What does your shaved sheepie look like?
In anticipation of this event, we've been wondering just what he will look like and what instructions we should give our groomer. I know people shave down to different lengths and I was wondering: what does your shaved sheepie look like? If you have pictures I would LOVE to see them, and if you can include what # on the clippers you used, I would really appreciate it. THANK YOU!  |
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Why do you want to shave Tucker? The OES is a dog with a long coat and in my opinion should stay that way, remember the coat protects from the heat as well as the cold because of the undercoat, if you groom him regularly he will be fine in summer. I never shave mine and remember I now have three and as soon as we get the young dogs coat to its correct length it will be kept that way if we are in Germany or in Spain where it can be really hot, also we let our dogs swim in summer with there full coat and they love it.  |
| No need to shave if you don't want to.....
I have shaved mine all down at one point, except for Bree, but not because of the weather. Here are a couple of pics of mine shaved, I just used a 10 blade, no cover, and shaved in the direction the coat grew to avoid "razor burn" Sky 
Dancer  |
| I live in Louisiana and I shave mine down due to the heat and also due to flea problem we have down here (fighting it right now) as we never get cold enough weather to kill the fleas off. THis is a picture of one of our sheepies, Lucky:
Before: 
After:  |
| I am not quite as good as stacey or wyn in the shaving dept...but i do shave panda down due to the extreme heat here.....
i try to go in the direction of the hair but a moving panda is not the easiest to clip (i dont have a table and do it on the floor...) trust me a table will save you some serious back pain...... 
sigh...poor panda...mommy DOES love you |
| If you are having problems with fleas try feeding a teaspoonful of garlic granulate twice weekly, I was told this by a farmer when I was a teenager and have been doing this since then, result, although we visit shows we have very little bother with fleas and very seldom ticks. Do not feed fresh garlic only powder or granulate. |
We try to leave him in more of a puppy cut - an inch or two - but he wiggles a lot and sometimes he winds up shorter than that. He is very rare footage of Bailey on a piece of furniture! In our case, we just don't have time to keep up with his grooming all year round. We keep him short all summer long and then let him grow back over the winter. We were grooming him this morning and I can't wait until the summer haircut! Too much work! I have great respect for those of you who have the time and energy to keep up with full coated OES.
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| There is absolutely no need to shave unless you feel like you really have to or if you think Tucker's just dying in the heat. For Clyde, it made no difference in his life other than really bumming me out. I don't think I'll ever do it again unless there's a really good reason.
This is from almost 2 years ago now. We went from this: 
To this: 
I don't think it's a bad look, I just really prefer all the hair! |
How about "during" photos...
 |
VerveUp, did you use a guard on the clippers or just a light hand? His face is just adorable at that length but you know I have a crush on Frank anyway.  |
| i love the naked clyde ...i think he looked hot!! |
ButtersStotch wrote: VerveUp, did you use a guard on the clippers or just a light hand? His face is just adorable at that length but you know I have a crush on Frank anyway.
Maybe if you ever meet Frank you'll rethink your crush... 
When using clippers, I could never get a guard through his coat as his undercoat was thick like felt. I use a 3 3/4 skip tooth blade which usually gets about a 1/2 - 3/4 inch of coat left. Just for reference, here's a chart with the blade # & hair length if anyone needs it: www.householdappl.com/downloads/oster_r ... _chart.pdf |
Darcy wrote: i love the naked clyde ...i think he looked hot!!
Yes, love the dual eye patches! |
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Verve......you did the deed on the carpet?????  Zowie, all those tiny hairs. I come away from a shave with more hair on me that what I took off the dog......or so it seems. Shaves are outside only and have been sorely tempted to do it nude....but husband keeps opening the garage doors!
I love a shaved sheepie......we play rubbies as I solve all their itchies and reassure the dogs they are just beautiful. Of course we have to worry about sunburn as our dogs love to be outside in our high altitude sun. So while a #10 does give a nice smooth job, I need to stay with a #7 or #5 when possible. Undercarriages can go to #10. I tip my hat to all of you who keep longer coats. I get tired of daily picking out brush from their coats, or worse stepping on misc herbage in the middle of the night because the dog groomed himself. Some day I'll buy leathers for the dogs so they can bushwhack and come away clean and undamaged. |
Mony Shaved
Laci Shaved 
I prefer the puppy cut on my girls and I think they do too. I have a groomer come to my home and cut them. Easier to take care. Kodos to those who have full coated oes's. Hats off to ya. |
| I am so confused!! Should I shave him or not????
