Groomer :D
 ? Aska is in short coat now, so I just bath her when she needs a bath, but when she was in full coat, she wasn't white, she was yellow! I don't have a dog hairdryer, so my groomer says I can't bath him in full coat with out a dog dryer  I sometimes bathed her and just used towel, and when I took her to the groomer she had to be shaved becouse of matts  It's just so expensive to go to the groomer! About 85 dollars... I realized that she was coat changing.... 10 months old So should I just let the groomer bath her, or is it OK to bath her with out a dryer ? thanks |
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| Marin, the trick is to make sure that you have brushed out all her mats BEFORE you bathe her. Water on a mat tends to make it harder to get out, sort of like felt. Also be mindful of her belly when she's wet. As she dries, if she's laying down or sitting down, the hair can work into mats there too. I would recommend that you brush her before you bathe her and then again when she's dry to get out all mats. You can also purchase some micro-fiber towels, they tend to draw out more water than a standard towel. You can purchase a micro-fiber towel at any pet store. |
| Marin, Bathing a fully coated OES really does require a lot of preparation (fully brush them out and remove any knots they may have) and the proper tools, one of which is a dryer. Many people "get by" using the largest "people" hair dryer they can find and it does work, sort of, but using people hair dryers comes with a number of problems, not the least of which is they don't last very long. If you simply wash and "towel dry" your fully coated OES Marin's coat will end up being one huge matt that will need to be shaved off. It may take a few baths for this to happen, but it will. Unfortunately that is one of the sad facts of having an OES, if you want to keep Marin in full coat it will take a lot of work, time and proper techniques and tools. A few threads ago you were asking about dog dryers and posted a photo of one. The photo you posted appeared to be an Oster 309 series dryer. In my experience and opinion Oster simply sell the best dryer on the market and they provide excelent service support on the rare occassion that you need it. While these are very expensive to buy they last a very very long time if you take care of them. And if you only have one or two OES you will probably never have to replace it (my original 2 Oster dog dryers lasted over 30 years during which time I completed well over 1000 complete after-bath dryings plus an uncountable number of "touch-ups" after cleaning dirty feet, mouths or bums.) If you have to pay a groomer $85 a time it would not take a lot of groomng sessions to add up to the value of a good dryer. Some of your questions on that thread seemed to show some confusion about electrical appliances and their power rating. As far as I know Iceland's electrical grid is 220 Volts (220V) so you would need one that works on that system. Total power output is typically in the 1600 Watt range (1600W), although on 220V systems you could get dryers up to 3000W. It would be best to check your local pet stores to find out what is available locally and see if your parents could somehow help you out with the purchase, birthday gift?, pay part of it or lend you the money. When I get home and can spend a bit more time I'll try searching the net to see about 220V dryers that may be available in Iceland. I wish I could provide more help to you. I always support owners efforts to keep their Sheepdogs in full coat and do it themselves. I have posted extensively on grooming, including the photo essays which are the two threads at the top of the grooming forum and many posts on dryers, what is available and the merits of each. Just click on my profile and then "show all post by" and you will be able to find all of them. If you have more questions don't hesitate to ask in open forum or by PM if you prefer. Good Luck Thanks and Cheers Carl |
Groomer - never  - I do it myself. Your groomer is mostly correct - if the coat is long and you don't have a way to dry it, you are most likely going to have a matted mess. Especially the age your girl is!!  A high powered fan may get you by if the coat is shorter, or using a human hair dryer. Both are not as good as a dryer, however. You also need to make sure she is fully brushed out down to the skin before a bath. When washing don't scrub back and forth - it makes snarls. Same for towel drying - squeeze the coat with the towel, don't rub. Again, that will make snarls and mats. And, as you're not showing, you can use conditioner - it will make the coat less harsh, but will be easier to brush and live with.  |
got sheep wrote: And, as you're not showing, you can use conditioner - it will make the coat less harsh, but will be easier to brush and live with. Dawn, does the conditioner affect the coarseness of the guard hairs? I also thought it would weigh down the hair... am I wrong? |
