Terrible haircut - owners need reassurance

I don't know quite what to say except that the groomer should no longer be allowed to practice!

I'm sorry to say that this about as bad as it gets. I know with rescues sometimes you have to go to extra lengths.

But for a house dog it is obvious your groomer didnt have a clue. That's ok They can't know all breeds so you you need to educate yourself to educate the groomer.


The Illustrated Guide To Sheltie Grooming is your guide. Share it with your groomer
 
Your now the proud owner of a smooth Collie:biggrin2: sorry I couldnt help myself!

He doesnt look to bad, and you right dogs could really care what they look like themselves, its the owners who are vain in that respect...all they want is someone to love them feed them and play with them! All is right in their world if that is met, no matter how they look.
 
A groomer shaved down my first sheltie before. My parents took him to the groomers, I was studying overseas. They sent me pictures and told me they had to SEDATE him to shave him down :mad::mad: and he was shaky and wobbly on his feet when they picked him up and shivering so they had to make him a coat.

I was so friggin' mad I screamed bloody murder (I'm sure my parents heard me 6000 miles away) and almost punched a hole in the wall. :mad::mad:

Now I won't go to a groomer unless when asked if they would shave a sheltie, they recoil in horror like you said something blasphemous.
 
I feel a lot better seeing that Murphy seems unaffected. The vet seems to think it'll grow back in the fall, and that the risk of heat-related problems, sunburn, etc. is minimal. <shrug> He's still happy and healthy. And very friendly. That's the most important thing.
 
You have a darling sheltie, that fur will grow back. Between stories from my friends and the posts on here, I trim up my shelties. Seems to me when owners take their dogs to some of these groomers, the groomers don't have their listening ears on.

I am so sorry that happened to you, but like you stated happy and healthy is also important.
 
Sorry to hear what happened, I've been through the same with a bad groomer - although fortunately not as radical.

I can tell you that when Deska's ruff was shaved it took 9mths for the shaved part to grow to the same length as the rest, but that is the longest hair. He got partially shaved 6weeks ago for surgery and the fastest growing fur is now 2.2cm long (almost an inch), although being in winter the fastest growing fur is currently the undercoat. The fur above the shaved area is about 11cm long (4 1/2 inch) so I figure it will take about 5 mths for it to grow back to its normal length. Fortunately for Deska his guard hair was never particularly long anyway - he was always full of fluff.

I agree he looks amazingly like a smooth collie. I guess if he's used to being cut right back he won't notice it. Main thing is to still keep brushing out undercoat as it's really the only way to keep them cool.
 
Hey.
in January we had our sheltie groomed and the work was terrible. She had her belly shaved to skin, had almost nothing left on her butt, her mane was destroyed; it was clipped super unevenly. She looked like a wreck.

It took about 6 months to get the hair to grow back to something that was reasonable.

I looked at your pictures. Despite the really really short work, it does look even at a first glance. Give it a few months and it'll look great again. Find a new groomer.
 
Mark, Murphy looks almost exactly like Bitsy Boodle when she was clipped down. And yes, we did it on purpose because Bits has a double undercoat and suffered every summer. She had such a happy summer his year, and is so much more active, even in the 100 degree heat.

Her coat is starting to grow ut, and by September she'll be her lion-esque self again. So relax, play with your shorty-Sheltie and know his fur will be fine! :biggrin2:
 
I'm probably about to get blasted here, but I have my border collie cut every summer. She loves to hang out in the garage and outside a lot, and I live in middle Tennessee where it can get extremely hot. I just can't buy into the theory that they're cooler with mounds of fur. She LOVES her haircuts. And she thinks she is so pretty after them! Lol! We don't tell her otherwise. Anyway, I have her cut all the way down, and by late fall, she's a gorgeous fluffy border collie again. She never does have very long hair, though. If she weren't deathly afraid of having her picture taken, I'd post befores and afters, but she looks a lot like your little guy with his hair cut. Hang in there, and he'll be looking good again in no time. I shear my cat, too. She doesn't mind too much, she looks cute, and I have more time to deal with all that sheltie hair. She too always grows back out within several months.

My sheltie is a princess who chooses not to spend much time outdoors or in the garage, so it would take so something drastic to make me cut her hair.
 
I'm not going to blast anyone....its a personal choice as to how much you want to be taken off.

But I only caution against severe grooming. As I mentioned above there are two things to guard against

1) Funky coat....the notion that the fur grows back like it did before....I'm not sure about that. After a groomer shaved both my dogs butts, the guard hair is still to grow back adequately to cover the undercoat. Hence, both dogs have a perpetual state of unruly butts.

2) More importantly - there is a reason why Shelties have thick undercoat.....this is their protection against sunburn and melanoma. If you are going to shave your dog, please ensure that you keep your dog out of the sun.

I prefer a groomer who does a natural cut and thins judiciously with shears, not clippers. But as long as you are aware of the risks, then who am I to say otherwise?
 
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