Grooming

[RedBCAussie]

Another topic by me.. Tash

 

What is your grooming routine for your BC?

How often do you bath your dogs and brush them? Do you ever cut/trim there fur?

What is the best grooming equipment to have?

I have a sleeker brush.. not sure exactly what they are called but I think thats it.

Archy has really thick fur. He gets so grubby running around in the forest.

 

Thanks

[JaderBug]

Another topic by me.. Tash

 

What is your grooming routine for your BC?

How often do you bath your dogs and brush them? Do you ever cut/trim there fur?

What is the best grooming equipment to have?

I have a sleeker brush.. not sure exactly what they are called but I think thats it.

Archy has really thick fur. He gets so grubby running around in the forest.

 

Thanks

 

Jade gets bathed whenever she starts to smell bad, or if she is looking dirty, whichever comes first. Sometimes it's once every month or two, other times a 2 week span. Haven't cut her hair at all, but I'm starting to wonder about her weird butt-hair. I hope the rest of her coat will grow out to be as long or something, she looks like she's got a beard on her butt. I trim her nails whenever they get too long too.

 

I have a slicker brush, but Jade hates it so I don't use it. A lot of dogs don't like the slicker brush.... some people say because it hurts them, but I'm not positive that it even gets through Jade's coat, but she still fusses every time I use it. Otherwise, I use a FURminator, I swear it's the best thing I've ever used. Pulls out a lot of dead hair, easy to use, and Jade doesn't mind it. Works well for cats too.

 

If Archy gets grubby a lot, you might think about a waterless shampoo for when he gets pretty dirty, also buying a grooming comb might help get through the grime.

[RedBCAussie]

thanks for the advice

 

Whats a FURminator?

I am going to a pet supply store tomorrow (one that doesnt sell pets of course). I am going to buy a new brush or two. Archy likes the slicker brush, but it isnt very usefull in getting the lose fur from underneath his top coat. I am actually going to take him into the store tomorrow to buy his new brush.

I would like a grooming tool that got all the old fur out from under his top coat.

Im in Australia so they may not sell FURminator, but if you describe it I may be able to find somthing similar.

[JaderBug]

thanks for the advice

 

Whats a FURminator?

I am going to a pet supply store tomorrow (one that doesnt sell pets of course). I am going to buy a new brush or two. Archy likes the slicker brush, but it isnt very usefull in getting the lose fur from underneath his top coat. I am actually going to take him into the store tomorrow to buy his new brush.

I would like a grooming tool that got all the old fur out from under his top coat.

Im in Australia so they may not sell FURminator, but if you describe it I may be able to find somthing similar.

 

Hmmm I'm not sure if they sell them in Australia or not... here's the product website... they're kind of pricey but I think they're well worth it. If you're looking to get something that's going to take the dead undercoat out, then this tool is perfect. I think there are some imitators out there, not sure if they work as well or not, but they're pretty easy to find online.

[MaggieDog]

I have a knock off version of the furminator (Bamboo now makes them, dunno what brand mine is), a regular comb, and a flea comb in my main grooming tool collection. My oldest girl HATES slickers and rake type tools, so I've learned to use the two combs instead - the regular one gets the worst of the undercoat out and the flea comb gets the stuff the regular comb leaves. I use both combs at an angle to the dogs' skin vs. perpendicular to it to minimize any discomfort from the tines. I use the furminator after I use the two combs just because it's too time consuming to use first.

 

Both girls are bathed when they get smelly (after creek trips or after about 3 months, whichever comes first) and that's when they have their major grooming done (about an hour for Maggie, 20 mins for Z given their different coat lengths). Even then it's just brushing, I never clip either girl, though I used to trim the fur between Maggie's pads to reduce mud capture. Baths seem to really bring out all the loose hair.

 

Other than the bathtime grooms, it's kind of hit or miss - if I notice one of the girls is shedding a lot or looking a bit unkempt they'll get a grooming session. Nails are trimmed every 2 to 4 weeks around here as well.

[Shetlander]

Otherwise, I use a FURminator, I swear it's the best thing I've ever used. Pulls out a lot of dead hair, easy to use, and Jade doesn't mind it. Works well for cats too.

 

I like my furminator a lot but don't use it more than a few times in a row. Otherwise, I've found it takes out too much of my dogs' coats. This was especially noticeable with the Sheltie.

 

As I said in the indoor/outdoor thread, I bathe my dogs every couple of months. Sometimes more, sometimes less. I brush my dogs 3 times a week. With a rake and then a slicker brush. I trim around Quinn's ears from time to time because he gets these weird little tufts that look like horns. I also like his paws to be neat -- hate fur coming out from everywhere on a dog's feet, so I trim there pretty regularly. I cut his nails every 3 or 4 weeks. Otherwise, he's a wash and wear kind of dog.

 

I really do feel that regular grooming keeps the shedding way down. In 11 years of owning Shelties, I've yet to have any issues with blowing coat. In fact, my Shelties have shed less than Quinn and other Border Collies I know.