* Capt. Obvious Danger wrote: got sheep wrote: And, as you're not showing, you can use conditioner - it will make the coat less harsh, but will be easier to brush and live with. Dawn, does the conditioner affect the coarseness of the guard hairs? I also thought it would weigh down the hair... am I wrong? Marin, all, Conditioner will soften whatever coat it is applied to, whites and grizzle. Most exhibitors will condition the whites as the white hair is naturally a softer hair than the grey/grizzle coat so conditioning accentuates that difference. The greys are generally not conditioned for show dogs, or only very lightly every 3 or 4 baths. For dogs which are not shown conditioners can be a very helpful if used properly and if the groomer is aware of their effects on the dog. Heavily conditioned hair is much more brushable than the natural coat but it does loose much of its "loft" or body so it tends to hang down much more. If you are willing to accept that look, and that is a very personal choice, then condition away. Note that in my youth my first Bobtail, the late but always beloved Punk, was never shown and not knowing any better at the time I simply transferred bathing and grooming techniques from our family Afghan Hounds over to him. His coat was extremely soft for an OES - no nowhere near as soft as the Afghan's but nevertheless quite soft - and so it tended to flow much more than usual. Because his hair was so soft it did not tend to break anywhere as much as usual so it ended up growing very very very long. Combined with his line being one which was very heavily coated anyway, Punk could take up to 5 hours to dry after a bath and that was with 2 dryers!! Over do it and your Bobtail could start to look like an overgrown Shih Tzu!!! Hope this helps! Thanks and Cheers Carl |
 Carl, the overgrown Shih Tzu comment made me laugh! Yes, we conditioned the whites a bit when showing, but never the greys. Now I randomly do the greys, but most of the time not. And with Chewie 4 yrs old , he really has such a nice coat that maintenance is easy without it. I do brush 1-2 times a week though - whole body - as we are out in public twice a week for my obedience classes, once a week for his agility, and therapy dogs visits too. Add in the rally, obedience and agility trials on weekends.....I never take him out not looking good  |
Thanks you all  And special you Carl ! Thank you so much! The thing is that in Iceland there is NO petshop that sells dog dryer Just one shop that sells dryers and here is the blogg ...http://www.liba.is/?category=14 you wont understand all of it but they say something in english and don't say what kind of a dryers they're selling  Do you know what kind of a dryers ? And Thank you so much ! Hope you can help me with this !! |
OldieAska wrote: Thanks you all And special you Carl ! Thank you so much! The thing is that in Iceland there is NO petshop that sells dog dryer Just one shop that sells dryers and here is the blogg ...http://www.liba.is/?category=14 you wont understand all of it but they say something in english and don't say what kind of a dryers they're selling Do you know what kind of a dryers ? And Thank you so much ! Hope you can help me with this !!Marin, Sorry it has taken a while to answer your questions but I've been trying to reach Oster to find out what is available in Europe that your local pet store might be able to order but I haven't got any definitive answers yet. I'll let you know when I get answers that are beneficial. I have not seen the dryers that you listed above before so I can't offer any comments based on experience, either mine or others. According to the English descriptions they are certainly dryers, not blowers, so in my opinion that is a good thing. While the photos are not very clear it appears that both are quite complete units having individual control over both the air flow (fan speed) and temperature. The advantage of a 220 Volt dryer is also seen here with the total power being over well over 2000 watts. They would dry your OES fairly quickly, especially while her hair is shorter after being clipped. Both would also be very versatile with the flexible hose and various nozzles that would be very useful in the final drying of areas where the big nozzle might not be easy to aim. Almost all the drying would be done with the main nozzle though, my dryers don't have the extra hose and nozzles but I still manage quite well - remember that I have been bathing and drying my dogs for many years and they are all very well table trained. It will take a while to fully train Aska to be fully cooperative but with firm patience she will understand what you need her to do. What I can't discuss is the quaility of these dryers and how long you could expect them to last. Your groomer could give you an opinion of how good they are and the pet shop could tell you about the warranty. But these are clearly professional units so I would hope that if you keep them properly cleaned and oiled they would last for over 2000 operating hours which is about 