Hairy like a sasquatch

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sheltiemom

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I have a tri colored sheltie (mostly black and white) who is so hairy and super thick coated. He absolutely hates being groomed. When I can get him groomed (must hold him tight) it seems to do nothing to his coat. I bath him with an oatmeal shampoo and conditioner or one with tea tea oil. I use a wire type brush, shedding blade and a fine tooth comb. Nothing I use seems to help him. He gets fish oil and flaxseed oil in his food daily

here is a pic of Telly with the thick coat. My sables and other tri's seem to have no problems getting their coats brushed, These pics are taken after 20 minutes of brushing him
 
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Oh, he's got a GORGEOUS coat! Simply beautiful!

A couple of suggestions:

1) If you haven't tried the Furminator, you should. It's expensive, but worth it. It's quick and removes a huge amount of the undercoat, which I suspect is what is contributing to all his gorgeous outer coat sticking out.

2) I just bought a leave-in conditioner online by Chris Christensen called Ice on Ice. I expect any leave-in conditioner would have the same effect, but this could lay his guard hair's down flatter and stop the flyaway effect that you seem to be dealing with.

3) In the book that I have called the Illustrated Guide to Sheltie Grooming, it gives very detailed scissor trimming techniques that you might consider to help bring that great mane under control. It speaks to specific scissoring techniques to correct (at least visually) a head stop issue, tail lie, etc.

That being said, I think he's a beautiful boy, regardless. A little scruff is no biggy! My old Timber could look pretty scruffy sometimes....scruffy no problem.....stinky meant: Of to the groomer! :smile2:
 
thank you so much Barb.

I do have a furminator but his coat is so thick I cannot get the furminator anywhere close to his skin. He is so thick furred I must use the blade and brush first to even get the top layer of fur on him. The comb is the worst part. He is my delicate baby and cries if you even get one tangle caught in the comb. I use Cowboy Magic on him which was recommended by a groomer friend (across the country) and it kind of helps, but still horribly tangled and thick fur

I do have that book you mentioned. The only problem with it is, I am not good just trimming their legs or mane and know I would mangle Telly with the courser hair. I should take him to a groomer but there are really none around here I trust. I need to start looking for a really good and patient groomer.

I wonder if I can get a practice sheltie (stuffed animal type lol) and practice on it
 
Telly IS gorgeous, Sheltiemom, even furry! Males tend to be more bushy and coarse coated so you are likely dealing with that as well. My best advice is not to try to groom him all at once...for instance, use the shedding rake one day, then the wire brush the next, then a finish brush a day later. I'd skip the fine tooth comb which probably pulls, and use a pin brush, or even one with the little rubber tips. He'd probably like that better. If you break the process up a bit he may not object as much. It sounds as if he has sensitive skin, poor baby. :( Good luck!
 
Ann thank you. Both you and Barb have some great suggestions. I will try alternating the tools used on him maybe every other day. I just feel so bad for him since I brush and groom all the others daily..and poor Telly looks so unkempt. I will try these great suggestions

Thank you guys so much
 
I would get one of Chris Christenson's long pinbrushes (about 1 1/2" pins). Works beautifully in knotted, shedding or unrully hair.
 
I agree Telly is GORGEOUS!!! Just wondering how you dry him off. With all that thick hair it must take hours for him to dry completly off. I have the Air Force Commander 2 Speed Dryer. I got it after I watched my friend dry her Husky off with it. After giving Shelly a bath I brush and blow dry her out with it. I really have to dry her off outside with this Dryer because it blows out almost all of the loose undercoat. I must say this dryer cuts out a lot of shedding with Shelly.
 
Narmowen...thank you. I do have a ball tipped bristle brush. Is this brush better because of the spaces between the bristles?

Janice,,,it takes about an hour with a dryer (obviously not a good one like you have) Is the one you have a groomers dryer? My friend the groomer told me about one she has that cost close to 400.00 that blows out a mass of undercoat. I should really get one since drying 9 puppers gets a bit much with a cheapie dryer I do usually take them out after drying them to air dry since it is so dry here in Az. Can you tell me where you got yours from please
 
sheltiemom said:
Narmowen...thank you. I do have a ball tipped bristle brush. Is this brush better because of the spaces between the bristles?

Janice,,,it takes about an hour with a dryer (obviously not a good one like you have) Is the one you have a groomers dryer? My friend the groomer told me about one she has that cost close to 400.00 that blows out a mass of undercoat. I should really get one since drying 9 puppers gets a bit much with a cheapie dryer I do usually take them out after drying them to air dry since it is so dry here in Az. Can you tell me where you got yours from please
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I've never liked brushes with tipped-they always seem to knot up the hair and pull much more. The CC brush that I have works right through knots, and pulls out the shedding fur so easily, because of the long tines, it goes right down into the knot/by the skin and just works it right out.
 
Narmowen, thank you so much. I will definately look for one of those. With 9 dogs they all suffer some matting and clumping fur at times and this sounds perfect. Thank you so much for the idea here.

I knew I should have asked about this here before. Thank you everyone
 
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