A few questions
My name is Vidya. I don't have an OES yet. I hope to own one sometime in the future. Right now I have a 8 month old white Tibetan terrier named Lucky. I have a few questions about coat and grooming in general. Even though my questions may be silly, I hope you all try to answer them. 1. Lucky has been shedding like crazy for the past 15 days. Most of the fur comes out when I comb his fur. How many more months will he keep shedding like crazy? 2. I read about trimming the fur under the paws and I even got trimming scissors to do it myself. My dad has an electric hair trimmer. Would it be okay if I use that to trim the fur under his paws? 3. Do all you owners with long coated sheepies line groom your sheepie? Or do you also do normal way of brushing for the coat? 4. I also read about plucking ear hair. I thought that hair was supposed to keep away any foreign matter from getting into the ear. So why do you pluck them? 5. My dog still tries to eat anything he sees. He even tries to eat dust and sometimes his own fur. When will he understand not to eat all these crazy things? 6. Lucky's fur length is such that I can't tie it up in a top knot and if I leave it as it is, it covers his eyes. I tried putting a clip to hold the hair up but it eventually came off after an hour or so and he tried to eat it. What should I do? Even if I trim the fur under his eyes, the fur on his head falls on his eyes. 7. About grooming the bum area-do all of you have your sheepie's pooping area trimmed short? I keep Lucky's trimmed short but even then, sometimes, there is a little dried poop that I have to comb out and he hates it. I have no other choice since he has a white behind and it has to look clean. How do your sheepies react when you groom that area? 8. Do sheepies also go through the 'puppy uglies' stage? 9. About sheepies having a clean beard, is it genetics that only a few sheepies have a whiter beard or is it just a lot of cleaning after every meal, no putting nose in the dirt etc. ? Does putting corn starch on the beard help to get a whiter beard? Sorry for the crazy and long questions. Hope someone replies. Here is a link with Lucky's pics http://www.flickr.com/photos/14784073@N04/ Vidya. |
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| Hi,
Lucky is really cute. I loved the photos of him. Especially the one with your Mum. Sorry I cant answer all your questions but will help with some. Vidhya29 wrote: 2. I read about trimming the fur under the paws and I even got trimming scissors to do it myself. My dad has an electric hair trimmer. Would it be okay if I use that to trim the fur under his paws?Vidya. I'm not sure what your Dad's electric hair trimmer is like. Lots of people use electric clippers with a smaller toe blade so it might work. Vidhya29 wrote: 3. Do all you owners with long coated sheepies line groom your sheepie? Or do you also do normal way of brushing for the coat?Vidya. Once the coat is long if you dont line brush then you keep the top of the coat matt free but underneath is all matted and eventually you have to shave them down to get rid of the matts. I am not at all familiar with a TT's coat though. Vidhya29 wrote: 4. I also read about plucking ear hair. I thought that hair was supposed to keep away any foreign matter from getting into the ear. So why do you pluck them? Vidya. To help stop a build up of ear oils that allows dirt etc to get stuck in the ear and to prevent there being so much hair that there is no air flow which can help an infection to start up. Vidhya29 wrote: 5. My dog still tries to eat anything he sees. He even tries to eat dust and sometimes his own fur. When will he understand not to eat all these crazy things? Vidya. My sheepie did this till she was nearly 1 year old. Some dogs always eat things they shouldnt. Vidhya29 wrote: 6. Lucky's fur length is such that I can't tie it up in a top knot and if I leave it as it is, it covers his eyes. I tried putting a clip to hold the hair up but it eventually came off after an hour or so and he tried to eat it. What should I do? Even if I trim the fur under his eyes, the fur on his head falls on his eyes. Vidya. You could try using a hair tie instead, but eventually they fall out. Could Lucky's breeder show you how to tie his hair up. Vidhya29 wrote: 7. About grooming the bum area-do all of you have your sheepie's pooping area trimmed short? I keep Lucky's trimmed short but even then, sometimes, there is a little dried poop that I have to comb out and he hates it. I have no other choice since he has a white behind and it has to look clean. How do your sheepies react when you groom that area?Vidya. I keep my sheepies bum area trimmed just a little bit. As with Lucky I sometimes need to brush out a little dried poop. Tiggy (my sheepie) has gotten used to it. I do it gently though and sometimes use scissors to snip little bits of hair away. Vidhya29 wrote: 8. Do sheepies also go through the 'puppy uglies' stage? Vidya. Do you mean their behaviour? If so then have a look in the behaviour and the antics sections here. The answer is a definite YES!!  Vidhya29 wrote: 9. About sheepies having a clean beard, is it genetics that only a few sheepies have a whiter beard or is it just a lot of cleaning after every meal, no putting nose in the dirt etc. ? Does putting corn starch on the beard help to get a whiter beard?Vidya.
