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Comment
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Rose Thomas
Aug 2, 08 - 4:43 PM |
Grooming Rough Collie
I recently took my 12 year old Rough Collie to a different groomer. He looks very impressive after a shampoo & groom so imagine my shock when I collected him & found his beautiful coat had been completely stripped to his skin
The groomer said his coat was too matted to groom properly and there was no alternative
Is this usual ? and wouldnt you think she should have asked me first?
The previous groomer (an experienced owner of roughs) had not mentioned anything about matting
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Jean Tuck
Aug 2nd, 2008 - 9:25 PM |
Re: Grooming Rough Collie
That sounds very odd to me. Traumatic for your oldie and the hair may not grow back so nicely. Does your groomer have no experience of Roughs/Shelties?
I only have a Smooth (not a Rough), so not an issue for him, but do have an elderly Sheltie. I would expect to groom him quite thoroughly BEFORE his bath, and then again several times after if he was going to a show. Bathing can matt the hair - so grooming beforehand helps. Even if there were a few matts these should surely be cut out and the rest would still look fine.
I hope some others answer this post too, because I think you'd have cause for complaint. And not use the same groomer again....
Jean
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Joan
Aug 9th, 2008 - 5:24 AM |
Re: Grooming Rough Collie
Hi,Rose,got up when the alarm went off,had a shower ,came down to have breakfast,feed the dogs,leave at 6.15 to pick up a friend who is judging at Govan ch. obedience show only to find out that it was 3.15! I daren't go back to bed in case I sleep through so at least I have time to add to Jean's comments.
What a shame about your big lad - the only comfort is that it happened in the summer,not in the winter!You are right, you should have been contacted before such drastic action was taken but if as Jean suggests he was bathed BEFORE being groomed and he carries the huge undercoat that so many modern Roughs do,then perhaps clipping him out was in the end much kinder to him than standing him on the table for hours tugging and cutting away at the solid mass of undercoat. He doesn't know that he looks any different,but probably feels a bit peculiar!
I worked at home as a groomer for nearly 30 years,firstly because of my chidren, then for my mother who had Alzheimers, and I often met this problem with dogs(not just collies)whose owners were constantly bathing them but never seemed to think of grooming until it really hurt the dogs who then,quite naturally,hated being brushed/combed and found that using their teeth soon stopped the process. Then it was off to Joan or someone else who had to put the poor dog through hell to groom it or as I often did and your groomer should have done,to phone the owner and clip the dog out. One Lhasa Apso was so matted that his coat came off as a solid one-piece fleece and I was so angry on the dog's behalf that I took it through to show the owners - 'Oh,isn't that lovely,can we take it home to show our friends?'!!!!!!! Another Lhasa clipped out by a friend was taken to the vet next day because he couldn't stand - he was so used to his legs ,front and back, being fused together by hair that he couldn't cope with legs that were free.
I know this wasn't the case with your Rough,but perhaps your groomer panicked if she bathed him first and then couldn't cope with the undercoat?
Incidentally,with my really elderly Roughs I have always done quite a bit of cleaning out underneath with the clippers,because ******* find it harder to squat at just the right angle and tend to wet the hair inside their hind legs which then smells and irritates the skin, and I thin the feathering on the legs and under the tummy - it's amazing how much younger this makes a 14/15 year old look.
By this time your lad will have grown some more hair and your groomer will have(hopefully!)learned something. Any chance of you going back to your original one?
Better get the car packed and the girls walked before we all set off for the showw - let us know how things go!
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wendy
Aug 23rd, 2008 - 5:10 PM |
Re: Grooming Rough Collie
Was wondering what is the best way to groom the undercoat? I have a 19 wk old puppy and groom him, but want to make sure that Im doing it right as he my first rough collie.
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Joan
Aug 24th, 2008 - 8:36 PM |
Re: Grooming Rough Collie
Hi,Wendy,a lot depends on whether you are going to show your baby - if you are,get advice from his breeders if they are show people or perhaps someone on the breed side of RSCTA will join this discussion and give help with what kind of brush etc to use. The important thing is to get him used to being groomed by you as a pleasant experience with short sessions,lots of titbits etc while he's still young. I don't show in breed but I'm as proud as anyone else of my lovely girls and try to give them a groom most days which means they never need any major treatment - very important with Florin who is a sensitive little flower! I use a Zoom-groom(a rubber pad) to shift loose guard hairs and a wire slicker brush to remove grass seeds etc and keep the undercoat groomed - this also grooms out the undercoat when they are casting.
I bath them fairly regularly,especially if we're going to be in tick country,but I groom them out first and then blow-dry - yes,it's hard work at the time but well worth it when I see the result.
Enjoy your new baby and let us know how he gets on.
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Jean Tuck
Aug 25th, 2008 - 8:58 PM |
Re: Grooming Rough Collie
Hello there - I hope you have lots of fun with your Rough Collie pup!
There are some good books and videos on grooming Rough Collies. And the www.collienet.com site is also very helpful.
As Rough Collie coats are similar to Shelties (of which I have 2)I would recommend a really good quality hair brush (not dog brush) - the Mason Pearson (I think that is right) is very good, being bristles on a padded base. Brush the hair backwards (ie towards the dog's head) and then gradually, a bit at a time, brush it back into place, thus being able to deal with the undercoat. On a well-brushed dog you can part the hair at any point and be able to see the dog's skin! I didn't think that was possible until I learnt to do it properly!!
But, as Joan says, take it gently at first, with a pup. And their hair is less to begin with, so less of a problem. Gentle brushing behind the ears especially, as it matts there first.
Good luck, Jean
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Pat
Aug 26th, 2008 - 7:12 PM |
Re: Grooming Rough Collie
Hi Rose and Wendy,
I agree with Joan and Jean regards the grooming. I find the Mason Pearson brush super for my Shelties and the Rough collie, but do take advice from the breeder if you are going to show.
I tend to groom mine quite often and they love it and try to push each other out of the way if I don't have them on the table, but I'm always gentle with them and don't try and drag a brush through their hair like I've seen some people do.
I also have a blaster (quite a gentle one compared to my friends grooming parlour ones) but that helps me see right down to the skin to check for ticks and gets rid of a lot of loose coat without brushing too much out.
Have fun and good luck with your puppy Wendy and I hope your boy's coat is recovering Rose?
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