*rant* - GROOM YOUR DOGS!!

[SummerRiot]

Alrighty.. its a short rant b/c I'm tired.

I just spent a good solid few hours trying to demat, bath, blowdry and then brush and trim AGAIN two Shelties that weren't "fully groomed" for a solid couple of years.

PLEASE FULLY brush your animals.

What these two had to go through wasn't needed. They hurt, thier skin was probably sore. They needed their bellies shaved b/c of the amount of matts on them.

They were SOO thick in coat as well. They were both mature Shelties that woudl have had a beautiful stunner of a coat. They had been trying to shed out, but with the matts blocking it, they couldn't.

I'm sure that would have been hot in the summer.

PLEASE brush your dog FULLY. If you have a double coated breed - that doesn't mean just brush the top end.
Double coated breeds - LINE GROOM your dog!! This means starting at the bottom, flip the hair upwards and take a line and brush downward and work your way up.
If you have a single coated dog Brush all over!! Including behind the ears and around their groin and under their bum.
If you have a dog that could be clipped - GET THEM CLIPPED or learn how to!! Mats build up WAY to easily for those breeds as well!

Bath your dog at LEAST 4 times a year as well. Dandruff BUILDS up!!!

If you dont know how to groom the breed of dog you have, take it to a professional to get it done. Your dog will thank you when its clean!

Groom, bath and CLEAN your dogs please! No dog should ever be "dirty".
*rant over*

 

[MyIrishWolfie]

I brush Binn!!! Annnnnnd bathe him too.

Binn's favorite place to be brushed is on his chest. He's getting his adult wispy top hairs.. starting to look like a wolfhound

 

[Babyblue5290]

I know how you feel. At the humane society that is exactly what I am doing the majority of the time! Dematting, brushing out knotts, and just trying to get a dog from stinking and get it to start to look and smell halfway decent! If you can't at least take care of your dog's coat you shouldn't have a dog! It really doesn't take that long to brush any dog!

 

[Sweet72947]

I second that!!

I worked at a grooming shop for two years as a receptionist, and I saw a LOT of matted dogs while I was there. Its unbeleiveable how many people have dogs like shih tzus and poodles who don't keep up with the grooming!
I own a terrier mix myself and I groom him myself (clipping and everything), partly because I like doing it, and partly because I wouldn't want any poor, unsuspecting groomer dealing with Mr. Bites The Scissors.

Right now I volunteer with a rescue shelter. I brush out the long-haired dogs we get in to keep them from getting matted. There is one dog who is thick coated and VERY matted, but the Powers that Be (the people who make all the decisions higher up, one in particular really) will NOT let anyone shave him down! Its as if she doesn't realize that hair grows back . She said she was going to try to "work on him" and if she tries to brush and scissor him, she is going to put the poor dog through a lot of unnessecary pain. It drives me crazy!! :yikes:

 

[RD]

Dematting is so stressful for the dog, too. I hated doing it; I'd try to make it as painless as possible for them but no matter how gentle you are, it still pulls and hurts. I'd almost have rather taken a #10 blade and shaved the dog down - it would have been more comfortable for them. But nooo, their owners always want them to have that full, pretty coat, yet they never brush them.

I brush Ripley and Dakota about once a week. Maybe once every 2 weeks. Takes me about 20 minutes. Both have long coats, Dakota a thick double coat and Ripley a silky single coat. They have NEVER had mats. It really doesn't take that much work to keep your dog's coat in good shape. Granted, "hair" breeds like Poodles, Maltese, etc. need frequent grooming if they are kept in a show coat, but for the most part, just the occasional brushing will keep a coat looking great.

People. The mats aren't even the beginning, Summer. Wait until you get the dogs with flea/tick infestations so bad that after grooming them, you go home and scrub your skin off. Oh, and the owners of those dogs who expect a single dip to solve all their problems.

 

[2BlackDogs]

When I first got Bear he was matted all down his back. The people that gave him to me had given him a bath right before I got him and it blew my mind that they bathed him but didn't notice the matted fur. Yet they lectured me on the importance of brushing him thouroughly because of his long fur. Once I got my hands on him he was really Puffed up from all the extra fur that he couldn't shed due to the knots he had. I found out from a groomer that it you can put your fingers under the matted area then there is enough room to brush it out without clipping it. If it's any closer to the skin the best thing to do is clip it.

Also the fact that they bathed him and didn't take care of the knots in his fur, it wasn't drying properly. I agree with you Summer. It doesn't take that long to brush your dog and it makes them alot happier if they don't have to endure the unpleasant task of dematting them.

