scratching head...umm barb this the show grooming section..she didnt mention anything about shaving..she was asking about pulling all the undercoat out or leaving some for showing so her puppy didnt look naked....Show grooming mentality is a different aspect than pet grooming.If you brush it and it comes out, then it SHOULD be brushed out. That's a given. Don't forget to line brush though. You want the undercoat out, not the guard hair. Also, a certain amount of undercoat is normal. It serves as an insulator. You only want to strip out the loose stuff.
My recommendation....don't ever shave though unless in extreme circumstances. Shaved guard hair may not ever grow back properly. I know some people shave their dogs, but that is not my personal preference. It really comes down to exactly that.....personal preference and what you are able to maintain.
A comparable example is a Shih-tsu. Show standard is a long flowy coat, but every owner that comes into my stores wants them shaved. They just don't want the up keep. My opinion is then get a Jack Russel, but hey, that's my opinion.
Undercoat...gone!
- Thread starter Samba
- Start date
Just as was posted... I thought all the fluff was gone but a warm bath produced many tiny wet tribbles headed down the drain. Naked of undercoat now.
Though a show thread, I guess it never hurts to bring up shaving. I would never do it to a dog who has a determined coat. Genetics determine the length of hair...Shelties, Collies, Labs, Goldens, and many more are in this classification. I do go cross eyed every summer when people think they ought to start shaving all the pets!
I am still perplexed a bit by the change in coat due to diet and supplements. I mean you probably could not turn a Cairn soft. But, still I do see significant softening with certain diets and oils in many dogs.
Though a show thread, I guess it never hurts to bring up shaving. I would never do it to a dog who has a determined coat. Genetics determine the length of hair...Shelties, Collies, Labs, Goldens, and many more are in this classification. I do go cross eyed every summer when people think they ought to start shaving all the pets!
I am still perplexed a bit by the change in coat due to diet and supplements. I mean you probably could not turn a Cairn soft. But, still I do see significant softening with certain diets and oils in many dogs.
BarbV
Forums Celebrity
My mistake.....I didn't realize what section I was on. So, of course, no shaving......but I was kinda saying that anyway, regardless of show or companion pet.
Looks like Fletcher is blowing coat. I might try going up to Walmart and get a product I was shown a month ago called "Big Hair". It's a powder a competitor used to make a 6 month old pup's coat appear thicker. This will hopefully get him through the two shows he is registered for without losing my money, hehe. Of course, I could just go anyway, nearly one year old pups are there mostly for the experience!
Emmasmom
Forums Sage
I don't show mine for for the last two Saturdays I have sat and brushed all three - bag of loose undercoat from that all. For three or four weeks before that I used the undercoat rake and got out lots of loose undercoat. Liam has just gotten a nice thick coat again - he had surgery two years ago and just didn't get a heavy coat. I added coconut oil, yogurt and a plant enzymes/probiotics to their food - it has made a real difference. The coats looks shiny and soft but when you pet them, there is a coarseness to them. They are not silky - is this what you were meaning? All three of mine come from the same breeder - all have different feeling coats.
Ann
Moderator
Ditto here. I'm showing Checkers next week and took half a dog out of her today. 
I hope she isn't hairless by show time! 
I hope she isn't hairless by show time! 
Selena Wohlslagel
Forums Enthusiast