Some dogs drool more than others when they're hot or stressed. These dogs are called wet mouths and it is genetic. A lot of drooling makes their mouth more stained. But mostly a clean face means lots of cleaning after food and drinks. Corn starch does help but wont keep it completely white. |
Thank you so much Mim for the wonderful answers. I love the way Tiggy looks after being groomed. Its obvious you do a fantastic job on her. I've been reading lots of posts on the forum for a couple of years now...almost every single day  I've wanted a sheepie ever since I was 9 years old. I hope I get one someday.
Your answers were definitely helped me. Lucky's coat is quite difficult to manage and I have to brush him twice a day to keep him matt free. His coat is also very silky and smooth at 8months. Can I expect it to get more rougher once he becomes an adult? By the 'puppy uglies' stage, I didn't mean anything related to behavior or antics. This site gives more information http://www.lovebugpoms.com/PuppyUglies.html |
Your dog is adorable  You will make a great OES owner someday! |
| Oh sorry!
Puppy uglies are called coat transitions in the sheepie world and yes sheepies have two puppy uglies. One from puppy to junior coat and then another from junior to adult coat. Happens at slightly different ages depending on the dog. I dont know what happens to a TT coat as they get older maybe someone else here knows. |
| Do you have any pictures of sheepdog puppy uglies stage?
Thank you bestdogsx4  |
| Should I be using tweezers to pluck the ear hair? |
Vidhya29 wrote: Do you have any pictures of sheepdog puppy uglies stage?
I dont maybe lisaoes or someone else does. |
Vidhya29 wrote: Should I be using tweezers to pluck the ear hair?
Depends, some people say never use anything but your fingers and others say using a hemostat is the best idea. Boils down to personal preference I guess. Maybe the size of the dog's ear plays a part too. |
Mim wrote: Vidhya29 wrote: Do you have any pictures of sheepdog puppy uglies stage? I dont maybe lisaoes or someone else does. well actually, with these guys it isn't so much ugly as instant matting |
| ^^^^^^^^^^^^
Sad  but true.  |
Tonks and Luna are currently doing the coat transition thing. I don't know that you'd see it in a photo. I never heard the term "Puppy Uglies" before. Seems to me that nothing about a sheepdog puppy is ugly!!! 
I didn't know drooling was the culprit for the facial staining. It explains alot; my girls only seem to drool if I'm holding a treat, and their beards are relatively clean. I don't often wipe them down between meals, but they do get pretty frequent baths, so maybe that makes up for it. My girls get what I call "Poopie Butts". For the longest time, they had very sensitive stomachs, and they'd have very soft stools as a result. And no matter how short you keep the fur in that area (which I do) if the stool is soft or watery, its going to get stuck in what little fur is there. I find using a warm wet cloth or paper towel to soften the dried offender before removing it makes it a little less uncomfortable for them and easier for you. ~Allison |
| okay; I can think of an example of OES "Puppy Uglies". OES pups start out black and white, and become gray and white as they mature. If left un-cut; I've seen that black puppy hair grows long, and discolor to a weird lack-luster brownish color. It looks like it has faded in the sun. I trimmed Tonks and Luna at 7 months old, but even at that point I was seeing the tips turn sort of brownish. I know someone at our park that won't trim their pup, and their 16 month old's fur looks pretty beaten up.
anyone else experience this? Or am I imagining it? |
| One more silly question...how do I know if the undercoat isn't matted? The fur on his neck is so thick. I try my best to reach till the skin to comb by parting the hair but it is so difficult. |
| If you can't get a comb to the sking or part it tis probably matted. My neutered boy has a very think coat - but I can still get a comb or a rake through his coat and part it to the skin.