It gets up to more than 40C with the humidity here on some days, and I know last summer Tucker was miserable, and that's when he was a tiny baby. There are so many strong arguments for and against shaving in the heat. We don't have a pool or pond for him to swim in, but there is usually some shade somewhere in our yard. It seems most logical to me that he would need to be shaved, and yet some people are so strongly against it. I have to say that Carl's post a while back about the thermodynamics of it was was very convincing, and many people agreed with him. So should I or shouldn't I? I don't want to risk Tucker's comfort or safety, but I don't know what to do!!! |
| I do not know the average temp. in your neck of the woods, but although it reaches 40° some days the full coat is better for him. 1) If you shave him he will not feel the heat so much, but he will want to play when it is hot and this can build up his body temp without him noticing the warning signals eventually causing heat exhaustion if your are not careful, when they are in full coat they will look for shade in summer. 2) Take out the some of the undercoat and he should be fine and if you keep him groomed he can go swimming as well with no problems, if he is matted then keep him away from water because the undercoat will get too heavy with water and can drag him under with its weight, mine love the water and I have had one that could dive as well. Whatever you do you will do it for his best, you just have to learn as you go along, trust your own instinct. |
dairymaid wrote: Why do you want to shave Tucker? The OES is a dog with a long coat and in my opinion should stay that way, remember the coat protects from the heat as well as the cold because of the undercoat, if you groom him regularly he will be fine in summer. I never shave mine and remember I now have three and as soon as we get the young dogs coat to its correct length it will be kept that way if we are in Germany or in Spain where it can be really hot, also we let our dogs swim in summer with there full coat and they love it.
Finally someone else who says exactly what I have been "preaching" here and in other fora for years. A big part of the Bobtail is his/her coat, both in character and the breed standard. Thanks DairyMaid for the support, intended or coincidental. Thanks and Cheers Carl |
dairymaid wrote: I do not know the average temp. in your neck of the woods, but although it reaches 40° some days the full coat is better for him.
1) If you shave him he will not feel the heat so much, but he will want to play when it is hot and this can build up his body temp without him noticing the warning signals eventually causing heat exhaustion if your are not careful, when they are in full coat they will look for shade in summer. 2) Take out the some of the undercoat and he should be fine and if you keep him groomed he can go swimming as well with no problems, if he is matted then keep him away from water because the undercoat will get too heavy with water and can drag him under with its weight, mine love the water and I have had one that could dive as well. Whatever you do you will do it for his best, you just have to learn as you go along, trust your own instinct. Melanie, With proper heat management full coated Bobtails can do just fine in our weather, remember I live in Ottawa just down the road from you and we keep all 3 of ours in full show coat. (Have you read the Summer Heat Exposure and Bobtail Coats thread under medical and nutrition forum? It is the first Sticky thread at the top of that forum, easy to find. While it is now quite long it has a lot of basic information and recounts many experiences of long haired OES on hot climates.) The big thing about keeping an OES in hot climates, especially humid heat as we have here, is to manage their heat exposure keeping them in an air conditioned area during the heat of the day. If you give Tucker his main walks early in the morning and late at night when the temperatures are at their coolest for the day he will only need brief walks for potties throughout the hotest times. And he'll let you know when he has had enough time outside and wants to go back to his air conditioner. In our old house, a rental, we didn't have central air conditioning but we did have window units and the dogs would congregate in the rooms where they were, quite content through the day. (Note that newer window air conditioning units are quite cheap to purchase and use far less energy than those even 5-8 years old. A 5000 BTU unit good for rooms up to 120 sq feet that draws only 5 amps costs about 9-10 cents per hour to operate at full cooling, less of course once the room is cool.) Now with central air the dogs get to spread out in comfort so they are not in each others "space" - in fact we keep the house 2 or 3 degrees Celcius cooler than we would for ourselves to ensure the dogs are always comfortable. Even so Martin loves lying on the cool concrete basement floor. As Dairymaid has pointed out you can further ensure Tuckers comfort by making sure he is always well groomed. When the coat is groomed it will "open up" in the breeze helping to get cool air (less than body temperature) to the skin. This breeze can be natural breeze or the little bit whisps of breeze that are induced just by the speed of him walking. This little bit of "forced convective cooling" is surprisingly effective. You can further help by stripping out his undercoat if you don't show him. Removing the undercoat will reduce some of the coat's volume but he'll still be a big fluffy boy and most people won't even notice the diference without before and after photos. And as Dairymaid says keep his activity levels controlled. Clipped dogs do tend to play more and can suffer heat prostration because they build up to much internal heat because of the energy they burn. Play is good, just keep it limited to the air conditioned house/rooms or during the cooler mornings and evenings. As ever don't hesitate to ask further questions, either in public forum or by PM. Thanks and Cheers Carl |
Darcy wrote: I am not quite as good as stacey or wyn in the shaving dept...but i do shave panda down due to the extreme heat here.....
