I Did It :(
I agonized over the decision.... but today I went ahead and did it.... I shaved down my Sky puppy. 
I really thought I would be able to keep her in full coat, and that was my intent as of course I had been planning to show her this summer. However, now with my husband away (only home one day every couple of weeks) and my car sitting useless in my driveway while we figure out whether to buy a new one or replace the engine in the old one I'm not able to even get to any shows anyway. Sooooo.... Sky is nekkid.... she is a bigger boned dog than Dancer and very solid and muscular. Her head is also much bigger...lol.... and wow does that blue eye ever stand out now. LOL Sky was so good the whole time I was shaving her down, standing still when I needed her to, laying down and rolling over when I needed her to, extending her paw etc. She didn't like her face done much though. She is not as happy about being nekkid as Dancer though...lol... she seemed confused and ran like mad at first, I was afraid she would hurt herself so I put her in the shower to be rinsed off with nice cool water and then let her lay in her crate on a big fluffy bath towel. She seemed to love the water on her skin, arching her neck and giving me kisses...lol.... and she is sleeping now, with the occasional shaking of her head. Her coat hasn't been growing anywhere near as fast as Dancer's did, so I have no idea how long it will take for her to be in full coat again, I'd guess at least a year. Dancer will be ready for the ring now before Sky, as Dancer already has an inch and a half of coat back. I was surprised that Sky's coat was so black still, all the way to the skin almost. Along her spine is still black, a path down her back about 4 inches wide. The rest of her had just begun to change color, and it is a nice light silvery blue. Although I feel horrible about having to shave her down, it is nice to see so clearly the structure of her body and head, and I am very pleased with what I see. A very solid, healthy girl. 
I can't believe I did it..... I can't believe I shaved her down...lol..... *sigh* I don't have a digital camera right now, but I will take some regular pictures and scan them after I get them developed....lol.... |
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| Owww, that's a shame...sorry you had to give up.
On the bright side, enjoy your new found "time off"! |
| Willowsprite,
You are summarily convicted, in absentia, of crimes agains Sheepdogdom and are hereby sentenced to 3 years in the Lindon Grooming Goolag. Time off for shows, agility trials and other dog related social activities can be earned by excellence in remedial grooming assignments.
Seriously we feel for your frustration and upset. Our Bobtails really are one of, if not the, most difficult breed to groom and show quality takes that much more dedication and effort on both your and the dog's part. (This from someone who also grooms Afghan Hounds so I'm on solid ground to make this assertion!) If you are in the Ottawa area give us a call to drop by and I will gladly help in any way I can. If we get to Toronto before the specialty in Oct I'll try to make arrangements to meet up with you there. Best of Luck growing out their coats - use good supplements, groom even though they don't need it and try to keep them cool in the hot weather to help stimulate hair growth. Keep your head up, cheers Carl |
Well you should feel guilty!!!! Baaaaaaad sheepie mommy!!! Take me for example...well....I ......I....umm....sigh I did the same thing! Arg! Lets hang our heads in shame - and feel the guilt. Somedays I think I should change Merlins name to Matt. 
Take Carl's punishment and soon you'll be on the way to being the perfect sheepie mom again (if there is such a thing.) Hey look at the good side...for once...you can buy those cutsie little outfits that people put on their dogs. Dancer and Sky would look great in a Petsmart dress! Well maybe only once for photos. Last time I had to get Merlin shaved I was sooooo tempted to purchase a sailor outfit for him to take photos. Drat it was gone when I went back for it, I think he's secretly very happy about that! Hugs to you, Dancer and Skye and I'm sorry you had to have her shaved as I know that it's a dissapointment to you regarding the shows. It's hard to keep it up especially when you have two of them often rough housing together. Don't get dismayed..you now have the opportunity to start from scratch and probably end up with a prettier coat than before. The good side is you did get to view her excellent bone structure! Good Luck! Marianne and the boys |
| Thank you so much guys.... who knew I'd feel sooooo guilty about shaving a dog? LOL
I think it's just that I was really looking forward to showing her this summer.... I actually think I should have shown her earlier, I should have started at 6 months. Since I didn't I kind of think it's better to wait until she is older anyway, at a year old she no longer is in puppy class but doesn't yet have the stunning presence of an adult, fully filled out oes. I am disappointed, however.... it will grow. |
| Bad Willow. Bad Willow. No cookies for you today.
Seriously, I cried the first time I got Henry trimmed down. In fact I cried every time I looked at him for a week. And I had no intention of showing him. I did it because I am too lazy to keep Henry completely free from mats. I keep him in a puppy cut year round. I think he looks cute. He hates to be groomed and I hate to fight him. Have a glass of wine, relax, and stop beating yourself up. |
She'll grow back better than ever.Use the time to pratice with her, maybe go to conformation classes. And don't feel bad, I HATE to groom, at least you enjoy it  |
There's enough going on in your life right now to beat yourself up about having to shave Sky down. It will grow, and now she can get into all the bad stuff outside she wants,  cause she'll be easier to bathe!!
Drezzie LOVES it when I cut her down. She minds the heat terribly, and doesn't especially like to sit for grooming, so she leaves me no choice. But I don't mind - it makes her easier to take care of in between! This, too, shall pass!! Chris |
| I say GOOD FOR YOU!!!!! Ya gotta do what ya gotta do and I'll betcha Sky is loving every minute of it!!!! Between the heat and the time it takes to grorom I suspect that Sky is doing the "happy puppy dance". What freedom for you both.
