Would Allie look different if I line groomed?
I guess my question is, would she look different/better, if I learned to line groom? I see the topics on it...Am I hurting her in some way by not line grooming?  She rarely has Matts, which I assumed it is because I do keep up on her brushing, which by the way, she hates being brushed! |
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Allie would look much fluffier if you line groomed her. 
There really is no way to ensure that you cover the entire dog's body unless you work in a set pattern. You MUST get completely down to the skin when you brush! While you're grooming, you can see skin problems such as fleas & ticks, allergic reactions, injuries, growths, etc..  You can section off an area and do parts of the dog each day if you don't have the time or patience to finish the job.
Your Christensen brush is good, it won't irritate the skin and pull out undercoat like a rake. Use lots of praise and/or treats to make grooming an enjoyable experience. It may seem awkward and time consuming at first but once you get the hang of it, line grooming will become second nature. Good luck!!! |
| I just did a complete line groom on Chewie on Monday afternoon. He has been growing out his trimmed (shaved) off puppy coat, so he hasn't needed tons of brushing on his whole body. Just regular brushing to make sure all was smooth and healthy. Not like the committment when he was in full show coat and going through the puppy coat transition to boot!
He needs a bath, so I really needed to do a good job. I set up my grooming table in the livingroom (normally in a different room) and settled in for the whole project. All I did was brush - no extra products besides my conditioner sprayed on as I brushed. It took a little over 2 hours of nonstop work. He looks amazing! It added inches to his coat - and hid the differences in his growing out stuff from the rest. I went to class Monday night and everyone noticed the difference. They all thought I bathed and blow dried him, but it was just the line grooming.  |
| I do a little bit at a time...or half at a time. I need a grooming table.
Every time I feel a matt starting I get the greyhound type comb and comb out that area...that way I can avoid scissoring matts. Nigel gets a full brush out about once a week. He is almost 11 months and is in a long coat. The puppy coat is the root of all matts right now. I am tempted to clip...but he looks so good. We shall see what Summer in the High Desert of So. Cal. will bring. |
| What conditioner do you use Dawn?? |
Thanks everyone! Allie actually never minded being brushed, but then after a few trips to the Groomer, she hates it now and fights with me. She does always get a special treat after every brushing. I know she is sick of me trimming, cutting, brushing, nail cutting, ear plucking, paw wiping, raking.  I tell her she is a sheepie and this is her life!
She has not been to a Pro groomer since October and I am planning on taking her for a puppy cut by June...Maybe I will start the line grooming as she starts to grow out during the summer. Do the Pro groomers always line groom after they blow dry? I guess I have never asked! But she does look fluffy when she comes home. I just assumed it was from the blow dryers they use! |
| Your mars rake takes out undercoat so if you line groomed and stopped with the rake she would look much different |
| I use a comb when I line groom; does this take out the undercoat? Or is this just dead fur coming out? I don't use a rake just a comb. |
| I find that line brushing makes him look a lot "puffier" for a little while since everything is nicely fluffed, but that goes away quickly (more quickly if he's playing or running and things fall back into palce). Right Barkley only has about 2 inches of coat, so brushing is less of a chore than it used to be. Still, he looks a lot different after line brushing than before.
As Maggie McGee IV said, the important part about line brushing is that you're getting to see the skin all over the dog - you need to make sure that you're getting right to the skin/root and that you're getting out all of the knots/tangles/micromatts before they become a problem. If she's not matting, then you're probably not doing any harm by not line grooming - for most people line grooming is the easiest/most effective way to keep a coated dog from matting. As for seeing a professional groomer - Barkley goes twice a year, and that's mostly because I don't have a good bathing setup at home. If I did, he probably wouldn't go at all. spacegirl21 wrote: I use a comb when I line groom; does this take out the undercoat? Or is this just dead fur coming out?
A comb (depending on how widely spaced the tines are) will take out some of the undercoat and definitely should be removing all of the dead/loose coat. I don't know how you do it though - with Barkley in full coat it took me over 4 hours to line brush with a brush - with a comb it would have been at least twice that long... |
Craig Duffield wrote: spacegirl21 wrote: I use a comb when I line groom; does this take out the undercoat? Or is this just dead fur coming out? A comb (depending on how widely spaced the tines are) will take out some of the undercoat and definitely should be removing all of the dead/loose coat. I don't know how you do it though - with Barkley in full coat it took me over 4 hours to line brush with a brush - with a comb it would have been at least twice that long... A lot of it also depends on the type of coat your dog has. Some are much harsher coats and getting a comb through it would nearly impossible while some softer coats might be doable with a comb. I think either way, the comb used on any of the dark areas of the dog is going to strip undercoat. That's not necessarily a bad thing as long as you're consistent because removing it will make grooming easier but it will keep you from ever getting a super puffy dog. You'll get more shaggy, less puffy.
Here's a very easy way for you to tell the difference in what it'll look like-- do half the dog. I know I can tell a HUGE difference like that. I usually take a break in between brushing both sides and I'm always amazed by how much fuller the line groomed side is. |
ButtersStotch wrote: A lot of it also depends on the type of coat your dog has. Some are much harsher coats and getting a comb through it would nearly impossible while some softer coats might be doable with a comb. Definitely. Now, why couldn't I think of that all on my own? ButtersStotch wrote: Here's a very easy way for you to tell the difference in what it'll look like-- do half the dog. I know I can tell a HUGE difference like that. I usually take a break in between brushing both sides and I'm always amazed by how much fuller the line groomed side is.
Yup, line groomed side looks all puffed out and even, legs are nice columns, other side looks all flat and scraggly, legs look tangled, if not matted. At least, that's the way half-done Barkley looks. |
| Ditto to the above.
Anything more than a brush removes undercoat. Depending on the look you want, this can be good or bad. If you are showing, this is bad. If you aren't, removing some of the undercoat can make life easier, while still letting you enjoy a hairy dog! I see the 2 different dogs too. I do one side, then let Chewie up to potty. It is pretty funny looking. One side is a lush and plush, the other is flat and scraggly. If that's not incentive to get the other side done, I don't know what is! |
| Just a side note to those people whose sheepies are puppies and are going through the coat changes but want to keep the long coat...I used to have the groomer shave Violet's belly and underside...it saved a lot of matting since she used to get up and down a lot and no one could see it. It worked for me. |
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