550-650 dog baths. No matter what the description says a fully coated OES will take a minimum of 3 hours to dry properly - sorry sometimes truth means a lot of work and time. It is just a fact of life with OES but a there is nothing that looks better than a well groomed and bathed OES. I think either of these dryers would probably be a very good long term investment in taking care of your OES for many many years to come. Perhaps some of our Northern European/Scandanavian members could let us know what dryers they use. The other thing that you wll need, even before getting a dryer though is a grooming table. Having a table makes grooming easier on both you and Aska. Also let us know what brushes you got after you posted your questions about them. I will let you know if I get any answers from Oster. As always if you have more questions ask away and I will do my best to answer them. I hope this helps. Carl |
Carl Lindon wrote: OldieAska wrote: Thanks you all And special you Carl ! Thank you so much! The thing is that in Iceland there is NO petshop that sells dog dryer Just one shop that sells dryers and here is the blogg ...http://www.liba.is/?category=14 you wont understand all of it but they say something in english and don't say what kind of a dryers they're selling Do you know what kind of a dryers ? And Thank you so much ! Hope you can help me with this !!Marin, Sorry it has taken a while to answer your questions but I've been trying to reach Oster to find out what is available in Europe that your local pet store might be able to order but I haven't got any definitive answers yet. I'll let you know when I get answers that are beneficial. I have not seen the dryers that you listed above before so I can't offer any comments based on experience, either mine or others. According to the English descriptions they are certainly dryers, not blowers, so in my opinion that is a good thing. While the photos are not very clear it appears that both are quite complete units having individual control over both the air flow (fan speed) and temperature. The advantage of a 220 Volt dryer is also seen here with the total power being over well over 2000 watts. They would dry your OES fairly quickly, especially while her hair is shorter after being clipped. Both would also be very versatile with the flexible hose and various nozzles that would be very useful in the final drying of areas where the big nozzle might not be easy to aim. Almost all the drying would be done with the main nozzle though, my dryers don't have the extra hose and nozzles but I still manage quite well - remember that I have been bathing and drying my dogs for many years and they are all very well table trained. It will take a while to fully train Aska to be fully cooperative but with firm patience she will understand what you need her to do. What I can't discuss is the quaility of these dryers and how long you could expect them to last. Your groomer could give you an opinion of how good they are and the pet shop could tell you about the warranty. But these are clearly professional units so I would hope that if you keep them properly cleaned and oiled they would last for over 2000 operating hours which is about 550-650 dog baths. No matter what the description says a fully coated OES will take a minimum of 3 hours to dry properly - sorry sometimes truth means a lot of work and time. It is just a fact of life with OES but a there is nothing that looks better than a well groomed and bathed OES. I think either of these dryers would probably be a very good long term investment in taking care of your OES for many many years to come. Perhaps some of our Northern European/Scandanavian members could let us know what dryers they use. The other thing that you wll need, even before getting a dryer though is a grooming table. Having a table makes grooming easier on both you and Aska. Also let us know what brushes you got after you posted your questions about them. I will let you know if I get any answers from Oster. As always if you have more questions ask away and I will do my best to answer them. I hope this helps. Carl You are AMAZING !  Thank you so much for helping me with this! I'm not home now but when I'll be I'll show you pictures of my brushes, I'm going with my mom after a week or so and we're thinking about buying a dryer, and a grooming table if she's redy to pay and some brushes. If I find a better dryer I'll just sell that one and buy a better one I'm trying to save money to buy a grooming table but until then I'll be using my old desk  Carl Lindon wrote: Sorry it has taken a while to answer your questions but I've been trying to reach Oster to find out what is available in Europe that your local pet store might be able to order but I haven't got any definitive answers yet. I'll let you know when I get answers that are beneficial. Thank you for that, that is very kind of you! I'll be waiting for an answer You are so good to me and with your help, Aska is going to a perfect groomed sheepie! |
