all around grooming Questions
 hi,
Im thinking about getting a OES and was wondering about grooming. 1. How often should they get a bath? 2.During the summer should they be shaved? 3. If I shave my OES will it affect the under coat making it go away? 4. How often should the ear hairs be plucked? 5. What kind of shampoo should i use? I have many more questions but i feel i have asked to many already. Thank You |
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| Hi Brooke. You asked some great questions. My OES is a pet and has never been a show dog, so the grooming I do with her may not always be what is "best" to keep her coat up but what I find practical. I usually give a full bath every 6 weeks...however my OES loves the mud and dirt and we end up with partial baths of some sort once a week depending on the weather to clean up the legs and stomach.
As far as shaving, I personally do not shave my OES. I have heard both sides of the story for and against shaving. I have found my OES to handel the heat relatively well. We have air conditioning in the bed room and on hot days we both hang out in there. I can not answer the question about what happens to the coat after you shave it. I pluck her ears every time she gets a bath. I clen them out weekly and if it looks messy I pluck in between. I just put a little ear powder in and pull it out with my fingers. There are tools for this, but I haven't had any trouble. I use a whitening shampoo (biogroom makes a nice one that i like). People have told me to only use the whitening shampoo on the white parts or I would runin her coat, but I havn't messed with 2 shampoos and her coat looks fine (remember this is coming from her mom and would love her if she were pink and purple polk a dots as well). Please feel free to ask away. you can never ask too many questions. Getting a puppy is a big decision and it is better to know ahead of time about the grooming commitments that are required than to be surprised in the future. One of this things I love about my OES is her coat. It is one thing that attracted me to the breed. One of the hudge draw backs ironicly can also be the coat. It mats, it attracts dirt and burs, it requires weekly maintance. But to me the drawbacks haven't out weighed the positives. I am sure the amount of work would greatly decrease if I were to shave her. Just personal perference on that one. Jess |
| Hi!
Here a a couple of great links regarding grooming. I don't show my OES either so my routine wouldn't work for everyone. I've taken these sites and made my own variations... 1) every 3-5 weeks they get a bath, ears cleaned and toenails clipped (if needed) 2) once or twice a year they are shaved (they deal w/ the heat OK, but I can definately tell a difference in them once they get shaved- even though they are housdogs, they do like to play outside in the evenings and they would go crazy if we ever missed their nightly walk!- not to mention they're easier to groom with a short cut) 3)At least three times a week we brush them, check for "eye bugers", check the ears for wax build up or hair, and just the over all appearance of them. The shorter the coat, the longer they can go w/o a bath and the easier it is to brush them. Now, there's those links... http://www.texasoesrescue.com/TIPSindexpage.htm http://www.neoesr.org/maintain.htm I'm sure there are many other OES grooming sites out there, these are just a couple- Hope it helps! Cindy & the Monsters |
| Hello!
Woof & I are UK based, so generally the weather's a lot cooler (which is why my routine may be different to others')... 1. Woof is (will be - he's only 9 months!) bather only once or twice in a year. Our breeder (of 30 years experience and with two of Woof's brothers going to Crufts no less) recommends that, with regular grooming they don't need any more than this! 2. Again, I'm sure this will depend on what part of the US you're in. Here in the UK far less people seem to shave their Sheepies (after thier personality, Woofs coat is what I love best). Then again, we're experiencing a heatwave of 35 Degreees C (96F).... 3. Not a clue! 4. I do this every day as part of the grroming routine, along with eye-checks 5. Again, no idea - but have fun! (Woof's first bath is coming up - I'm expecting the water to explode everywhere....) |
| Hi Brooke,
My wife & I also live in Georgia in the Alpharetta area north of Atlanta. We have pet and show OES. I shave the ones I am not showing. They are a lot more active and a lot cooler and comfortable keeping them in better shape. The ones we are showing, we clip them shorter and rake out more undercoat for the summer. They are also beautiful without coat and one can see their sweet facial expressions they hide with coat. Contrary to what many report, our OES, and we currently have six of them, don't have much of a doggy smell unless they get into something in the yard. I only bath them at the most every 6 to 8 weeks if they stay out of the dirt and mud. I use a tearless doggy shampoo for their head followed up by a whitening shampoo on the muzzle, neck and chest with a gentle shampoo for their body. The undercoat usually grows in fine with a dog under 6 or 7 after being shaved. They normally blow a lot of coat when a female goes into season and also when summer arrives. Their coat is also constantly changing. A dark black coat starts them out as puppies. Some turn silver to dark grey at about a year or older and many reverse or change color again as they turn two or three. At around 7 to 9 years of age, many coats turn to a different aged advanced coat. That’s my experience anyway. Cleaning and plucking the ears depends on much hair the OES has. A couple of mine have very little hair in their ears and require very little maintenance. Others grow heavy think coat in their ears and I am constantly plucking some a little at a time. It's not a big deal and becomes habit while you’re sitting with them. If the normal ears are clear of hair they breathe and stay dry and are less likely to develop wax problems and irritations. If they do with the hair being plucked, many times it's a thyroid or other problem such as mites, etc. I am not a vet. If we can help answer other questions feel free to write us at: dzpotteroes@bellsouth.net or zach4460@bellsouth.net. Good luck! Diane & Roland |
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