i try to go in the direction of the hair but a moving panda is not the easiest to clip (i dont have a table and do it on the floor...) trust me a table will save you some serious back pain...... sigh...poor panda...mommy DOES love you OMG-- that may be the cutest thing I have ever seen. She looks so... well... so... CUTE!!! haha |
I also keep all my dogs in full show coat, with the exception of when they have a litter. Even then, I do not shave them right down. Here is a picture of Morgan when she was pregnant and the clip I gave her.
I agree with Carl & Dairymaid. If you keep the coat properly groomed there is absolutely no problem keeping your OES in coat in the summer. During the hot summer days, our dogs are out early in the morning for their romp, and then hang by the vents for the AC during the day. Quick trips outside for a pee are given throughout the day, and then they are right back in the house where it is cool. Then again at night they are out for a final romp or a walk. |
dairymaid wrote: ..., remember the coat protects from the heat as well as the cold because of the undercoat, ...
While I agree with most of what has said in this thread this is one statement to which I most strenuously object. The Bobtail's coat protects him/her from the sun, protecting what is quite sensitive skin from sunburn. That is all! It DOES NOT protect the dog from high temperatures and prolonged heat exposure that WILL result in heat prostration. A couple of years ago I initiated the "Summer Heat Exposure and Bobtail Coats thread in the medical and nutrition forum because of others making this exact comment. It is: http://forum.oes.org/viewtopic.php?t=2554 Sorry but it is simply wrong and subscribing to and acting upon such an idea threatens your dog's very life. The thermodynamics and heat flow mechanisms and rate phenomena not only don't support such a statement they emphatically disprove it. In the very first post of that now quite long thread, I try to walk people through the heat transfer mechanisms (without mathematical equations) to help them understand the basics of heat flow into and out of a Bobtail's body at varying temperatures and the effect their coat has on that heat flow. If any of you think or believe that the coat protects the dog from high temperatures and heat please read that first post if nothing else in that thread. Heat prostration is a terrible way for any living creature to die and would only be exacerbated if it were preventable, as it is in the case of our beloved fur kids. Dairymaid, please don't take this as a personal rebuke or attack. This is a topic that I have "championed" for quite a long time and which I will continue to try and teach whenever it is raised regardless of who raises it. As an engineer with a deep background in thermodynamics and, in this instance more importantly, heat transfer mechanics and rates phenomena I am well qualified to speak to the subject. Sincerely and diligently yours Carl |
| Due to the outrageous cost of cooling our home here in the Desert we have to keep the A/C at 79/80 degrees. Any lower and we'd be spending around $600 a month to keep the house cooler. The A/C would run continously. Even in the house our dogs will pant like crazy. As soon as I shave them down the excessive panting stops and they are a lot more comfortable.
