Shaving dilemma!!

[Eve and Pippa]

Hi everyone,

Yesterday, Pippa went to get a trim at a groomer. She's a 3 1/2 year old tri-colour with a black body, white chest, and beautiful markings on the face. The guy grooming her decided he couldn't get through the (few) matts in her undercoat so decided to SHAVE HER. Sadly, she now looks like a puppy and she's all fuzzy. I'm really worried her hair will never grow back to what it once was, and that it may take years to do this. If you've experienced this before, help would be much appreciated!!

Also, as we all know, shelties are very intelligent doggies and Pippa seems slightly shaken by this. Shes been going about embarassed with her tail tucked in under her bare bum and she's been awfully twitchy, not at all like her old playful self. She's always had a fear of brushes, however now this is going to be so much worse, and the guy also gave her a bath, so she's going to be terrified of water too. She'll probably be frightened of anything that sounds like shears as well. I'm worried that this might have affected her mentally too.

One last thing, it's kind of cold here in Scotland at the moment, so the idiot groomer should have realised that she needs her undercoat desperately at this time. Her hair is about half an inch long now, so she'll need a good jacket. Does anybody know any good brands of jackets that are really fleecy and waterproof?

Any help help would be appreciated so much!
Thanks,
Eve

 

[trini]

I am really sorry this happened, but her coat should grow back.

Shelties are so smart and so tuned into our emotions that I suspect her upset is because she feels your upset and is concerned that she has done something wrong. Treat her as if nothing bad has happened and she will regain her confidence once she sees you happy again.

A warm water repellent jacket would definitely help in the cold and wet until her full coat comes back in. There are so many great dog coats on the market...if you do a google search you should be able to find something that will be perfect for little Pippa.

Trini

 

[missjenneygirl]

What is most surprising to me, is that you were not notified by the groomer before he turned on the clippers. I would not take it well, if when I went to pick up my pup, he had been shaved.
I am so sorry this happened.

 

[Greenepony]

I agree with Trini. If you treat it like no big deal, it will be less traumatizing. That being said, Olive did not like the feeling of her bare bum when it was shaved for a hot spot.

I would probably make sure Pippa's skin doesn't dry out- good mousterizing shampoos, maybe a little coconut oil rubbed into the skin? Also a rubber curry comb all over would probably feel wonderful as the hair grows back. A good time to get her comfortable with brushing and allover touching.

You might want to check out Horseware. I have good history with their horse products and have friends who got their barn dogs their dog sheets. Newmarket is fuzzy so I wonder if it would be itchy (that said, I had no issue with their quarter sheets tucked over my legs in the winter.) I like that they also make a reflective blanket in the Rambo line. If we were doing evening runs, I would consider it for my Sheltie since it gets dark so quickly.

 

[BarbV]

Oh, I'm angry reading this post.

In my years of owning shelties, grooming shelties on my own and dealing with misinformed groomers, I think I could create an entire thread on what to do and what not not to do.

What not to do? Shave your sheltie. Unless you have not other options. There are differing opinions on this forum about that. So I will attempt to present a balanced viewpoint..

1) First of all, if you shave your dog, it might take as long as 2 years for the full sheltie coat to grow out again properly

2) If you have a matted dog, please try to comb it out before you go to a groomer. Most groomers (not mine) will take the easy way out and suggest your clip the dog entiriely. But if you take an hour and try to brush out before you go to the groomer and get rid of most of the matts, then good

3) That being said, some dogs have not been groomed ever and are so matted there is no choice. I hate this because a complete shave down can totally cause the fur to grow back funky. Buy better than a a dog with matts.

I guess all I'm saying is don't give up to quick, and don't let your groomer talk you into more than is necessary

 

[Caro]

You poor thing, I can imagine it's devastating. Not to say darn cold for your poor dog.

Some years ago Deska's ruff was clipped by an idiot groomer. He also felt uncomfortable after the incident so I knitted him something to go around his neck and it made a huge difference. I think he was not used to feeling cold. So hopefully your girl will feel better when you get her a coat. No need to lash out - sometimes the RSPCA has knitted clothes. You can also get a baby onesie (the one's with press studs down the front are good) as they give an all over coverage.

As for growing back. It does take time. I've had dogs shaved over large parts of the body for various surgeries (and bad groomer incidents) and actually measured the growth rates. I takes about 9mths for a coat to grow back fully after a shave and grows at 2.5cm (an inch) every 8 weeks after a clip. The guard hair grows faster in Spring, in the colder months it's the undercoat that grows faster. Just make sure you keep brushing her so the undercoat growth doesn't overwhelm the guard hair growth

My female that was shaved last February (for surgery) still has funky fur in that area. When I spoke to her specialist about it he said it takes a second growth cycle for the fur to go back to its original texture - so about 18mths. You may still notice a different texture for a while in some parts (and it also seems to matt more when the guard hair and undercoat are the same length).

When my male was shaved several years ago for surgery Dr Shelli (Justicemom) posted a good description about fur growth that you may find interesting http://www.sheltieforums.com/showthread.php?t=15266&highlight=grow&page=2.

 

[Eve and Pippa]

Thank you for all your helpful comments! Mostly reassured, we'll just have to see what happens!

 

[RikyR]

When we first adopted Cody, and before I knew any better, I asked my groomer for a summer cut. This is what I got! We felt so bad, but it was so hard not to laugh, he looked so funny! We did change groomers, she should have explained what we were getting. Luckily, it eventually grew back to his beautiful coat.

 

[Gina]

Sounds like she is feeding off your emotions. She probably seems embarrassed and sad because you are upset. It's over with, so you just need to move on for her sake. Tell her she is the prettiest princess!

And being a groomer, I get a lot owners who come in and swear up and down that their dogs aren't matted. Sure, they've brushed the top coat, but not down to the skin. Unfortunately those dogs have to be clippered short. It may have been worse than what you thought. Hard to say unless the dog is on my table. But the groomer should have talked to you about it before taking all her hair off. And he should have taken the time to show you why he had to.

 

[Hanne]

--- This is what I got! We felt so bad, but it was so hard not to laugh, he looked so funny! --

Oh, no, he almost looks worse than when I cut our second dog, dachsdog? / poodle mix, total foolish it seemed, and when the children came home they could not help but laugh, and he was so embarrassed, it was really so sorry for him
When I cut him since, then the children were told they had to tell him how fine he was, and he was so happy.

Eve -tell your dog she looks so great until she becomes happy again.