The Transition
 But we want to use our fear of 'the transition' (say it in a deep, booming voice) for good. Any particular advice from you experienced groomers on how to stay on top of things? Our other option is to move in with Carl and Michelle and cook and clean for them while they get us safely through this tough period.  |
|
|
I really didn't have a problem with the transition. With my first, I had to comb nightly and there were times I went every other night, and she would get some matts I had to work through, but I was able to keep on top of it and never had to shave her. It just was always work and a true dedication to stay on top of it. With complete line brushing ...she WOULD have a matt that needed attn soon after. Again, nothing you can't work through. The key is "if you have time."  My second dog had a different coat. During the transition, I only combed him once a week and even then... we never got "matts," ...just was perfect timing for a good brush through. Wasn't bad AT ALL and I felt completely spoiled. He is now 1.5+ ...and he's never had a matt that I had to work through!!!! His coat is just so dang thick ...it takes a lot of "time." |
| That gives me some hope. We don't have kids (we use the rent-a-kid option, shocking how easy it is to get my family to drop off the nieces and nephews and they don't even charge us a rental fee) so we have more time than some folks. The only area that really terrifies me is under her neck and jaw. How long does the transition last, generally? |
| Ick... the transition. Asterisk is now two and FINALLY has a wonderful coat. The reason that puppy coat is so difficult is because it's so soft. As they age, the develop guard hairs, hairs that are coarse and stiff. The guard hair helps to maintain a mat free coat. It seemed like Asterisk would mat just by me looking at her. I think a lot had to do with that I was unfamiliar with how to properly groom an OES coat. Also, she was/still is queen at the turtle position, so getting her belly and legs were very difficult. |
| You can't move in with Carl and Michelle......too many dogs. I offer no suggestions other than keeping her on the grooming table 24/7. |
| Oliver's transition wasn't bad for us either. We only had 1 dog at that time and he fully consumed (still does) our life already, so every-other nightly brushing wasn't a big deal. Also, anytime I felt a matt or tangle I grabbed my brush and got it out right away. They look beautiful in coat and looking back now it was totally worth the time to keep his coat during the transition. That being said, if it does get to be too much, don't hesitate to shave him. You'll both be grateful! |
| It really depends on what kind of coat your dog has, too. Clyde has a very fine coat and as it changed, it stayed fine but just coarser so maintenance wasn't incredibly different but it seemed to act different, matting in ways it didn't before until it came all the way in. Owen has an unbelievable coat-- the kind that if you miss brushing a few days, he's matted to the skin and you can count on about 5-6 hours to get him back in shape again (or more). When he changed-- OMG-- let's just say it ended in a shave. Thank goodness he was already finished! |
| I really tried to stay on top of the coat grooming, as we were showing and thinning and cutting out any mats were NOT an option! We had some horrid times as he got longer and it really did mat overnight. He would have mats on the side he slept on in the night! Chewie was easy to groom, we had done it faithfully since he was little and it was just part of his life  Here are a series of pictures (most are show pictures, as they show all of Chewie's body in a simailar way and are easy to compare!) to show his coat transition - 6 months after being groomed as if being shown -  11 months and still growing hair -  14 months -  16 months - note still not really changing coat - still pretty dark with puppy coat  18 months - lighter - it's changing!  to compare - sister Martha at 18 months -  primping in the motel room before the show (thanks Sunny!) at 26 months - still a dark coat, but after a shave down at 18 months - this is the new coat -  to compare - uncle Clay and sister Martha in puppy cuts, Chewie in full coat -  last show picture at 3 yrs - still a dark coat - it's just him He became a CH at this show, so got a haircut afterwards!  and then haircut - scissored to a couple inches and belly shaved - he is the one in front - sister Martha is next to him. She looks darker now. Chewie had the fresh cut, so has no outer hairs showing - just undercoat. Martha had been shaved and is growing out, so her guard /outer hairs are showing. 3 yrs old -  and a bit shy of 4 yrs old -  |
| ^^ Loved looking at Chewie's transition!!! |
| I know those were coat pictures, and I've missed the whole point, but LOVE the last one. Nothing beats and airborn sheepie! |
| You folks are the best! And to think that I searched high and low for books on sheepies when all I had to do was come here. Very helpful, thank you! |
| This thread and the other recent one on clipped lengths really seem to show me one thing: I need a grooming table and won't be able to get away with the floor or top of the crate brushing forever. Great pictures. |