My dogs are not show dogs, they are pets and I was them to be as comfortable as possible. They both get their spring shave downs in April, when the temps start to get over 90 degrees F. Our average summer temp here is 114 which is = to 46 degrees C. A few summers back we hit 118 almost every day (48c) which feels like you have just walking into an oven when you go outside. We even had a few days at 122 (50c) When the temps reach this height, the A/C which I may add is only 2 years old and very efficient can only cool the house to about 20 - 30 degrees cooler than they outside temps. We only drop down to the 90's or high 80's at night. Our dogs are typical OES and want to be where we are. If we are in the pool, they are in the pool. Being that we are in the pool on a daily basis, the grooming on them if they were in full coat would be a nightmare. First the cool themselves off in the pool and then they will run and play and come back to the pool to cool themselves off. Of course the sun here is very strong, but using a #5 blade to clip leaves enough hair so sunburn is not an issue. Even when I have used a #10 my dogs have never had sunburn. There will be a few areas that would not usually get sun that are exposed when I shave with a #10 like the bridge of the nose. So I put sunscreen until the hair growns in. Shaving my dogs keeps them cooler in the house, which they are in most of the day. The excessive panting.... especially at night, drives me crazy. So the shaving I do is for the comfort of my dogs and to avoid the excessive grooming I would have to do on a daily basis. It keeps us all more comfortable. |
Carl Lindon wrote: The big thing about keeping an OES in hot climates, especially humid heat as we have here, is to manage their heat exposure keeping them in an air conditioned area during the heat of the day... he'll let you know when he has had enough time outside and wants to go back to his air conditioner. In our old house, a rental, we didn't have central air conditioning but we did have window units... Thank you so much, everyone, for the helpful advice. My main concern is that we do not have an air conditioner, and while we would be prepared, certainly, to buy one of the window units for Tucker's comfort (and let's face it, our own, too), we do not have a single window in our whole house that is the appropriate style for this! One of the first things we noticed when we bought it in July is that ALL of the windows (kitchen, all bedrooms, and living room) are casement windows, the ones that crank open vertically, so an a/c is just not possible. I would love to keep him with a thinned out coat, but even without anything more than a fan or three, will he be ok???? |
| It is surprisingly easy to cut a hole in a wall for an air conditioner. |
Mel & Tucker wrote: Thank you so much, everyone, for the helpful advice. My main concern is that we do not have an air conditioner, and while we would be prepared, certainly, to buy one of the window units for Tucker's comfort (and let's face it, our own, too), we do not have a single window in our whole house that is the appropriate style for this! One of the first things we noticed when we bought it in July is that ALL of the windows (kitchen, all bedrooms, and living room) are casement windows, the ones that crank open vertically, so an a/c is just not possible. I would love to keep him with a thinned out coat, but even without anything more than a fan or three, will he be ok???? Okay, so what type of heating do you have? If it is forced air, be it oil or, natural gas you can add central a/c to it. Cost is of course an issue but... The other option is the distributed air conditioning systems that are becoming more popular as a retrofit system. While they are more expensive than a central a/c system they are very effective for homes without forced air heating. There are actually ways to fit a window a/c into casement windows but is rather a pain in the butt. However there are the "portable' air conditioners which you can wheel around to any location in the house that you need them. They have a single duct that needs to be placed in a window or door opening and come in quite large cooling capacities. Ron's comment about cutting a hole in the wall for an a/c is also very valid. It isn't that big of an issue if you have any home repair or renovation experience. Of course I don't know your house arrangement but a couple of window units "permanently" mounted in the wall can be very effective. In the end it comes down to "where there is a will there is a way". And since it will benefit you as well as Tucker this is one to work on a bit. Just a few options to consider. Thanks and Cheers Carl |
| Carl although I admire what you write and agree with the majority of your articles as I said in a earlier thread I disagree regarding the undercoat. I travel a lot to Spain, Gibraltar, France and some other hot countries with my sheepies and as you will have seen we show our dogs so therefore they are in full coat with thier undercoat intact. When we travel to these countries we normally combine this with a holiday for three or even four weeks, or dogs are sometimes out in the sun with us and when you lift the coat and feel the skin it is always cool receiving the protection from the top and undercoat, the undercoat has many uses and is technically far more advanced than we will ever understand. |
Chewie at 11 months old - full coat
Chewie at 16 months old - show groomed 
before his partial trim down -all brushed out and ready to clip - 
The next day- 
now - 3 1/2 months later - 
Chewie only had a partial trim, but hopefully you can see the difference in the coat before, after, and with a little regrowth. |
| I feel I really need to chime in on this. Mel if you look in my photo icon you will see Simon with a coat and with a puppy cut. Because I'm totally inept, I take the dogs to a groomer with instructions on what I want. I've been to several different groomers with different results. Some good, some not so good and some...oh well it will grow out. OES do have long growing coats and if you have the time and energy and a willing dog, go for it. BUT, lots of dogs have growing coats. Poodles for example. Does this mean that poodles or any long coated dogs should be kept in long coats. NO! We, the dogs and I prefer the puppy cut because it is cooler AND easier to take care of. Maybe that makes me lazy or something but the dogs are happier when I'm not tugging on their hair to get knots out.
