and often
longer if they have been someplace and picked up a lot and its also every night .I just view it that every minute with my girls whatever I do is quality time for me .

It may be tiresome picking twigs and the like out which I do with my Lily but its an accepted part of the walk and fun ,and as I say all
my girls have full long coats .
 
I brush Fletcher out every evening really well. Now that we have a lot of fall leaves in the ground he seems to thing they are super fun. It does not bother him tho so I don't worry about it. Clipping your cavalier's coat is a total personal decision. I'm hoping as Fletcher gets older and his coat really grows in I can manage it easily if not I would rather look into some cutting I'm sure there is a happy medium. Funny tho this morning Mr. Monster finished his pancakes and for some reason only a 4 year old would know he put his plate in his chair and walked away. Well Fletcher was not going to let that opportunity pass him by he jumped right up and licked the syrup off the plate. When he did he got in all on his ears!!! The rest of the morning he was trying to lick/chew the syrup off his ears. LOL silly pup I brushed them out but he still needed a wet cloth to get it all.
 
If you sew or know someone who does, maybe you could make him a "coat" for woods walking time? Like out of a net material (I think they make drying coats out of it?). I have Rose "snow clothes" that cover her long fur, so she doesn't get "snowballs" in it when we actually have snow. Works well, and it's not a heavy material, so she doesn't get hot. This link has a pic of the material type I'm thinking of: http://www.cavaliertalk.com/forums/showthread.php?38987-Pics-of-Polly-and-her-new-drying-coat


 
I have never trimmed Luke, and he gets the stuff in his coat too. I just brush him out every night when we get home. One time he stepped in something that took us 45 minutes and two people to remove completely. For the winter, I have a snow suit for him that goes down onto his legs and covers his belly, and I put boots on him for in the snow. A cooling coat that wraps onto his belly might be good. Actually, I have a Saratoga horse works cooling coat for him. He's so skinny compared to his length in comparison to the average dog, so I had to sew the strap up on the center of the coat, so it does cover his belly and keep stuff off of him.
 
If you sew or know someone who does, maybe you could make him a "coat" for woods walking time?


Here is one that people on another board use when walking dogs in the woods to help prevent ticks ... if it is a real problem, this may be worth a try ... maybe for next year. I have the same issue ... these are a little pricey though ...especially for two, but after my drama in the spring with Ticks I might consider this in white (if I ever get the courage to take them in a wooded area again).

http://www.k9topcoat.com/product.asp?specific=jnnproo4
 
I haven't particularly met this as a problem - if my two pick up burrs, they just get cut out when we get home. But coincidentally, there was a bit about this problem in the English Springer Spaniel notes in Our Dogs, and their recommendation was the spray used to disentagle horses' manes and tails. Apparently if you spray it on before a walk in woods or dense cover, it stops stuff adhering and makes anything that is picked up easy to brush out. I expect you could buy it at an equine supplies shop or an online pharmacy that does horses as well as dogs. No idea, of course, how much it costs!

Kate, Oliver and Aled
 
Thanks everyone for your thoughts and suggestions. He seems to be a "leaf magnet" and I'm hoping that as autumn comes to a close that those dead leaves and twigs, and occassional burr, will keep off him. I'm definitely going to try some sort of coat to see if that helps. The spray that Kate mentions sound interesting too. Part of Bosco's problem is that he is bothered by it during the walk -- guess he doesn't want to look less than perfect!! He has such a beautiful coat that I hate to cut it. If I can figure out how to post a picture of him, I will do so. Thanks again!

joan
 
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