OLD ENGLISH SHEEPDOG SHAVING IN WINTER
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| I think that your instinct is very good... Yes! If you shave your dogs and then leave them outside that would be bad.
I think that you will need to find a warm place for them until spring if they need to be shaved. I don't think that the vet would be offended by the condition of the coats of the sheepies you've just rescued. Why not ask his/her advice? Good luck...! |
| Abbi has only been totally shave once. It was during the summer and she became sunburned with ant bites. We had to keep her in the bathroom or laundry (and mostly in the kitchen with me) until she healed up and had about a half inch or more of hair.
I do not think you can shave any dog and leave it out during the winter, but even in the summer you need to provide shelter. By the way, Abbi had shelter back then, but no common sense. She went out to the middle of the yard and fell asleep in the sun then tried to run a cat up a fence where ants were. I guess I didn't have much foresight either. If you did shave the dogs and get them a crate inside in a corner or a place in a bathroom or laundry, you could then start introducing them to the family in a much more constant and personal way. It is hard to meld in with a family that is inside while you are outside. And the kids and the dogs are going to have to learn to live together sooner or later for this to be a successful adoption. Besides, you will be working hard to keep the dog without actually getting to enjoy its company. You would have to let them out pretty often though. You wouldn't want the crate to become a jail, just a SAFE place -- off limits to the kids and always open to the dogs. Give the children treats to give the dog while they try to get them to sit and shake hands. Keep them all busy and well rewarded for good behavior and disciplined for bad. And take loads of pictures. How old are the dogs. How well trained? What sex? Are they used to living together? Are they use to staying outdoors only? Are they housebroken at all? How many and hold old are your children? My advice may not be very good depending on all of the above. Housebreaking a dog is time consuming. A two year old is not going to stay out of the dog's kennel without constant supervision. So ... It is so great you could take the dogs in! And I agree with Ron. Your vet should not be too upset about the condition of their coats if you explain how you got them. But if they are too matted he/she will not be able to check them out very well. The vet will tell you if they are too matted and should be able to refer you to a competent groomer. I would also suggest only taking one dog at a time. It is easier to control a single dog, usually. I guess that may depend on the type of relationship the two dogs have. Giving advice on line isn't very precise, because we cannot evaluate all the different relationships and situations that are going to have to be taken into consideration. Good luck!!! |
| I forgot to suggest sweaters, probably because I do not think they will work.
My dog chews thru most things I put on her feet for protection while she is healing. I can just imagine what 2 sheepies would do if you shaved them and put sweaters on them! 
But I thought I would mention it anyways. A good groomer could let you know if they could be trtimmed up until it is warmer without damaging their skin. With the new hydrosurge washers, drying cages, and detanglers they may not be as bad off as you think---but a groomer will tell you for sure and quite quickly. Make sure to ask about any groomers credentials and experience. Having experience dealing with large dogs is really needed. |
| The dogs have been great with the children, but are tearing my house apart. So we had to eliminate them from coming inside at all. I was concidering ordering dog trimmers. But I am uncertain of what type to get. I thought about getting sheep shears, but the cheapest pair is 400 and I could get long haired dog shears for about 200. What do you think? |
| We had to have Ben shaved when he was a puppy up in New Jersey. When we adopted him he had horrible skin infections - (two vets and my own research) later it was determined he had mange. The poor dog was itching so much and losing tons of hair. Anyway, he actually did okay in the winter after he was shaved. (We called him Pink Dog because he was so bald you could see his pink skin.) We tried a sweater and he just flipped out - could not stand to wear it. We didn't keep him outside but we constantly walked him (potty training) - it just never seemed to phase him. Maybe your dogs don't need to be shaved all the way down to their skin? Some groomers are miracle workers even with a lot of matting. Thank goodness you are nearing the end of winter! |
| DO NOT GET SHEEP SHEARS!!!!! I did that when I first adopted my standard poodle. What a nightmare. They are VERY heavy. Their blades need to be sharpenned when you buy them. They are noisy and scare the dog. They cost so much more to buy and to operate.