[Barb Scott]

I have a MARS COAT KING that I love. I bought it on the advice of a groomer who owns BCs! She recommended a size 8 and it works great on our long haired and smooth coat BCs equally well. Mine came from Pet Edge but I think they're available at other places as well. We hardly ever (almost never) bathe our dogs. They do swim in Lake MI and have fun playing in the hose but they seem to stay clean with no soap.

I trim the hair on their paws and between their pads and also use a thinning shears (carefully) to remove mats and scraggly hair on Brandy who has the kind of coat that knots up right before your eyes when it gets wet.

Barb S

[silhouettestable]

Slicker brushes are available in more than one style. Some are flat, others are curved and some have different lengths of bristles. Each style performs a little differently. If Archie doesn't mind the slicker, something you may find very useful is a shedding slicker. I have one I use on my insanely dense coated rough collie Noah and it works great. I can't believe the difference between it and a regular curved slicker. When he's blowing out his undercoat I literally fill shopping bags full of fur and it practically just falls off with the shedding slicker. It's a curved brush, not flat and it's got 2 different lengths of wire bristles. I much prefer it to the shedding rake I bought, I hardly ever use that. I almost never bathe my dogs, most of them are "wash and wear" kind of dogs. They go for a swim, dry off and are really clean and sleek. Noah doesn't swim, so I do bath him occasionally, but probably no more than once or twice a year. The rest don't get bathed unless they roll in something stinky, start to feel greasy (almost never), or I'm taking them somewhere special (eg. pet show at the fairs etc.) With Noah and Storm (my rough BC), I check them often for matting in the inner thigh and behind the ears to keep ahead of that so they don't end up with big mats. I comb out mats behind the ears if I find any tiny ones, but the inner thigh area I generally just cut out any mats I may find since it doesn't show. Something that's great for longhaired dogs that are out in the bush, weeds etc. or just laying around where they can pick up stuff in their coats, is to spray them with a product like Absorbine ShowSheen. It's a grooming product that is a de-tangler and adds shine. It's like Armour All for pets, it leaves them feeling super soft and slippery, so all the junk falls off the coat or is very easy to brush out, including burrs if the coat has been treated before getting the burrs. I've never seen ShowSheen at pet stores, I have horses that I buy it for so I get mine at tack/feed stores. If you don't have any tack/feed stores near you it could probably be found elsewhere. Other places like Home Hardware carry Absorbine brand fly spray, and even our drug store carries Absorbine liniment so either of those places could probably add ShowSheen to their order if asked. TSC stores carry an assortment of Absorbine products.

[M.L.]

What is your grooming routine for your BC?

How often do you bath your dogs and brush them? Do you ever cut/trim there fur?

What is the best grooming equipment to have?

I have a sleeker brush.. not sure exactly what they are called but I think thats it.

Archy has really thick fur. He gets so grubby running around in the forest.

 

I bathe my dogs every 6 months or so. I clip nails every two weeks.

I aim to brush my dogs every day, but end up doing it every other day most of the time.

I trim the fur between their pads.

I have a basic comb, basic brush, small scissors and nail trimmers.

[Genie]

I prefer a pin brush and rake. Slickers and furminators can break coat. I bathe him only when he gets dirty, which can be anywhere from 3-6 months. I also bathe when he starts to shed because it loosens the coat and the force dryer is great for removing it. I don't trim nails as he wears them down on his own at flyball and frisbee practice. I do need to trim dewclaws though.

[Shetlander]

I prefer a pin brush and rake. Slickers and furminators can break coat.

 

Interesting. I've never noticed any damage with slickers for my dogs. Furminators I know can end up leaving close to bald spots if you're not careful (happened to a friend's Border Collie). I use the slicker to finish off Quinn and the Sheltie. It pretty much just picks up the loose hair left behind by the rake.

 

I don't trim nails as he wears them down on his own at flyball and frisbee practice. I do need to trim dewclaws though.

 

I've never had a dog who wore down his nails. But then I've never done flyball. Quinn came with his dewclaws removed which I really wish wasn't the case, but at least there are two less I need to worry about hitting the quick.

[bcnewe2]

I don't like the furminator. I use an undercoat rake which for us works better than the furminator. Expensive to figure that one out. The furminator didn't do that much. The undercoat rake pulls out way more undercoat for us.

 

I only bathe the dogs if they roll in stink stuff that doesn't go away by the end of the day. They swim on a reg. basis. I only brush about 2 times a month or when I see them starting to blow coat.

Some are worse than others but I think they are pretty low maintenance.

 

Jazz my old girl has matty hair. She mats up overnight. I cut the mats out and usually 2x's per year I shave her down. Not puppy cut but pretty short. She is old, over wieght and feels much better with less hair.

The rest don't get much in the grooming department.

 

I do nails when i hear them clicking on the hard floor. For the young ones, it's not very often, for the old ones, it's almost once a week. I've been wondering about using a dremel. Does anyone here use one? I don't usually quick them but I was thinking a dremel would get them shorter and that would make it less often that I have to clip nails.

I don't even have to do dew claws on the young working dogs. THey seem to wear all their nails down with work and play.

