Does any one else have a thick coated dog

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#1
hi i have a maremma and she has a reely thick coat and sheds all year round and hates having a bath or getting brushed
does any one have any ideas:) :)
 

showpug

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#2
Good quality food and supplementing with Omega fatty acids will help with the shedding because it improves the overall health of the coat. I have pugs and they are a double coated breed and I sware, no dog sheds more than a pug!!!!
 

Athebeau

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I have pugs and they are a double coated breed and I sware, no dog sheds more than a pug!!!! Quote by showpug
Really...I must tell this to my Newf's.:)

I too have 3 double coated, ton of coat dogs. It is normal for double coated breeds to blow coat twice a year. It is also normal to shed some coat throughout the year, normal growth.

For my Newf's they get omega 3 fatty acids - fish body oil, Sardines, Wild canned salmon, Flaxseeds-crushed and oil. They get a raw meal in the evening and get other supplements for a beautiful shiny coat. I still have fur balls and have to clean daily...and trust me, my dogs eat very healthy and are in good health inside out. ;) I still get a ton of coat out of them.

What does your dog do when you brush or bath? If your having a difficult time try to see if you can rent a tub from a local groomer. This way you can tie the dog into the tub with a slip noose and if need be your can put a muzzle on. We have a few dogs (husky's) that come in for grooming at my sisters grooming shop that "despise" being groomed. But, as time goes on and we kindly get them used to grooming we have built them into good dogs to groom. If you struggle with the dog, fight the dog etc the dog will react in a fight or flight mode.

I brush my Newf's out about every other day, it's the best way to keep on top of the coat...an unbrushed double coated breed can mat easily. But, then again my Newf's would have more coat than a Maremma Sheepdog.

Another tip is when you do bath your dog, take a slicker type brush and brush out your dog when he is suds up. With the shampoo in the coat the undercoat just glides right out. I have the other advantage of having a high velocity dryer which I use to blow the rest of the undercoat out.

Try to get your dog used to being brushed out. Try first getting your dog used to being massaged, then relaxed. Then next time massage, have brush beside you and brush a little while talking...keep it all positive and relaxed and do a little at a time. If you take at it like a job that has to be done, then it can become a chore. If on the other hand the dog growls and you back away then this is a completely different behavior that should be addressed.

I have also owned a Great Pyrenees in my past, she learned to love being brushed and spending quality time with mommy.:)

Even if you can get 2 baths in a year during the time when blowing coat and get your dog used to being groomed throughout the year. Maybe buy a second hand high velocity dryer and use that to blow the undercoat out.

Good luck
 

SummerRiot

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#4
Belgian tervurens are also double coated.. Riot has just recently decided to grow in more then half of his adult fur(almost an adult now yay! lol)

Daily brushing helps SOO much with shedding as well. Riot isn't a huge shedder by any means, but the Tervuren breed (for the male) really only blows their coat once a season, where as females blow theirs twice.

If you do something called "line brushing" it keeps all the tangles away and enables a less shedding coat!

Our Shelties are horrible shedders though. They are also a double coated breed and even with daily brushing, they are crazy little shedders..

For bath troubles, have the bath seem like a game, where the dog gets his favourite reward - ie. treats, praise, a toy you don't mind getting wet in the bath.
Riot used to take three people to keep him in the bath, now he knows the command "Go to the tub" and he'll run down the hallway and hop into the bath! I taught him this with an empty bath first, then slowly make the water level rise, he LOVES this game.. mainly because he likes to get me wet in the process..

He also knows the command "wait". This helps him stay in the bath. i can now saftely leave the room with him on a wait command and when I come back he'll be in the exact same position I left him in.

How old is your dog?

What does it do when it sees a brush or when you start brushing it?
 

Athebeau

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#5
One thing I meant to add (and working in a grooming shop, I see all the time). When brushing out your dog, make sure you work from the skin out. Part some coat and brush from the skin upwards, holding the skin with the palm of your hand...slowly working up a section at a time. There are so many people who run a brush over the outer coat and think they have groomed their dog.

When finished, what we do is take a dog comb and go over the dog, a rake works well to get under coat out, but, never take a rake to a coat that hasn't been gone over with a slicker first. If your dog has mats or clumps and your not gentle...a rake can really catch and pull on problem spots...not pleasant for the dog.
 

Ash47

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#6
Athebeau said:
One thing I meant to add (and working in a grooming shop, I see all the time). When brushing out your dog, make sure you work from the skin out. Part some coat and brush from the skin upwards, holding the skin with the palm of your hand...slowly working up a section at a time. There are so many people who run a brush over the outer coat and think they have groomed their dog.

When finished, what we do is take a dog comb and go over the dog, a rake works well to get under coat out, but, never take a rake to a coat that hasn't been gone over with a slicker first. If your dog has mats or clumps and your not gentle...a rake can really catch and pull on problem spots...not pleasant for the dog.
Great advice! So many people think that they are brushing their double coated dogs, but all they are doing is skimming the top. With Precious, I have to work backwards from the skin up. Then, I brush it back with the grain. She has no problems with tangles.
 

Tinaweena

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#7
Shedding blades are invaluable!
Sounds like a torture device....but they really help. They look kinda like a magnifying glass without the glass in it. It's got fine teeth and really gets the hair out.
 

SummerRiot

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#8
[When brushing out your dog, make sure you work from the skin out. Part some coat and brush from the skin upwards, holding the skin with the palm of your hand...slowly working up a section at a time. There are so many people who run a brush over the outer coat and think they have groomed their dog.
This is exactly what we call "line brushing" :) its a great method for double coated breeds..

Shedding blades on a Maremma I wouldn't suggest. The blades would tear the fur. They are fabulous on Huskies though!
 

Athebeau

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#9
This is exactly what we call "line brushing" its a great method for double coated breeds..
My Sister is the Groomer, not me:) So I didn't know the proper name of the technique. My Sister showed me how to properly groom the Newf's. Our Newf's were shown to championship levels so they are kept in tip top shape...you should be able to take a comb through thier coats. My Sister also specializes in grooming Newf's, Pry's and many other breeds for show. She is also a National Certified Master Groomer.

I couldn't agree more about shedding blades SummerRiot...I couldn't imagine trying to use one on my Newf's!:) A shedding blade wouldn't even help a tad bit with most big coated dogs. I would use a shedding blade on dogs like Rottweilers, Lab's etc.
 
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#10
When we bath her we tie her up out side because she doesent go in he bathroom . i was brushing her yesterday and after a while she just walked away and went to sleep she is verry lazy .we live in far north queensland where it is verry hot so in the dry we shave her hair short but not bald
thanks for the info ill rember that
 

Athebeau

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#11
Most times with a shaved double coat they never come in good. Most times the undercoat comes in first giving a fuzzy look and can be much more difficult to brush out.

Good luck:)
 
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#14
Get yourself a FURminatior or a Coat King. After using those two tools, I will never again use a shedding blade. I have a blue heeler, and he gets Furminated once a month and you won't believe all the hair I get out of him. Enough to fill a shopping bag, and this is a dog on a 4 week schedule!
 

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