Your Thoughts on this, Please.

[Lizmo]

I need some help here. Lizzie has some fur that grows straight out on her back legs....now...I usually trim it down for the summer because it gets very thick.

Now I did this about a month ago and now this is what it looks like! I think it looks really good like this..short..but not too short.

What do you guess think? Should I cut it defferently? I used just regular scissors last time...and then I trimmed it up a few weeks ago, what kinda scissors should I be using? And this would be for the show ring also so keep that in mind please ;)

Pics are coming! :)

[Lizmo]

http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k275/Lizmo_2004/IMG_1453-1.jpg

http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k275/Lizmo_2004/IMG_1453.jpg

http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k275/Lizmo_2004/IMG_1455.jpg

http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k275/Lizmo_2004/IMG_1448.jpg


Oh and this was when she was not brushed.

[Melissa_W]

I think it looks clean and tidy... but maybe a tad short? I don't know though. I'm used to the fluffy Sheltie pants! hehehe :)

Can you post pictures of her whole body?

[RD]

If you're leaving the rest of her long, then her pantaloons are too short. ;) I assume you're showing her as a Border Collie, and a BC with her coat type should have wisps of hair falling down near the hock. It's okay to trim the top part of her pants, around the butt, and some on the inside of the legs, but leave the hair on the outside. It just looks better that way but makes it easier to groom the butt since there's less hair.

I'd let it grow out before you show her. If it gets really thick in the summertime, I'd take some thinning shears to her hind end rather than giving it a blunt cut like that. It gives it a more natural look but it isn't overbearingly thick and difficult to groom.

[Toller_08]

I also think it's a bit too short. I agree with everything Grace said. I'd keep it at natural length (or close to it - I do trim Tango's a tiny bit just to keep it nicer looking) and using thinning shears to thin the fur out. Then you can use the regular scissors to trim it a bit shorter if you'd like and tidy it up a bit.

[Lizmo]

If you're leaving the rest of her long, then her pantaloons are too short. I assume you're showing her as a Border Collie, and a BC with her coat type should have wisps of hair falling down near the hock. It's okay to trim the top part of her pants, around the butt, and some on the inside of the legs, but leave the hair on the outside. It just looks better that way but makes it easier to groom the butt since there's less hair.

I'd let it grow out before you show her. If it gets really thick in the summertime, I'd take some thinning shears to her hind end rather than giving it a blunt cut like that. It gives it a more natural look but it isn't overbearingly thick and difficult to groom.

Yes, she will be showing as a BC. Thanks, that makes perfect sense to do that ;) What are thinning shears? :o And where would you buy them?

I will let it grow out then, like you said. It is not that is gets overly thick, I guess it just looks kinda bad to me, I will look for a pic of when it is thick and post it in a few mins. :)

[Toller_08]

Thinning shears are scissors with "teeth" on one side. You can get an inexpensive, decent pair at PetsMart. :)

[Lizmo]

Okay Toller! Well I was just there this morning and saw a pair I think for $25...is that pricey or not?

Okay here is a pic of her whole body
http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k275/Lizmo_2004/IMG_1407.jpg

I think this is a pic of when it was longer..but not thick...
http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k275/Lizmo_2004/IMG_0901.jpg

[Toller_08]

Okay Toller! Well I was just there this morning and saw a pair I think for $25...is that pricey or not?



I got mine for about $12.00 there. My Petsmart did have a $25.00 or so pair too, but the groomers there said that both worked just the same so I took the cheaper one. Perhaps you just missed them or something? Or maybe they stopped carrying the cheaper ones for some reason. I'm not sure as I very rarely go there anymore.


Anyway, in the two pictures of her, I think her coat looks better in the second. It looks more natural on her or something. She's very pretty either way though. :)

[Lizmo]

Okay, well I did not talk to the groomers their, they looked VERY uneducated on what they are were doing :(

[Toller_08]

Yeah, the ones near my are the same way. I didn't purposely talk to a groomer, one just happened to see me looking at scissors and then told me that the less expensive ones did just as good a job as the other pair. I wasn't sure if that was true or not, but I took the cheaper ones anyway and was pleased with how well they worked for being only $12.

[Lizmo]

That is good :) So are they called Thining Shears or just Shears?

[Melissa_W]

These are thinning shears.

http://www.petsmart.com/global/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=84552444177 0110&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302042262&ASSORTMENT%3C%3East_id=2534374302023689&bmUID=1167957711444&itemNo=2&In=Dog&N=2042262&Ne=2

I've been meaning to get some for Kai. He has super thick Sheltie pants.

[Lizmo]

Thanks Melissa! :) That is what I was looking at..but it was $25 :eek:

[MysticRealm]

I just have to say, being a groomer that you really can tell the difference in a good pair of thinning shears and a cheap pair but hopefully just doing your one dog and just that little bit that they should be ok.

[MafiaPrincess]

I did get the 12 dollar petsmart pet of thinning shears. I might have had more success with a butter knife. I returned them that week because they were useless. There is a huge difference between cheap tools and good tools. A cheap pair of clippers may work, but you'd then be surprised how easy life is when you finally use a better set. I'm trying to slowly build my grooming tools so I'm now buying stuff that lasts and works. But it means I can't buy as much as fast.

[Lizmo]

Okay, good to know Mafia :) Yes I would like to start doing the same thing...getting supper quality grooming tools ;)

[MafiaPrincess]

I fully understand. I have 2 cheap pairs of clippers, and in borrowing a nice pair, *drool* Oh wow so much better.. But not in my budget right now.

I have a nice pair of scissors, A good assortment of brushes and combs,.. But I would like to expand what I have, but found that I'd be better off to wait and buy something at least like mid range quality.

(I'd LOVE a grooming table right now.. would make it so much easier lol)

[Lizmo]

Oh, I would LOVE a grooming table too *drools* And a Dremel! I might be getting one soon though...<<<birthday time! :D

What brushed would you recommend? Because I would like to get some nice ones

[MafiaPrincess]

I have a dremel, It belongs technically in the garage though, lol. For Cider's coat getting longish, she came wit ha slicker brush as a puppy, and I never experimented with anything new till the last few months. I got a pinbrush with no heads on it, I found that the bead at the end caused extra pull.. And I picked up a comb where every other tine in long and the others are short, made some of my brushing faster to comb it instead.. But we are still learning :)