How often to groom?

We live in Ottawa, similar climate to yours. We keep our dog Mady in a long coat. She is 15 months old and is at the dog park every day so gets dirty. One thing I notice, though, is that if we brush her often, the dirt comes out with the brushing, so we only give her a bath every few months. We might do the odd foot and bum wash in between, in the tub. To keep her coat from getting matted up, it takes a good 3 hours a week of brushing right now, because she is wrestling with other dogs in the wet snow. Of course, all of this would be easier if she were in a shorter coat, but so far we are able to keep up!

I noticed your other post. I am a first time dog owner and was new to sheepdogs too. We have had our Mady for just over a year now. Getting her was the best decision ever-and I mean ever, in my entire life, getting her changed my life entirely, and I thought I had a good life BEFORE Mady! But it has also been tiring. I went from basically sitting on my butt eating chips and watching television to walking every day. Every single day. Rain or shine or blizzard. That was an adjustment for me but having that sweet fuzzy face along with me on walks helped. I honestly would not trade her for a million dollars and love her more than I ever thought possible. Someone in another thread about kids and dogs suggested getting the kids to walk every day for the same amount of time that they say they would walk a dog and see if they can do that for a few weeks. I should have done that before getting Mady, I would have been in better shape for her!

I made a forum post (see link below, I hope this works) on what our members would do or not do if they got a puppy again. I know that you are looking to get an older dog, but alot of this will still apply.

viewtopic.php?f=14&t=32392

I think that you are wise to do research before you jump in. Good luck whichever kind of dog you decide to get-I think that dog will get alot of love!!

Just for the record (because you're of course welcome to cut your dog however you like), you don't have to make any major coat modifications for our weather if you don't want to. I live about an hour from you and I've got two OES in full coat plus a fully corded Komondor. When it's hot, we go out in the evenings and they come in and out through the dog door for water and air conditioning as they need it. In cold weather, they love being outside and the extra coat keeps them from getting wet to the bone from rolling around in the snow. The better the coat, the better that seems to be the case so make sure you get a pup from a reputable breeder. A dog with a good coat also looks way better clipped down. Much puffier. I only shave when I just get way too lazy to keep up with the coat (which seems to be quite a bit now with my non-show dog)! I liked this short haircut for Owen. He's barely an inch long but mega-plushy:



If you're clipping to this length, you could stretch it out to probably a couple of months in between shaves. You'll get a feel for how long is too long because you'll start to get little mats at a certain length. At that point, you know it's time to start a week earlier.

If you'd like to meet some OES, you're welcome to visit mine if you ever come down towards Detroit. I've got one from a backyard breeder and one from a reputable breeder so I always think it's a good experience for potential puppy owners to see the difference in them and why a reputable breeder is the better choice.

Jill