Grooming tips please

[john landry]

Lili is a tricolored 3-year old. Part of her coat is rough, very thick and wavy, especially her behind. The curls have spread in the last year. In all, it is a difficult coat to groom. To top it off, Lili loves swimming and fetching in the river that borders my property – she is wet from May to November! The problem: she becomes heavily matted no matter how often I brush her down (Ok, I admit to being guilty on this count). Last year, I had her groomed by a professional –it was very difficult for all involved since Lili is fear-aggressive. Grooming time is back again. DW suggested that I might try grooming Lili myself since she (DW and Lili) has total confidence in me. What do you think? And if I did go ahead with this… any tips? The “grooming” would be limited to clipping the most matted, tangled parts.

 

john landry

[Shetlander]

What you might want to do is bite the bullet and have her groomed one more time but ask the groomer to show you how to do it in the future yourself. If she is fear-aggressive, the groomer probably won't mind losing the business. If that isn't a possibility, I would try thinning out the difficult areas with thinning shears and also cutting the fur back so it isn't as long. Be sure to cut out the mats before starting. Bear in mind that first efforts at this sort of thing often come out looking dreadful. With practice, it usually starts looking pretty good. Or at least I think my trimming/neatening up generally looks fine if not to the same standards a groomer would do.

 

And though you've already admitted guilt, regular brushing (once a week minimum but more is better) is the best gift you can give your dog. Mats are not only unsightly but uncomfortable and can lead to problems like hot spots.