Grooming long haired dogs

I had Colt groomed yesterday. He bit the groomer - but that's another thread in the Puppy Forum....

Now that I'm looking at him - I think she trimmed his hair!!! (Colt is a Collie). Is this normal? Did she need to do this? I want his hair to grow long!!

What is the standard for grooming dogs that have long coats?

it depedns on the breed, ive never owned a collie let alone groomed one but i guess is like wiht the cockers.
as puppies good grooming is important if you want the hair to grow strong. just like with people the hair gets damaged and split ends occur, regular trimming helps strengthen the hair and keep it healthy as it grows longer.
so yes i would assume its normal to trim the pups hair to keep it growing right and healthy.

as for a standard for longhaired dogs, each breed is different.
i have long haired chihuahuas, they are long haired but dont need any real specific grooming, a comb out once a week keeps tanlges at bay and a quick very light trim keeps them looking neat and tidy mabe once every 6 months or so...
where as our cocker is a little more upkeep, once again long haired, but he requires combing every other day and a good shavedown and trim every 4-6 weeks to keep him in a cocker cut.

also each breed has a different coat cut standard, how exactly the coat is shaped ect. so upkeep will also vary with breed.

Thanks for replying.

I see your point. I never really thought about a dog getting a "trim" but it certainly makes sense.

well, i work for a show collie kennel, i do the grooming and personally i have NEVER heard of giving a collie a trim unless its on his feet, head, ears, hocks, etc, and usually all of that but the feet are just done for show dogs anyway.

collies should be line brushed weekly. i like to brush them a little everyday on the skirt and pants just to keep out nots and dirt

Well if she found a mat she may of cut it out and trimmed it back.
When I worked on some Collies in rescue I either shaved them down as per request for summer cuts badly matted dogs.

Or like others say just trim the feet hocks and sanitary..

No, no mats on this Collie, I brush him regularly. Collie coats can keep them cool in the summer too. No summer cuts for us.

Could she have thinned his hair or something? When I brush him I use a wire brush, but I have seen those strippers, could she have used something like that. I noticed this on his back, no where else. I understand the feet, hocks, ears, etc. But the back? I'm no expert but I never heard of this. I didn't think I needed to specify "no haircuts" but I guess everyone has their own style. You live and you learn - it's hard to find a good groomer in my area. A lot of people think Collie's need a lot of maintenance, but Colt never sheds. I know he will lose his coat once or twice a year, but not on a regular basis.

Excuse my ignorance, but what is "line brushing'?

We had one as a kid during the Lassie era.
After 2 hrs of primping Lad decided to jump into Flushing meadow park lake.
You should of heard my dad cursing LOL.

Yes she could of use a harsh stipper I reserved for GSD that are so heavy coated.

You can request no Cutting or stripping.
Trimming of the anal area, feet only ..

Or how about a self service salon that lets you use the stuff ?
wouldnt that be fun?

Well, at least now I know what to ask for.....

Now that would be a class to start, except what groomer would teach it as it would mean losing some business!! Call me dumb, but stuff like that IS hands on. I don't think you can just read a book and then try it on your dog, at least I can't. Now if I got to watch - now that's a different story......I can learn anything that way. I have never heard of a self service salon around here - are you serious or only joking?

So next time I say - NO CUTTING OR STRIPPING EXCEPT FOR THE ANAL AREA

line brushing. well..
part the hair starting at the back, spray with water, then brush from the root out.
repeat this every eight of an inch, always brush against the grain. it will take you about an hour and a half at first until you get good at it.

btw, you will use a pin brush for this. and that is also how you get your collie to grow a coat

NO LOL they are called doggies washs some are next to car washes.

And Petco has a self service one in NY that i know of..

Normally they charge more for cutting .

So you do NOT want a GROOM price

You want a BATH price .. You can ask for a bather vs a groomer.

Some groomers get scizzor or stripper happy.

Bathers brush your dog out , clean ears, trim nails , bath dog,
dry dog, and trim anal area for trimmer as well as feet.

Also bath and brush is $10 cheaper on your breed than a GROOM.

As long as the dog is NOT matted they should NOT charge you extra.

Unless you want a special shampoo or conditioner.

Hope this helps.

Get out of town!!:yikes:

Well, we must be in the dark ages here.

I feel taken advantage of!! She did charge me $10 more this time!! Should I be mad at her or my own stupidity for not specifying - but I did say "the usual". I'm thinking I just shouldn't go back to her but where to go, where to go??

Are you a groomer? Thank you for all the info. I have learned so much on here thanks to people like you who share their knowledge.

i dont understand at all why they would trim colt!

good luck!

Oh yes, Rabbits, that is what I use - a "pin" brush, not a wire brush. But I have never brushed that way. Thanks - I'll try that.

if you want a good coat thats deffinally the way to go. and the dogs learn to enjoy the attention. they all fall asleep when i do it

Me neither, Rabbits, I am crushed. I made up my mind - I am not going back to her. I will begin searching for a new groomer tom.! Hopefully, he has fast growing hair like me. I don't think it is noticable except to me, it just feels different, shorter or thinner or something. And I want so much for it to grow REEAAAALLLLLLYYYYY long!!

how old is colt now?

Sorry, I was away - he will be eight months next week.

you will not see the big collie coat until he is a year or so.
but yeah, the line brushing makes a world of diffrence.

and did you know that if you brush his hair dry that you are breaking it??
thats why you should always mist it with water first

before he gets that long coat you want to see he will blow his coat. oh buddy hair will be everywhere and he will look bald!

i cant wait to see him with a mature coat!