When my daughter was youngI let her hair grow looong, waist length. Didn't matter that she hated it, hated having it washed, hatted having it brushed or that I hated fighting her about it. It was a matter of principle, after 4 boys MY DAUGHTER had to have long hair. Well one day (she was bout 4) she took matters into her own hands and took a pair of scissors and cut her own braids off!! After the initial shock wore off it was incredibly freeing. While Sky enjoys the comfort, you have time to enjoy a little free time. |
| The matting may not have totaly been your fault. About 3 or 4 weeks ago Roger started matting worse than I have ever seen, I was worried I put something on his hair that caused it. Maybe sky was 'blowing her coat' stage one. So don't beat yourself up too much. Not being able to show when you are ready is the only downside. Good luck with the car etc.
and Have Fun |
| Bless your heart! I know how disappointed you must feel, but the others are right, it will provide you some time to re-group while your life is so busy right now. And Sky will enjoy her new look and feel cooler through the summer months.
If it helps any, your admission that she got matted made me feel better!  I spent almost an hour yesterday de-matting (is that a word?) Beau's face and ears. It was awful. I just groomed him the day before and I have NO IDEA how he got so matted in such a short time. But, he did eventually relax and let me do it. Poor baby - I felt like a terrible Mom too! Oh well! We'll just keep trying! |
| Oh Man!!!! bummer! But don't feel too bad- now you get to see Sky in that fuzzy fluffy 2" length (Which happend to be my personal favorite!) Don'tforget to get pics up. It is probably for the best considering the heat, and now you've gotten a chance to see what was under all that hair- a good, solid foundation you can be proud of! Big hugs!
Karen |
| OH MY GOODNESS! LOL, I just felt like hugging you! When we had our last OES, Bart, I would look forward to the spring "haircut" and having a "new dog"! I always felt I had to learn how to pet them again, if that makes sense? Like those hairless little dogs, I never know how to pet them! LOL. Well, with all the humidity us Ontarians are enduring, it sure is hard! I'm resisting as much as I can and Carl has been really great at giving some advice! I hope we can keep Gucci looking Shaggy! I'm having a really hard time training him to keep his head still! Try harder, I know! I tried to put him up on a table here at home, thinking that would get him to stop wiggling so much, but I cannot lift him! It was quite the comedy routine! I'd get my arms in front of his front legs on his chest, and he would look down at my arms, then look in my eyes, like "really, what do you think you are doing?" . Followed by the other arm behind his back legs, under his bum, and as he was laughing ( I swear he was!) he leaned into my body as I attempted to lift him, approximately 2 centimeters off the ground! With a big UGGGG noise, which he cannot hear, but he sat on the ground, facing me, laughing his little furry face off! So, that is not going to work! Unless I start working out, which might be a good idea!
HELP! Hee hee! Is there such a thing as a pulley system for Sheepies? Think about it! I would definately purchase that! Anyway, I think that when an OES is shaved, it only makes there beautiful noses and eyes stand out even more! Enjoy it while it lasts! |
| Guilty!!!!!
Well, I was also agonizing to shave down Lennon and Sofa for the summer, not that I'm the best groomer in the word, but I managed to keep lennon's coat semi-decent, and I've never seen Sofa in full coat... But after reading Carl's excellent topic on dog overheating Danita convinced me to take the plunge. The first days I really couldn't recognize them and hardly could tell them from each other, I was in shock when I saw how little dog we had under all that hair!!!! But after seeing how fast they run now in the summer and all the fun they have when we let the house on them, it's worth it. Less hair at home and they don't stink... I'm gonna keep them that way from now on... hahahaha... who understands me? Sorry to hear that you had to shave your baby down Willowsprite, but it's only hair and it will grow. Enjoy your new dog!!! |
| (((HUGS)))) Sorry ya had to shave her down. I'm sure you both are happier though - her with the short coat and you with less work. |
| Dear Willowsprite:
I'm sorry you had to shave down Sky. I know how you must feel. I would hate to have to shave Blue Star. I chose the breed because of the beautiful coat. It will grow back and I hope all goes well with you. Blue Star's Mom |
| Wouldn't it be nice if sheepies had a special catagory where they could be shown in shorter coat? I think some judges would be shattered, they wouldn't know what they were looking at.
Oh well, as one who always has shorter coats on my dogs as they are not totally housebound, tho newbie Jack is sure trying to test that theory, mud, burs and who knows what else is common here, I say, enjoy the respite from all that grooming for awhile. The time to resume will come quickly |
| I was just wondering if you've got any recent pictures of Sky (and Dancer) so we can see how long her coat is getting since you shaved her?
I'll bet the girls are looking beautiful! |
| Funny you should ask, I just dropped off five rolls of film today (my digital camera broke quite some time ago) The film should be ready next week so as soon as I get them I will start posting and you'll be sick of them in no time!
Dancer now has almost 4 inches of coat, hers grows back faster than an inch a month. Sky has about an inch, hers is slower growing. I'm not even sure how old some of the pics are on those rolls. Some are from xmas I think... and I know some are recently for my daughters graduation... but other than that I have no idea...lol... |
| LOL...I have rolls like that, too!
I look forward to some new ones of your girls!! |
After rescuing my baby Kobe from the horror's he had endured in a former life, I vowed with my head held high that I would brush him and bath him and scratch him and make him happy. Well......I failed, so far this has been an extremly busy and now extremely hot last few months. With his love for water I saw a solution, his pool. I still brush him, for as long as he allows, but he has matted around his neck and behind his ears.  I can't bear the thought of trying to comb out the matts, because of the condition we received him in, and the groomers complete and total lack of kindness. I am going to take him to a groomer in town, that doesn't charge an arm and a leg, and who comes highly recommended for ability and kindness.
I will not cry, and look at the bright side, he'll be a little cooler, he can swim without matting, and we can continue to show him that the brush works even better than mommy's fingers. |
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