 

The other day I gave Mick a bath (stinky dog) first time in probably over a year. He hated it till he figured out it was just a massage with water. THen he laid down and really enjoyed himself. I had to flip him over to get all sides! He choose not to swim for a couple days after that. I wonder if he enjoyed his clean self and didn't want to get all pond stinky? he finally swam so he's back to his reg. smelling self, which isn't bad but not all clean like a fresh bath had him.

 

Kristen

[Barb Scott]

We have used a cordless dremel for the past 14 years. (I think we're on our third one now because after awhile the battery charge won't hold up for 5 dogs.) I think our only disaster with iut was when I accidently wrapped some tail hair around it once. It does get the nails short without quicking them.

Barb S

[juliepoudrier]

Mine get bathed if they roll in something dead or in sh!t or similar, so not terribly often. I had a run of dogs rolling in either something dead or sheep poo a couple of weeks ago and actually bathed three of them. They're all aound 2 years old and that was maybe their second or third bath.

 

Grooming is hit or miss, though I will take a comb to any that are shedding undercoat really badly.

 

I have one dog who mats badly, and I've started getting him shaved. Another who's a little pig and gets mats on her belly gets a belly shave. And that's about it.

 

J.

[Carson Crazies]

The border collies get a bath if they are caked in something, or smell really bad. However, I'll usually give it a day or so to see if the smell/gunk goes away. If it doesn't they get a bath. When Nick was about 16 weeks old he rolled in a nice fresh cow pie, and then subsequently some skanky water while we were staying in a hotel room (with other people) for the weekend. He got a bath after that, and then one a few weeks ago. Toenails get done when the mood strikes me - several of them keep them worn down on their own.

 

The Papillon and Ginger (who has an INSANE coat) get groomed at the groomer's, and they get bathed far more often - the Papillon in particular.

[Root Beer]

What is your grooming routine for your BC?

 

I definitely don't have a routine! I do grooming on an as-needed basis.

 

Nails are trimmed every few weeks.

 

How often do you bath your dogs and brush them?

 

I bathe them when they get smelly or really dirty. Maddie gets a shower when she finds something to roll in. Sammie sometimes gets showers after being on the road for a while. Speedy sometimes gets showers before a Freestyle performance. Dean gets showers very occasionally.

 

I brush Speedy when he looks like he needs it. The others don't have much that needs brushing.

 

Do you ever cut/trim there fur?

 

I'll trim fur around a hot spot. I trim occasional small mats out of Speedy's feathers. Other than that, no.

 

What is the best grooming equipment to have?

 

For me it's a hand held shower head so I can get down to their level to rinse them.

 

I have a rake that I use on them sometimes, and a regular dog comb and brush.

[M.L.]

I forgot to add that when I do give the dogs a bath, we go to the self serve dog wash. I prefer not to clean up after bathing the dogs at home. Plus, they shake and rub all over the place if I give them a bath at home.

 

I pay $15.00 per dog and that includes: professional tub at standing height with sprayer, apron so I don't end up soaked, choice of natural shampoos and conditioners, towels, grooming station at standing height, brushes, combs, nail clippers, scissors, ear cleaners, dryers and a few other odds and ends. The best part - I don't have to clean up and by the time we get home the dogs are dry!

[RedBCAussie]

Thanks for all the input. I went to the shop to try buy somthing similar to a furminator but there wasnt anything similar. I brought a rack comb and its ok.

 

How often do your dogs roll in sh!t? or similar? Archy roles in Kangaroo sh!t everynow and then but that comes off easy. He has rolled in worse.. lots worse such as dead animal. We got him desexed about 2 months ago, his nearly 4.

 

Our other border collie, 14yr old Shep, has never rolled in anything bad that I can think of.

[juliepoudrier]

How often do your dogs roll in sh!t? or similar?

Not all that often, which is why they aren't bathed often. If it's just a rub the neck in crap kind of thing, then usually a hose will suffice to spot clean and no real bath is necessary. We live on a farm, though, and there are pastures I walk the dogs through that the sheep also use, so there are certainly opportunities for the rolling. But since I walk with the dogs in the pastures, if I see one starting to drop and roll I can usually stop it before any "damage" is done. Dead things are harder to come by, but the other night the cat left a present of a dead mouse in the back yard and I looked out the window to find one of my dogs wallowing on it. Fortunately it was fresh and so didn't impart an odor....

 

J.

[bcnewe2]

What is it about dead things?? We have a long ago dead armidillo laying way out in the field. I have to watch everyone closely as we pass by it. They all look at me out of the corner of their eye to see if I'm watching. If not, they have a ball.

The sad thing is sometimes I'll have someone over and they'll mention that the dogs stink. I won't notice! At least I don't roll in dead things!

 

Kristen

[JoeA]

I bought the furminator for my Bc, because she didn't like the slicker brush in the beginning. now she likes the slicker brush more than any other brush.

my bc have a medium lenght rough coat, and i don't like using the furminator on her coat, because it doesn;t work good on a rough coat, it gets stuck, i think furminator would work better on a smooth coat. but i am happy she likes the slicker brush now, thank god.