| ^^^ They're very nice to have but actually... if you're not showing and have a really long coat, you really don't need one. I didn't get one until the other year and I rarely use it. I just sit on the floor and lay my legs on top of them. Would be a lot easier on my back if I DID use it more often |
Joahaeyo wrote: ^^^ They're very nice to have but actually... if you're not showing and have a really long coat, you really don't need one. I didn't get one until the other year and I rarely use it. I just sit on the floor and lay my legs on top of them. Would be a lot easier on my back if I DID use it more often You're lucky, Mrs. J. I just have to bring out a brush and Asterisk vanishes with a puff of smoke. |
| If you have a sturdy wire crate, you can make a wooden top for it and groom off that. That is assuming your crate is in an area you can groom in! I use both the table and sitting on the floor. Sometimes I feel like one, sometimes the other. Today is brushing day, as I need to bathe him for our trial this weekend. He needs at least the whites done, and I'll see when I brush him if it's just the whites bathed or the whole deal. He's only 3-4inches long, so it's not too much work either way. |
| I like the pic of Chewie on the coffetable in the hotel room. May that would work as a subsitute for a grooming table....hubby probably wouldn't like that but it would be the perfect height for me and I could sit on the couch while I brush Bella |
sheepiegail wrote: I like the pic of Chewie on the coffetable in the hotel room. May that would work as a subsitute for a grooming table....hubby probably wouldn't like that but it would be the perfect height for me and I could sit on the couch while I brush Bella Oh no - it really is a grooming table. (see the noose) But, you could certainly use any old table. If you found one (garage sale, thrift store), you could glue some rubber grippy stuff to the top and use it for grooming without buying a grooming table. But you do lose the ability to fold it flat and put it away. |
| Don't let people frighten you from the goal of a beautiful full coat. Transition or not, I've found that just keeping a schedule for grooming has been the key in keeping Nelson in full coat. When he showed, it was automatic that he needed to be groomed. Now that we do therapy visits once a week, it actually takes about two days to get him ready. One day to brush him out and one to bathe and fluff dry. If we don't keep that schedule we do have mats crop up, especially behind the ears. We take a full bag of grooming tools when we go on vacation and still manage to brush Nelson on about the same schedule. It's a bit of extra work since I didn't have a table to work from and when he gets tired he just gets up and tries to wander off. If you do a thorough job of line brushing and do it on a regular basis every week you shouldn't have a problem. I always tell people who adopt from our rescue that there is no shame in shaving an OES down. The hair will grow back and after they get past the puppy coat stage it does get easier. Just start over and see what happens. Coat type differs from dog to dog so just do what works best for you. |
Maggie McGee IV wrote: Don't let people frighten you from the goal of a beautiful full coat. Totally! I hope I didn't make it sound like it was unattainable. With one dog and a good schedule, it should be no big deal at all-- just a little more work and a good eye during the tough times. One thing you'll find is that you no longer really pet your dog. Instead, you pick and pat them down for mats all the time! |
There is two coat transitions on an OES puppy to a junior coat then onto the fully mature adult coat, hard stage but when transitioning just means more then just a weekly brush through. Carl at the top of this part of the forum has posted a wonderfull essay on how to groom properly right through to the skin in layers. You do have to groom more frequently while they are coat changing. Not impossible to keep them in longer coat rather then shaving them at this stage. Some change faster then others there all different it is just a matter of keeping the grooming more regular at this stage and the next when the matt fairies are breeding big time.  One of mine going from a pupper at 4 months to a fully mature finished coat at 4 years old you can see the stages in the photos, same dog and I can tell you once the transitions are done and they have there full bloom mature coat it does get easier http://www.oes.org/page2/10404~Coat_Tra ... s_Old.html |
| Lisa, looking at those pictures, how did you keep that chin perfectly white???? I still need a lot of practice learning how to groom Mady properly, but... I am grooming her every day 20-30 for minutes. I've also realized now, what an ironic choice for name "Mady" (pronounced Matty for anyone who wasn't clear) was! |
Baba wrote: I've also realized now, what an ironic choice for name "Mady" (pronounced Matty for anyone who wasn't clear) was! I have friends who got their Samoyed pup about 6 months before I got Chewie. They named him Gabby - and he NEVER shuts up! So I felt I was flirting with the gods when I named my pup Chewie. Thankfully somehow the intended Star Wars Chewbacca (hairy, loyal warrior) version won out over the eat every shoe and the furniture version! |
Didn't find exactly what you're looking for? Search again here:
Custom Search
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|