I think of a shave as close to the skin. When I take the dogs in, I write down what it is I want, where I want it short(belly, under arms, under ears) and where I want it kept to an inch or two. I let them know that with no exceptions do I want the dog shaved. Thats my preference. When Simon first went to the groomers, I thought I would try in once and if I didn't like it...it grows out. Now I have two sheepies and they go to the groomers regularly to get a "puppy cut". So, anyway, in this long rant the message is its your preference. If you decide to do it and don't like it..it grows out. |
| Die hard shaver here!!
Twice a year without fail!  |
| Lots of great information!
Stewart! I might be wrong but I thought if I wanted to check how hot they were I had to lift their ears to feel it. Is that right? Or is there another way of checking it? I only shave Boni once because I was gone for 6 weeks and it was the easiest for hubby and Boni as well. But as Elissa said Boni pants and walks up and down during the summer when he is too hot that is pretty annoying. We thought about getting one of those cooling mats for him. Has anybody used those? Any thoughts on these? |
| Last summer was our first full summer with Miley and we had her clipped. Our family camps alot in a camper without air conditioning and our campsite may or may not be shaddy.
Here is last summer's before 
And the after 
It was a big adjustment but we were happy because it meant Miley could be with us and still be cool. Her coat is now about the length of the first picture. |
| I did shave Obe into a puppy coat last summer. I hated it, how did he react? Besides hiding for a day and walking around with a sad face the same as he did when his coat was long. Still did not want to come outside during the day other than to use the bathroom then right back inside. I could walk outside into the yard and he would just stop before he got out to the door and lay down. So this year he can just stay in full coat and lay in the AC which he prefers anyway. At dusk/night time he was lets go play play play.
I love my boy in full coat, so unless I see him having trouble I will not shave again. |
| Blueshire - Morgan looks awesome in that cut! What did you use to do it?
Becky - Miley also looks great, what did you use??? |
| So Tucker's appointment at the groomer's is for THIS TUESDAY!
I hummed and hawed for ever so long after reading everyone's very helpful and thoughtful posts. "To shave or not to shave" was definitely the question. Then something started to happened that definitely made up my mind. Tucker is, I THINK, starting to blow coat, although I'm not exactly sure. Does the following make up the characteristics of blowing coat? 1. He has about 3-4 different textures of fur all over his body 2. He has about 3-4 different colours of fur on his body, ranging from a beautiful soft grey coat down at the roots on his shoulder area, to a gorgeous red-brown that is a bit dry but soft on the backs of all four legs. 3. Where there used to be little mats from his harness rubbing is now a solid block of mats that I have had to hack at with scissors 4. Where before his back and legs would remain mat-free as long as I brushed him once or twice a week, now he has new and random mats forming every single day! Even in places where nothing is rubbing. 5. I could spend an hour on him and would only get about 3 square inches of fur combed out and de-matted. I think mats are forming just while he lays still and sleeps!! So is THIS blowing coat??? Whatever it is, I just can't keep up with it, and the poor little boy: every time he comes to lie beside me I'm at him with the de-matting tool. So to the groomer's we go to get a nice close puppy cut. I want to leave him a bit rugged looking still, there's no reason to get too close, especially since the really hot temperatures aren't here yet. I just figure that when they do, we'd all rather spend our time at the beach playing in the river and sand instead of at home spending hours a day brushing and getting all the knots out. Thanks everyone for all your tips and advice, I'll be sure to post pictures later in the week!!! |
Monster Mom wrote: Last summer was our first full summer with Miley and we had her clipped. Our family camps alot in a camper without air conditioning and our campsite may or may not be shaddy.