Just buy either an Andis professional trimmer(2 speed if possible) or an OSTER A5 (2 speed is best) Neither of these should run much over $120 (on the web I have seen them for $89). I have an OSTER A5 for three different sized blades. The blades run between $12 and $35. The OSTER brand has never let me down, but a new Andis blade I bought had to be sharpenned before it would work (I think it may have been returned and had been used?). I need to run down and see what the sizes are, but I am pretty sure they are #10, # 40, and a wide tooth one with the same number. At Petsmart they sold this nice narrow one for getting in between the paws for $7, but I haven't seen it for sale again. The only one you need to shave a dog down to about a half of an inch is the #40 I think (I am going to go look to make sure). When You get your new trimmer, shaver, whatever and it doesn't cut anything DO NOT BE Shocked. If It is an OSTER blade you need to hold the blade in a blade wash for a minute or two until you can hear the hum of the motor speed up. They put a protective coating on the blades and it had to be dissolved by running it in the blade wash or some paint thinner, kerosene, or something of that nature. Then rinse it off with blade wash or CoolnLube spray. Buy the spray as you need it to cool of the blade as often as possible while shaving the dog. Or you could just have a pan of blade wash available. I already wrote up some very detailed directions for shaving a dog under grooming. Maybe you should go search for it or refer to oster's web site. Also, go to your library and look up dog grooming. Our library had a grooming video as well as two all-breed grooming books and one for standard poodles. I checked them all out and looked through them all. It really helped and explained so much! Also, you local groomer may be helpful. You can call and ask. Some love to show others and some don't. Petsmart has windows where you can watch. The groomers take breaks and will talk to you. They will tell you who they take their blades to get sharpenned. Blades need to be sharppenned every year. You can go to Rodeos and get them sharppenned also. Another resource is your local 4-H group. Good luck. If I can help any more let me know or PM(private message) me. |
| I wrote this to somebody on the OES list when they asked about shaving with or against the lay of the hair: Quote: Abbi loves my bad cuts just as much as my good cuts. As long as I take it
slow and make sure the clippers don't get too hot. And she gets lots of treats and attention. When you clip in the same direction of the hairs' natural growth you get a smooth, professional look. When you go against the grain the hair will stand up more and its harder to cut. When I do Abbi's face, chest, or under her ears and arm pits I ALWAYS go with the lay of the hair. It is less irritating and the easiest (fastest) way to cut. Sometimes I go against on her back if I am leaving more than an inch, because it poofs up and I do not use guide combs so I can see if any hair is sticking out still. If it is a complete shave always go with, going against is mainly for effect. If you are doing a show coat, follow show guidelines. Otherwise, heres a chance to make life easier. Clip what absolutely needs to be clipped and stop. Check the blade against your hand, fingers, or wrist every 10 to 15 minutes. When they get too warm, stop and let them cool off or spray them with a cooling lube agent. You, Your dog and your clippers will thank you (the blades will dull faster if you get them too hot or try to take off too much without stopping). Make sure to remove the protective coating that comes on new blades. I have long ran out of the correct solution, and now just run them on low in paint thinner until the hum of the motor speeds up. If you go to clip the dog and the blade isn't cutting much, run it a bit more in whatever solution (Blade Wash by Oster works great) for a while longer. Some of the Andis blades I have bought had to be sharpenned before I could use them, so I stick with Oster blades. Before you start define what you want and the cut will come out so much better. I figure I want her face fairly clean, I want her to be able to see, and I want nothing under her ears, arms, or anus. Then I decided I wanted no more sand and mud drag in by the gallons. So now Abbi gets what I call a facial, hygenic trims, and a pedicure -- actually I shave her paws but let hair hang almost to her feet. I also shave around her dew claw so I can see it while I am brushing. She hates doing her face so I give her a treat after she has been thoroughly brushed and combed. Then clip her face and ears first. Then a treat and her front paws. Treat and back paws and rear. At first this is time consuming. Let the dog have breaks before they want one if possible. You need to stay in control of the whole proccess. Like brushing, it becomes faster and easier with time. Just make sure the dog doesn't end the session -- you can make her sit and brush him/her and then release them, but never let them just run off. It will get harder and harder to clip them if you do. Bribes and avoidance make for a better experience. (Other things that makes things go faster and easier: having the dog on a stable table, having the dog attached to a stationary point, having a comb and brush handy for those "missed" spots, having a blunt end pair of scissors for the face, paw, and the hair hanging to the feet. You can work with barber scissors, but be careful. I have poked myself too often. And a groomer in pain is no fun.) And you may want to go get one of your husband's old shirts and a hair bonnet. I have a set in my grooming bag. You will still get hair on your pants and such. I brush most of it off with a slicker brush. Welcome as an owner-groomer. My dog sure enjoys it better than going to any of our local groomers. And now you can collect your dog's hair and have it spun into yarn. Never thought of that before! The last part was because a topic on the list was collecting hair to have it spun into yarn and knitted. I actually do not think I would want that, but some find it intriguing. I was thinking of getting some made for my sister-in-law on my hubsband's side, but it wasn't out of the goodness of my heart. She buys the most atrocious but very expensive handcrafted gifts (like these blank faced dolls in burlap sacks for my two girls. They scared my 3-year old). I thought it would be a good trade and joke. I wasn't going to tell her it was my dog's hair (she loves horses, but not other people's dogs) ....I know. Shame on me. But it still makes me chuckle to think about it. |
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