Grooming

[Spencer13]

I just adopted an 8week old long hair dapple and was wondering if anyone could tell me when to start taking her to the groomer and what has been your experience taking care of longhairs. Thank you:eek:

[blazeman]

Sorry, I don't know much about LHs as mine is a smotthie... but we would love to see some pics ;)

[dutchman]

A groomer:confused: Frank is the only one of my boys that has seen a groomer and that was jsut once to see how they could handle his nails. They didn't do that great of a job took 15 minutes to complete and was rater expensive for jsut the nails. Two of my boys Frank and Tanner are LH. I just comb them out using a fine tooth metal flea comb. Idealy they should get combed 2-3 times a week depending on what they may have gotten into. If they go much over two weeks without a comb they are very likely to have some big mats in their hair especailly behind the ears. OTher than that I just ttrim the hair on their fet and do their nails. On rare ocassions I will trim the feather (under coat growing through) on their legs. Unless you have a show dog there isn't much real need for a groomer. Baths around here happe 2-3 times a year unles they really get into something. They may get comb out after being sprayed with a pump spray baby powder dry(?) cleaning solution.

Good luck with the little one

Tom and the boys (Frank, Tanner and Dexter)

[K.Middler]

Get some small sissors with a blunt end do between the toes and around the ear and on top of the toes other than that you need to do nothing. No Groomer needed for that.

[dutchman]

The sissors I use are short and have a ball tip. I tried a pir of thinning shears for teh leg feather but found the conventinal ones work better for me. Save teh money you were going to spend on a groomer on toy, treats and perhaps a good basic obedience class.

Tom

[doxunzX3]

I'm one of the few here that clip my LH's doxies. I take them out in the woods and my Ivy just hates having burrs brushed out. I have gone for months with out doing much of anything. But in the spring I take her coat off with an Oster dog clippers. I used to groom partime. So it isn't that big of a deal.
In our area the local tech has put on a dog grooming seminair. For pet grooming, my friend went to it, and said it was very helpful. The main thing is don't ever give them a bath before a complete brushing out. Which means no matts or snarels anywhere. A cream rinse also helps if they have a super thick coat. Plus make sure you get alllllllll the soap out. Some dogs have alergies and it can be helpfull to buy a good shampoo, made for dogs only. the pH balance is different for people. Our shampoo is to harsh.
Again, it is helpful to have someone that is willing to show you how, even cutting nails. Play with the feet as if it was just petting and little tugs etc. So when you do cut the nails it isn't so scarey. The main thing do it in short amounts of time to start with. I used to have a dog that would know the others off the table just for the fun of being groomed. It was play time and indivduel attention. Ivy doesn't feel that way. Plus she was gotten at 4 years old. Why make an old girl suffer just for looks!
OK enough of a book
:book: !:sarcastic

[LisaH]

I trim our LH Annie's feet and her hindquarters now and then--that's all she needs. My mother's LH dachsie has VERY long hair and really requires a groomer to look good. I've tried clipping her now and then in a pinch, but the results are less than stellar!

LisaH and Annie

[K.Middler]

I've said this before but I'll do it again I guess. I have breed and shown Longs since 1987 I have 8 here right now spayed ones old ones and young ones with ALL differant types of coats but only 2 colors Red and Black & Tan. I use 2 differant kinds of shampoo on all of them.If the dog is going to be shown I use Bio-Groom Harsh coat if its one of the 2 or 3 baths they get a year just because them I use Pert Plus kids.Now in case anyone wants to say Oh dear that's OK as my house dogs ALL 8 of them do not get stinky or really dirty.I do field trial also so they go in the brush and woods and we have 5 acres of woods only 1 time have I had to really get into my old males coat to get burrs out and he has coat to the floor, and no I do not put Pam on them to field trial. If you want a cleaner neck get a thinning knife and sissors or just clipper the front of the neck and thin the back but this should not be a all day job unless you do what I'm known for doing and that is doing ALL 8 at once. Oh if I do use a cream rince for the dogs showing I use Flex and only on the ears then really rince it well before blow drying and brushing.

[Dapple Dandy]

Spence, at 8 weeks you've got a long time before she'll need any grooming. Surprisingly enough, the occasional wetting she gets from pottying in the rain will be all the bath she needs. I wouldn't waste money on a professional groomer, these dogs are very low maintenance.

I just recently tried the new Dove brand shampoo on my girls and it worked great. They have a 2 in 1 formula that cuts down on bath time because the you're only using one product, not two. The lather is very luxurious, this cuts down on the amont you use and it has light conditioning that acts more like a detangler. No greasy look, even when air dried. I got great results on all my coats, smooth and long, even my Pom who has notoriously fine hair looked great and no itchies like with other shampoos I've tried.

I've had to change the way I trim my LH's feet. Not good with sissors, I cut myself more than I cut hair. I bought a small man's beard trimmer and have been using that. Less chance of me hurting them or me. I still have to practice doing the hair between the toes. I got it a little short this last time and it made Tori's foot look odd.

I have a trick I picked up for easy trimming of LH nails. I can't even remember where I got it, so I can give props to the smart person who told me, sorry. If you're out there jump in and take credit. Here we go, take ladies pantyhose, the cheap ones work the best and shove the nail through before attempting to trim. The nylon keeps the hair back and allows you to see the nail clearly. When I first started I pushed one through at a time. Now I push all the nails through, it cuts down on time. One pair of cheap pantyhose last forever because you only use a small square for each foot. I've gotten to where I can get several feet with one section.

[Spencer13]

Thank you so much for all your input...I really appreciate all your ideas and comments

[Cindi]

And you can take it or leave it - which is what most people do with advice anyway. When using human shampoo, cut it 50/50 with water first even if you are wetting the dog first (which I don't know about y'all but I find it must easier to suds the dog up IF they are wet first). It will suds faster and rinse out easier and it still does a marvelous job of cleaning. As a professional groomer, I dilute all the shampoos I use at work as they come concentrated and I frequently dilute the shampoo I use at home for myself because I tend to use too much on myself and I have these humongous bubble heads (and I don't have much hair!!!!!) so I end up using shampoo on my body instead of the expensive soaps I have sitting for use with those scrumptious scrubbies. Okaaaaayyyy, more info than y'all needed :eek: !!!

ANYWAYY, if y'all will dilute the human shampoo if you are using on it the dogs it will suds up faster and rinse out faster and still do a marvelous job AND on the longs and smooths, using a creme rinse (you can dilute that also) will give them a wonderful sheen, help rinse out suds, too, and help moisturize the skin for short time.

Cindi