Here is last summer's before And the after This is very similar to the cut that Phoebe gets at the groomers. Her coat is like a berber carpet when she is trimmed down but there is longer hair on her head. |
Carl Lindon wrote: With proper heat management full coated Bobtails can do just fine in our weather, remember I live in Ottawa just down the road from you and we keep all 3 of ours in full show coat. (Have you read the Summer Heat Exposure and Bobtail Coats thread under medical and nutrition forum? It is the first Sticky thread at the top of that forum, easy to find. While it is now quite long it has a lot of basic information and recounts many experiences of long haired OES on hot climates.)
The Sticky thread contains some inaccuracies and myths. Remember, since dogs always generate heat this heat must flow out from the body or the dog's temperature will rise and the dog will die. Temperature control must consider power per area, not energy per area. What will determine a sheepies internal temperature is 1) power dissipated and 2) thermal resistance. Power can be measured in watts (W) and thermal resistance can be measured in °C/W. The thermal resistance for a given body area and coat thickness is fixed. By panting harder a sheepie can effectively lower its thermal resistance and can dissipate more heat. This is why sheepies drool and pant less when shaved. THICKER FUR MEANS HIGHER THERMAL RESISTANCE. A resting dog may generate 50 W. Its body temperature will be around 38°C which is around 13°C above room ambient temperature. So its thermal resistance will be around .26 °C/W. Simple physics. The ONLY time a dog's coat will insulate from heat is when the external temperature of the coat is above 38°C. If you can't be bothered to provide shade for your dog this may be a concern. However, for virtually all concerned dog owners this should never be a consideration. |
Mel & Tucker wrote: So is THIS blowing coat???
Yep. Ain't it fun?  
You'll both be much happier when he's shaved. You can start fresh and grow it back out and agonize over the decision all over again next year. When he has his adult coat he'll be much easier to keep in coat, if that's what you want to do. If you don't, so what? You can be pretty darn sure no farmer was going to keep a working dog they had to spend their lives grooming, rather they shaved as needed, so rest assured that the OES gods will not strike you dead for shaving your dog It's just a personal preference thing.
Kristine |
| Ah, thanks Kristine! I'm glad to know this is blowing coat and so therefore a phase with his fur, and not just how it will be, because I tell ya, I just can't keep up! How long will this last for? I know sheepies take different amounts of time to get their full coats in, but now that he's started is there a ballpark amount of months or anything that I can look forward to? :S
He's going to look so old after his cut, because it's so grey down by the root which is what will be showing now, instead of the dark black tips that we see now. But he soooo needs it, and frankly, so do we! I'm glad to hear that keeping him in full coat will be easier when he has his complete adult fur! |
Mel & Tucker wrote: How long will this last for?
If you were showing the dog it lasts until you are done showing them and as soon as you are ready to clip them back, easy to maintain coat comes in!  |
| Ok, so since I'm cutting him down to about an inch or so tomorrow, will it grow in much easier? |
| Oh absolutely!
There's less mass to get all tangled and messy so you'll have less to deal with. Just make sure you are checking it and maybe run a wide tooth comb through it as it grows in; even though it's short. |
Maxmm wrote: Mel & Tucker wrote: How long will this last for? If you were showing the dog it lasts until you are done showing them and as soon as you are ready to clip them back, easy to maintain coat comes in! Oh, boy - ain't that the truth!!!
Kristine |
| Laika's last year's puppy cut, very stylish
more than anything I am looking forward to less grooming I live on a lake and we all know what a happens to a wet sheepie. I want to enjoy the summer as well as her. 
 |
Oooh Laika looks beautiful! I like your socks too  |
| personally i like the look of a shaved sheepie but ive only seen mine with hair in pix..(see my photos).. they are so handsome shaved and it is a conversation starter..."what kind of dog is that?"
i can imagine that it will be a real shock to see him shaved for the first time. i plan to do the on/off thing. |
| Laika is a tall dog! |
| Here's some pics of Sunny after our "Home Hack Jobs 101" midterm exam! This is with a #10 cutting with the coat direction.
Play just after a bath (aka "bath spaz") last night, gotta get dusty again right away you know! 
Right after we finished shaving her: 
 |
Ah they all look so cute after their shaves and cuts, Dutch is being shaved today  but I just didn't have time or energy when Don was in hospital so she got to be rather a big mess.  |
jean wrote: Ah they all look so cute after their shaves and cuts, Dutch is being shaved today
but I just didn't have time or energy when Don was in hospital so she got to be rather a big mess. Ah, but then think how HAPPY she'll be when she comes home all aerodynamic and clean
I'm sure she'll be gorgeous.