 

[dr2little]

I hear ya Summer. In every puppy class I have the owners twist a clump of their own hair at the back of the hair line into a tight pulling mass and have them hold it there for a few minutes. I then ask them how it feels....
That - I tell them - is how a matt feels to your dog. A constant, pulling, irritating pain. Then we begin the "Care" portion of puppy class.
I can't stand it when I see a dog with matted, dirty hair. There is absolutely no excuse for it. The groomer that I send my clients to flat out refuses to dematt if a dog is in poor condition, she'll save the dog the stress and just shave them down. If the owners don't like it..too bad. That's what I love about her, she works for the dog and will not put a dog through torture to satisfy a neglectful owner. She does however, educate owners on the proper way to care for their particular dogs coat. Many owners think that they're doing a good job...really. They brush the dog with an inadequate brush, don't get anywhere near the undercoat and honestly don't understand why their dog had to be shaved. While I am certainly no groomer, it is up to us (trainers), breeders and groomers whenever possible to educate people on proper coat care. I wish more people did the research before buying a dog to see what the grooming requirement would be.
I spend at least 1-1&1/2 hours every day with the grooming needs of my 5 dogs and while it may seem like a long time to some I knew what I was getting into. I can't imagine having a stranger struggle to free their coats of matts. Ears, teeth, eyes, nails and sanitary grooming all needs to be done, and often.
I've actually met people who have never cleaned their dogs ears before!!!

 

[elegy]

i love my naked dogs.

 

[Twilight]

i love my naked dogs.

:lol-sign: me too

 

[Squidbert]

Well said girl!! Amen to ya!

 

[oc_spirit]

Bathing 4 times a year???? Hehe Once a year for the husky boys and that''s during blowing season (unless they get into something ronchy). But grooming''s another story. Once a week!

 

[SummerRiot]

at least 4 times a year for a double coated breed is ideal.

Riot gets bathed once a week during heavy showing season and then once every two weeks now as the show season isn't as bunched together.
Hes line groomed twice a week and gets daily brushing and weekly nail trims to keep the quick as short as possible for him.

Riot has never ever had that "wet dog smell" either - which is just amazing to say lol Wet dog smell has got to be one of the worst smells to get rid of lol

 

[Lizmo]

awww that's sad

Lizzie get ALL her grooming done at the same time, bath, nails trimmed, ears cleaned, teeth brushed, so of her fur trimmed(in certain places), ect, and that is usally about twice a month. And them she gets a brushing a bout once a week!

She never has the "wet dog" smell either(thank goodness! )

 

[cowgurl6254]

Poor shelties Andy gets matted if I go more than a day without brushing him. I can't imagine how bad they must have been...some people don't deserve to own animals

 

[Zoom]

When I did my little stint at the other daycare place, we had to double as groomers since there wasn't enough money to actually hire one yet. There was this one little Yorkie who had parents that loved to dress her up in Build-A-Bear clothes, but could never be bothered to brush her out. I spent two hours trying to untangle and demat this dog's coat since I wasn't allowed to cut anything. I finally got it and the poor dog was such a good sport, but I can just imagine how irritating and painful that must have been, regardles of how gentle I tried to be.

 

[mrose_s]

i probably don't brush buzzy as well as i could. but i wash him once or twice a week (other wise his skin gets too itchy and he scratches bald patches) and i brush him through aftre every bath. plus his coat isn't too long so he necer really has a problem with it matting

 

[Giny]

Summer all I can say is Thankyou:hail: Thankyou:hail: Thankyou:hail:

I wish some clients realized this. What bugs me is how some people then wonder WHY their dogs don't like going to the groomers. If someone gets their dogs shaved because it's too matted then don't blame the groomer, point that finger right at yourself (matter dog owner).

 

[Ashlea]

Doesn't a dog that gets bathed once a year REEK!!! There is nothing worse to me then touching a dog and you get that awful stinky dog smell on your hand! It always makes me think badly of the owner.
Lilly gets bathed once a week in summer and once every second week in winter. I just wish she would let me clip her nails without having to call Chuck Norris in!

 

[StillandSilent]

My Lilly is bathed about once a year and she doesn't smell. Of course, she finds going outside torment and doesn't hover long enought to get into anything stinky. My Radar on the other hand, always manages to find the compost if off lead, or a dead animal if on. Poor little fellow is always in the tub.
Not brushing is pure laziness. I brush both dogs frequently, esp. in the winter when Radar is not shaved down. Neither one has ever had a mat. The cat is another story. He's a Persian and he has so much fur, that even daily brushing couldn't keep his little belly and ears mat free. Everyone is so much happier since we went to a lion cut.

 

[Ashlea]

A dog doesn't have to get dirty to smell. They get a sweaty dog smell. I find that smell repugnant. Although I have been told I have a very accute sense of smell.