| Marin, Well I finally got an answer back from Oster but it is not what we wanted to hear. Oster do not offer any dog dryers configured for 220 volts. They did recomend the british website http://www.simpsons-online.co.uk/ where the actual dryer page is at lhttp://www.simpsons-online.co.uk/acata ... ryers.html In my opinion they are however very expensive and that is before you even consider all the problems and costs of importing one into Iceland. I would have to say that if you are somehow able to afford a dryer either of the two that you listed at http://www.liba.is/?category=14 are your best options. Based solely on the specifications listed I think I would chose the second and slightly less expensive one. But be very careful of the temperature setting. 60 degrees is far too hot for drying your OES, you would have to use one of the lower heat settings. Remember that if the air is too hot for you to hold your hand under it it is too hot for Aska. If your old desk is strong enough to hold Aska without shaking it should do fine until you can afford a grooming table. You might want to put one or two towels or some other kind of pad down on the top if it to soften it a little bit for Aska to lie down on. The towels or pad also help make it easier to clean up after grooming by catching some of the hair that comes out and especially the skin dander. Finally thank you for your kind words. I try to help out anyone who is trying to care for and groom their OES. They are not easy dogs to groom, in fact they might be the hardest of all breeds to groom. And the techniques and tools are not easy to figure out if nobody offers guidance or help. I got my first Bobtail, Punk, when I was about 18 and while I had always loved OES I just didn't know much about how to care for him. There was nobody around to help me out and it took a long time to figure out how to groom and care for him. It was only about 4 years later that I found some help from a breeder/handler. I don't want anyone to have to go throught that, plus I love the Old English Sheepdog as a breed and as individuals so much I don't want any of them to be uncomfortable or unhealthy because their owners just don't know any better. As much as possible I offer my help and the benefit of my experience to anyone in need and especially to those who ask. In your case your generation is very much the future of our breed so I think all of us, the experienced and older OES family, should do everything we can to mentor and guide you as much as possible. It sounds like your parents are very supportive of your efforts to properly care for Aska and I think we all say thank you to them for they help they are providing you. I know that all of the tools we have discussed here cost a lot of money and we all have more needs than money. If they can help you get a good grooming table and dryer those are items that will last a very long time if you use them properly and take care of them. My first pair of dryers lasted over 30 years and were just replaced last year only because they were so old that he company no longer had the spare parts I needed to refurbish them. I still have my original grooming table, now over 35 years old although I did change the top after about 20 years. And while good pin brushes are not cheap they are affordable if you budget for them and save a little bit ahead of time to replace them when needed. The same goes for slicker brushes. Combs should last for at least 5 years as long as they don't get dropped and the tines bent. In fact I still have two of my original combs and the comb I currently use is 8 years old and shows no signs of wear and tear. Good luck and don't hesitate to ask any questions. We are all here to help each other. Thanks and Cheers Carl |
| Thank you Carl agian for all your help Carl Lindon wrote: I would have to say that if you are somehow able to afford a dryer either of the two that you listed at http://www.liba.is/?category=14 are your best options. To morrow I'm going to buy a dryer I can't wait ! Although Aska is in short coat for now, I'm going to practice everyday to linegroom her (when the coat gets a bit longer) and bath her every Sunday ( or is that bad for her skin/coat? ) . Carl Lindon wrote: It sounds like your parents are very supportive of your efforts to properly care for Aska and I think we all say thank you to them for they help they are providing you. Yes, they are! I'm so thankfull to them. And my mom is going to buy a grooming table tomorrow for me  Carl Lindon wrote: plus I love the Old English Sheepdog as a breed and as individuals so much I don't want any of them to be uncomfortable or unhealthy because their owners just don't know any better. That's so nice of you. I agree! I love this breed to. And I'm so happy that I found my Aska  I love her, I love grooming her and just caring for her!  And Carl, I know that I've said thank you allot of times, but I mean it every time ! You've saved my dog ! - and me  |
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