Allison - yeah that is the only picture I get, but thta hair does come out or is easily scissored off. I don' think they really go through an awful coat stage - other than instant matting. |
kerry wrote: Allison - yeah that is the only picture I get, but thta hair does come out or is easily scissored off. I don' think they really go through an awful coat stage - other than instant matting. Agreed; when I saw that they were beginning to discolor, I already had them scheduled to get their first puppy cut. So it was gone not long after I began to notice it. I'd agree about the matting; its VERY "Puppy Ugly" as far as I'm concerned!!!!  |
| I find that the neck area is the most difficult to groom. Does anyone else also feel the same? |
| Finally I'm able to tie a topknot on Lucky. Here are the pics
http://www.flickr.com/photos/14784073@N04/?saved=1 So if I'm not able to see the skin when I part his hair, does it mean that his undercoat is matted? Thankfully I am able to see the skin on his body. |
Vidhya29 wrote: I find that the neck area is the most difficult to groom. Does anyone else also feel the same?
the neck is where I see the densest fur on my guys, but their feet are MUCH harder for me. They really don't like having that area brushed. |
Darth Snuggle wrote: Vidhya29 wrote: I find that the neck area is the most difficult to groom. Does anyone else also feel the same? the neck is where I see the densest fur on my guys, but their feet are MUCH harder for me. They really don't like having that area brushed. OMG yes - Marley is determined to protect her feet at all costs. I leave them until last - she seems more relaxed and less able to fight me then, she still tries though. |
| I had trouble with the line where the grays met the whites on Chewie's neck/shoulder. The 2 types of coat (white and gray hairs) seemed to tangle daily (hourly??) when he was in coat transition. |
| I tried line grooming for the first time and I find that it actually does make a lot of difference in the way his coat looks. Since its my first time, I'm not completely sure I'm doing it the right way. Here is a pic...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/14784073@N04/4130990797/ |
Vidhya29 wrote: I tried line grooming for the first time and I find that it actually does make a lot of difference in the way his coat looks. Since its my first time, I'm not completely sure I'm doing it the right way. Here is a pic...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/14784073@N04/4130990797/ Yes, that looks right!  |
| Now that I tied a top knot, he is able to see everything and he loves it when I blow bubbles and he can see each one and tries to catch it. |
| Such a cutie!
Does he still have pink paw pads or did they go black like his nose? |
| His paw pads still have a bit of pink in them. A couple of toes are pink but most of them are black. I will be posting more pics of him with a top knot and a blue neck scarf/bandana in the same link. Is it advisable to always remove the topknot before he goes to sleep? |
| here's the link
http://www.flickr.com/photos/14784073@N04/ |
| he is very beautiful. i have never seen an all white TT. |
| Very nice pictures of Lucky - he's cute!
When Chewie had a topknot, I left the ponytail in all the time - even at night. |
| I love his cute little top knot.
Tiggy's stays in all the time too. Sometimes she pokes her nose down the back of the couch cushions and rubs her face and head, then I have to redo her "bed hair"
I take it out every morning, brush out the hair and put it back in again. Otherwise it gets all floppy and messy and the hair inside the top knot where you cant see it starts to matt. |
| Thank you oesmom2, thank you Got sheep and thank you Mim.
Quote: he is very beautiful. i have never seen an all white TT.
...that's one of the many reasons we named him 'Lucky'. |
| One more question...In the middle of the night, I notice that he licks himself a lot on his tummy area or on his fore leg (I call it 'hand') or on his private area, is this normal? |
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