Kristine |
| We thought about getting one of those cooling mats for him. Has anybody used those? Any thoughts on these?[/quote]
I have a cooling mat for Abi. She stayed on it during the summer. Now, it's almost time to bring it out again. The mat after it is soaked in water- doesn't have to be cold water, stays cold for a couple of days. It stays a bit moist so I don't keep it on the hardwood floors. I like the mat for car rides too. |
| That's neat! I didn't know you could get mats like that! We have a little bandana made of the same stuff, I think, and last summer we would tie it around Tucker's neck (or our own!)
Where did you get it? |
| We just had Nanny shaved a few weeks ago. I miss her hair! lol I should take a picture of her now, but she looks pretty funny. (They left the hair on her face/head a little longer than everywhere else.) |
|
OH MY gosh a flying sheepie I love this pic.  |
| Ok here she is in all her glory
I was telling the groomer that lots of folks say their sheepies are embarrased about being shaved and her answer was," Nah it's all in the way you first greeted her, you said oh aren't you beautiful instead of oh my gosh what happened to you " but whatever Dutch seems to be very pleased with her new style
I think she looks cute but I do like the long hair better
 |
| The following quotes I find very questionable. I'm not trying to start anything but who has the correct story?
Quote: The OES is a dog with a long coat and in my opinion should stay that way, remember the coat protects from the heat as well as the cold because of the undercoat, if you groom him regularly he will be fine in summer. Read the following link in response to this quote... http://forum.oes.org/viewtopic.php?t=2554 What about... Quote: If you are having problems with fleas try feeding a teaspoonful of garlic granulate twice weekly, I was told this by a farmer when I was a teenager and have been doing this since then, result, although we visit shows we have very little bother with fleas and very seldom ticks. Do not feed fresh garlic only powder or granulate.
Now read the following posting... http://forum.oes.org/viewtopic.php?t=6471 |
| Garlic is fine actually good (burps aren't) Laika's can be very garlicy
Onions are the bad one. |
| So if I want to do a puppy cut on my kids how do you know which blade to use. I must have 50 million blades in the clipper kit I bought but none say how long they leave the hair. I would like to keep them between 1-2 inches. Any suggestions? and do I just take the blade down their backs and legs or do I go against the hair. I seem to always get the chopped up look. help anyone? |
| I know you feel like garlic is OK, and perhaps she will be fine taking it in small doses, but perhaps not. It takes days for the damage to occur.
There are chemical compouds in both onions and garlic which are toxic to dogs. Perhaps you are comfortable giving small amounts of toxins to your dog on a regular basis, however I am not. Perhaps most dogs will not have problems with small doses. Perhaps minute damage is being done. Perhaps the body recovers from the damage. Perhaps anemia will never occur. Some dogs can eat grapes and have no ill effects, in others 6 raisins have been deadly. Here's an interesting article abstract... http://www.jaaha.org/cgi/content/abstract/41/1/68 I just prefer to be on the safe side whenever possible. |
| Summer cuts:
Winston: 
Lacy: 
Chap: 
Leo:  |
| Every holistic book I own recommends garlic and my holistic vet as well. I think I would believe them over something I read on the internet.
Dr. Richard Pitcairn, probably the preeminent authority on providing home made food for dogs and cats has garlic as an acceptable ingredient: "Garlic helps to eliminate worms, strengthen digestion, and beneficially stimulate the intestinal tract. Use it to promote intestinal health. It is also indicated for animals that have been on a high meat or fish diet, and these that tend to be overweight or suffer hip pain from arthritis or dysplasia. |
| So garlic is good for use as a wormer, digestive aid, obesity, arthritis and hip dysplasia?
Could be the aspirin of our time! |
| If you can handle the stinky breath |
| i must admit i love wilburs long coat, but we where starting to get problems with matting and i recently hurt my back so its hard for me to bath him right now - so decided to take him to the groomers for the works!
we had him shaved right down so now the groomers can take care of his coat properly now, almost like starting over... i must say although i miss his shaggy looks he does look very handsome! I almost thought they gave me the wrong dog! will get some pics up soon! |
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