Grooming curly dogs

Discussion of grooming tips and questions.

Moderators: emmabeth, BoardHost

Post Reply
bendog
Posts: 2188
Joined: Fri Jan 07, 2011 7:42 am

Grooming curly dogs

Post by bendog »

Sash gets horrendously matted super quickly. She is a welsh terrier, a breed that should really be stripped but has been clipped for most of her life so her coat is no longer suitable for hand stripping. I'm sure this also contributes to her getting matted so easily as well as her curly coat.

I've just had to cut a load of clumps off her paws and under her belly with scissors because they were so bad (which is in itself an incredible acheivement since in her old life no groomer or vet could get near her paws without her being restrained and muzzled. The groomers usually gave up and left the hair long on her paws). Her body I can mostly control with a regular grooming pin brush but her legs are tricky and she doesn't like them being groomed either so they end up being matted and horrible. I'm thinking some kind of comb would be easiest? But then coz her hair is curly i am worried it will snag and she is not the most tolerant dog. 8 years old and never been brushed or groomed at home, only clipped a few times a year at the groomers which was a horrible experience for her - she used to come home shaking. So naturally it's been a long long road for me to get her to accept me touching her paws, using scissors near her paws, but we aren't quite there with brushing yet and she WILL bite if I push her too far. Usually just a snap (no broken skin) the problem being she escalates straight to the snap without a growl warning, (she has a lovely growl at other times but i guess shes been told off for growling at the groomers) so obviously I keep sessions short, lots of rewards and try not to push her too far.

We have had her clipped once in the 10 months we've had her, by a friend who comes to the house, and I was with her and she was brilliant. But i am lost when it comes to the coat upkeep at home! Never had a dog that needs regular brushing before, and never really wanted one either :/ I feel awful for letting her get so matted but because she won't let me brush her legs I don't know what else to do! Any good brush recommendations to sort her out?
katej215
Posts: 302
Joined: Wed Jan 11, 2012 6:05 am

Re: Grooming curly dogs

Post by katej215 »

I use a fine tooth metal comb ( for wire coats ) on Hattie which does a great job in pulling out her dead undercoat, it also makes combing out her beardy face much easier. Hattie just walks off if she's had enough..but like you i find combing out her legs a challenge. I find i have to take my opportunities when i can - so like the other day she was on the sofa engrossed in chewing a bully stick and i managed to gently comb out the tats on the inside of the back legs just by holding the skin so i didnt pull it and gently combing over the top of the matted bits and eventually the hair came out -tats intact. With her front legs - again when she's lying down occupied with something (got no chance if she's standing up) i gently comb the hair across her leg and down onto the sofa -practically combing out on thr sofa if that make sense -the closer i get to her paws the more likely she'll be to walk off. And can probably only manage one leg at one sitting. I'd struggle with a brush - i think a comb is more precise and easier for tricky bits.
gwd
Posts: 1958
Joined: Tue Aug 14, 2012 11:33 pm

Re: Grooming curly dogs

Post by gwd »

does she object to you grooming her back?

i think you'll be happy with the mars coat king for her neck back and sides. here is a site where you can see the results on various breeds, there is even a welshie pictured.

http://www.groomersmall.com/ck_results.htm

this looks like a rake but honestly, my dogs fall asleep on the grooming table when i'm using it. this should keep her back tidy and minimize the need for a full on clipper grooming.

for her legs, i'd use a metal comb. this is one of those items (as well as pin brushes) where quality does matter. the better combs are polished teeth and they glide without snagging. i think you'll like the greyhound. this is considered the best by most show folk"

http://greyhoundcomb.com/about.html

start combing with the wide end to ease out any tangles, then go back though with the finer end. .......if you think there might be tangles or mats, start at the ends rather than the skin........just as you would for your own long hair. then work towards the skin. if you do have a snag, hold the hair between your fingers so that any tugging doesn't pull against her skin, (i don't know if i'm describing this very well). basically, you'll be tugging on hair a bit but your other hand prevents it from pulling.

think of caring for her hair the same way you would as a person with long hair.......after a shampoo you wouldn't dream of trying to comb out with a fine toothed comb, it would hurt like hell! ......you'd use a very wide toothed comb and then follow up with something finer
Image
bendog
Posts: 2188
Joined: Fri Jan 07, 2011 7:42 am

Re: Grooming curly dogs

Post by bendog »

Thanks so much! She is just about ok with me grooming her back. Usually I crack an egg into a bowl and let her clean that whilst I brush as much as I can. But it is scary for me coz she does just snap without warning (and I do mean without warning. It is possible that because I am looking at the section I'm brushing that I miss any more subtle signs such as lip curls but there's no growl or stiffening up). She objects to the slightest snag and if she catches me it really hurts even though it doesn't usually break skin it is hard enough to mark it. I can get some of her back legs done but doing front legs is tricky coz im nearer the teeth end!! My boyfriend and the rest of his family who she used to live with never dared brush her or trim her feet or put ear drops in when she needed them for fear of being bitten. My boyf still wont dare do any grooming or anything like that. At first bringing out the brush sent her running upstairs or to her bed and she would let anyone approach so she's made amazing progress already but it's a long slow road.

And after being groomed (even if ive only done one leg, or 3-4 strokes along her back) she's more grumpy with the other dogs for the rest of the day despite me trying to make it as low stress as possible. I should mention she has bad skin allergies so her skin is very sensitive and sore poor girl so I don't blame her for snapping at me. Especially after her past bad grooming experiences (I went to pick her up from the groomers once before she was my dog and poor girl was shaking like a leaf and didn't stop shivering for hours).

The others are all very low maintainence coat wise. Hand Stripped 2-3 times a year (not by me but by a groomer friend who comes to the house) which they don't enjoy but tolerate well, and a quick brush over once in a blue moon to get the worst of the dirt off. Ben quite likes being brushed but hates the stripping, Poppy fidgets. Charlie is insanely ticklish! But none are unduly stressed by it.
User avatar
Nettle
Posts: 10753
Joined: Sun Apr 13, 2008 1:40 pm

Re: Grooming curly dogs

Post by Nettle »

Would your BF distract her while you groom, a little at a time? I had a horse that was tricky to clip, and my friend would take a packet of biscuits, unwrap them sloooowly, break on in half EAT THE HALF :o then give him a piece of the other half......all the while I'd be clipping like crazy.

I'm no groomer, so feel free to correct me, but would using conditioner on her leg hair help you tease out the tufts better?
A dog is never bad or naughty - it is simply being a dog

SET YOURSELF UP FOR SUCCESS
gwd
Posts: 1958
Joined: Tue Aug 14, 2012 11:33 pm

Re: Grooming curly dogs

Post by gwd »

Nettle wrote:I'm no groomer, so feel free to correct me, but would using conditioner on her leg hair help you tease out the tufts better?
that's s tough call and my best answer is 'sometimes'. it just depends on the product. most conditioners are mostly water based and they'll dry on the coat before you've finished your job......then you've got kinda more of a sticky mess than you started with. if you don't bathe right away, the stuff that has dried in the coat makes it very easy to mat back up.

there are some decent products such as:

http://www.horseloverz.com/Shampoo-and- ... -8-oz.html

which is a detangler that was orginally marketed for horses tails and manes. .....the dog people have been using it for matted dogs. ........the one i listed a link for is favored by the poodle people ..........a similar product "cowboy magic detangler' is used by a lot of setter folks, .........but with the cowboy magic, you need to bath after, as it's more greasy.

so yes, detangling products help, straight, normal conditioner that you'd use after a wash is not always a good thing
Image
Post Reply