mjgrant Posted May 23, 2014 Report Share Posted May 23, 2014 I have been noticing that my BC's fur has been getting long, especially belly and hind legs. I have never cut her fur before so I was thinking of having a Mobile Grooming service come out for bath and cut. Do you/have you ever cut the hair on your BC? Is it something that should really be done? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beach BCs Posted May 23, 2014 Report Share Posted May 23, 2014 I might do a spot trim if there's an especially difficult mat, but that's about it. Years ago I had my old dog clipped. She had terrible hot spots. But her coat never grew back "normally". Why do you want to cut it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sekah Posted May 23, 2014 Report Share Posted May 23, 2014 I trim a little bit of the longer fur around my Aussie's ears. Very occasionally I'll trim feet and tail nub and even more occasionally I'll even up some of the hair on her forelegs and at her tuck up. However, full cuts or significant fur removal is not recommended and in many cases the fur never grows back properly, necessitating further cutting. Shaved fur will mat more easily as it grows in because the undercoat and top coat grow at different rates, and it compromises the all-weather nature of the coat. If there are some longer strands which are bugging you, at most I would recommend just scissoring them off yourself. Otherwise, leave the coat alone and just brush it thoroughly and often to remove excess dead undercoat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shetlander Posted May 23, 2014 Report Share Posted May 23, 2014 I trim around the paws and ears, because I don't care for hobbit feet or shaggy ears on my dogs. Sometimes I will trim a bit around the back fringe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Camden's Mom Posted May 23, 2014 Report Share Posted May 23, 2014 I've been thinking about giving my boy a trim as well. I swear he has the fanciest pants you've ever seen... and everything sticks to them. Our herding instructor vehemently discouraged me from shaving him. She told me the dog's coat is an all weather insulator and said, as others have, once you shave the dog the coat never grows back quite right. Her suggestion to me was to work aggressively in the spring to get the undercoat out. I use a wire brush to groom then follow up with a rake style comb to get the undercoat out. It's worked well so far. I've been hesitant to break out the scissors because I'm just not sure how trimming the hair on his pants, belly tuck, base of ears and base of tail would effect the hair growing back out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Root Beer Posted May 23, 2014 Report Share Posted May 23, 2014 I cut out occasional mats, but that's usually it. Tessa grows really long fur on her feet. It ends up hanging over the edges like a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel!! So, I do actually trim that from time to time when it starts to look messy. I just cut it about to where her nails start two or three times a year and that keeps it in check. I like the look of the natural coats. I get asked at times if I get Dean clipped, but he really is just naturally a bit-longer-furred smooth coat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alchemist Posted May 23, 2014 Report Share Posted May 23, 2014 A lot of people around here in the hot and humid Mid-Atlantic region will shave the bellies of rough-coated dogs. It really helps them keep cooler in the summer. I'll also trim feet - I think it reduces their chances of slipping. And I use a Mars Coat King to thin my rough-coated dog's undercoat without cutting his outer coat. Once when I was getting his belly shaved they also trimmed his "bloomers". I hated it but my husband liked it (and the dog sure brought in a lot less in the way of vegetation). The bloomers did grow back just fine. As others say, never shave the remainder of a double-coated dog (belly is OK, back is not). You'll be sorry, as the coat won't grow back the same way at all. Someone posted the link to this a while ago on a similar thread: http://groomblog.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/shaving-dogs-for-summer-consider-this.html I really liked their explanation of what happens when you shave a double-coated dog. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nathan Posted May 23, 2014 Report Share Posted May 23, 2014 http://groomblog.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/shaving-dogs-for-summer-consider-this.html[/url] I really liked their explanation of what happens when you shave a double-coated dog.great article Great article! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
border_collie_crazy Posted May 23, 2014 Report Share Posted May 23, 2014 I keep Happy's feathers and pants trimmed up, extra "frizzies" drives me mental, and I shorten the pants so they don't tangle in everything. Gem and Gyp are short haired which nubby tails and even then I trim the "point" of fur off the tail tip because it drives me crazy lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alligande Posted May 24, 2014 Report Share Posted May 24, 2014 I only trim feet, Rievaulx has long feathers on his front legs and his belly, I prefer the look of the natural feathers to the neatly trimmed look you would see on a show dog. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Camden's Mom Posted May 25, 2014 Report Share Posted May 25, 2014 I only trim feet, Rievaulx has long feathers on his front legs and his belly, I prefer the look of the natural feathers to the neatly trimmed look you would see on a show dog. I actually prefer a natural coat too but it does seem that Camden's favorite thing to do in the spring is to find the tallest grass he can and romp through it. I swear after every walk I'm having to brush out his belly and those pants... Good lord, those pants carry everything back home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gcv-border Posted May 25, 2014 Report Share Posted May 25, 2014 I am also in the camp of people who trim the back leg feathers (I call them mud flaps.), the feet and also his tail. I use scissors. The reason I cut these areas are to prevent matting (or to remove small mats) and decrease the amount of burrs and other vegetation that my dog picks up on our hikes. My dog has a 'medium' coat, but his mud flaps and tail can grow hair up to 8-10 inches long. Too high maintenance for me to keep up with when it is long. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maralynn Posted May 25, 2014 Report Share Posted May 25, 2014 mud flaps - Love it! I trimmed Kenzi's way back one summer since they had some mats and she'd been having some tummy trouble. Sooo much easier to deal with. They grew back just fine and I'll probably trim them again this summer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skye2014 Posted May 25, 2014 Report Share Posted May 25, 2014 I read that article and wish I had known that 10 years ago. We did take Jasper to a groomer each May and have her clipped very short thinking it would keep her cool in summer. Maybe it did in the hot weather but her fur grew in thick and did mat and, why I am not sure, she had a few ugly places on the hips and back where the fur never grew back properly. I will not be planning to clip Skye except the feathers on her legs and long hair on the tail if it gets to be a problem with burs. So far her brush is just a great toy to chew! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jescano Posted August 18, 2014 Report Share Posted August 18, 2014 I just shaved(down to 1.5-2 in) Jinx's pants and belly since it's hot here in Southern california and lots of veg to get stuck in them, but I'm thinking I might keep it short even for the winter in Mammoth(at least his pants), he was having issues with snowballs bunching up on the long fur and I think it will help. Though I am pretty diligent about brushing him and getting out his undercoat it just doesn't seem to want to stop coming. If it grows back right I'll probably do it again. If it doesn't then I probably won't. But I wanted to ask, when people say it's bad to shave a double coated breed does that mean down to the skin like that article suggests, or does that mean any sort of trimming. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mum24dog Posted August 18, 2014 Report Share Posted August 18, 2014 Ross started with a medium length coat but by the time he was in his teens his chest and belly hair were touching the ground and he looked like a burst mattress. Then and only then did I trim him underneath, never on top. He always had hairy feet but as we hardly get any snow it wasn't a problem most of his life. I only trimmed them in the last year or so of his life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurelin Posted August 18, 2014 Report Share Posted August 18, 2014 I have a thing about hairy feet. It drives me nuts when dogs have long foot hair that is untidy. So on all my longhaired dogs regardless of breed, I do a foot hair trim at least once a month. I also trim from the hock down on the back legs and from the stopper pad down on the front. And I will use thinning shears on the pants and feathering to tidy it up and thin every now and again. I think it really cleans up the look of longhaired dogs. Can't stand the Grinch foot look. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rushdoggie Posted August 18, 2014 Report Share Posted August 18, 2014 I trim "mud flaps" and behind ears with a thinning shears on all of my long-haired dogs so reduce mats and debris sticking.A dog with dire-rears might get an impromptu "poop chute" thinned out to prevent so many butt baths. I also am a foot trimmer, especially in the winter because it is wet and muddy. I use thinners so its less obvious as I prefer a natural look. Years ago I had a Border Collie (who was epileptic and spayed, and her meds and the spaying might have had an effect) who turned WOOLY as she aged. I mean solid fuzzy undercoat. She needed tons of brushing for a few years and if she got dirty she was impossible to get dry. In the summer she loved the kiddy pool and she always smelled musty. So eventually I buzzed her down with a clipper. She looked RIDICULOUS but I didn't care...no more brushing and I could towel her dry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliepoudrier Posted August 18, 2014 Report Share Posted August 18, 2014 I had this problem with Willow, who was smooth coated. The last couple of years of her life, her coat was super thick, next to impossible to dry, and was somewhat greasy (for lack of a better term) on her back, which made the wooly undercoat mat really badly if I didn't keep it combed religiously. I've only had one dog with a really thick coat, at least the breeches and tail, and I just used thinning shears on him (once) to tame it. Once trimmed, it never really was a problem again for some reason.... J. Years ago I had a Border Collie (who was epileptic and spayed, and her meds and the spaying might have had an effect) who turned WOOLY as she aged. I mean solid fuzzy undercoat. She needed tons of brushing for a few years and if she got dirty she was impossible to get dry. In the summer she loved the kiddy pool and she always smelled musty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juju Posted August 19, 2014 Report Share Posted August 19, 2014 Hi, I am & have been a dog groomer for the past 14yrs. I agree a well cared for/groomed/brushed border has an insulated coat, cool in summer & warm in winter. However once mats start occuring this insulation goes and the dog will be hot and irritated over summer, not to mention skin problems start occuring with severly matted cases. I personally love the look of a well groomed border with their full coat, I usually talk my clients into having just a tidy up which would include trimming paws & legs, trimming belly & sometimes shaving groins. Come summer and most large dogs do have a close cut haircut, breeds can include goldens, GSD, corgis, any breed. The fur always grows back after a couple of months, usually 3-4months for a full coat. We would shave our elderly border maybe 3 times over summer (West Australian summers are very dry, muggy & hot) maybe the well groomed dogs dont 'need' it but they sure did love it through the heat. Not only that owners can see how much their dogs love to be short in summer so they keep bringing them in for their summer haircuts. I have found the fur always grows back the same with regular grooming, the only times I've noticed it doesn't is when a dog is not on a complete & balanced diet. The most popular summer clips I do for borders is a size 5 (about 1cm) all over and I like to leave their tail & leg feathers (like a fox) unless instructed otherwise from their owner. I would also suggest if you are not going to have your border clipped, which is completly fine, to cut any knots you may come across out as they will only get bigger & tighter & very uncomfortable Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gideon's girl Posted August 19, 2014 Report Share Posted August 19, 2014 But I wanted to ask, when people say it's bad to shave a double coated breed does that mean down to the skin like that article suggests, or does that mean any sort of trimming. Some double coated dogs don't regrow their guard hair every year, so they can look patchy for quite some time when the coat starts to regrow but it doesn't grow evenly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Anne Posted August 23, 2014 Report Share Posted August 23, 2014 Mats only! mostly under tail around anal area ......and on belly/inside hind legs. My pup Rose has such long tail feathers someone said she looked like a peacock!!! LOL! But it sure is beautiful, and does not hinder her when she has a job to do in the least!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5Bordercollies Posted August 25, 2014 Report Share Posted August 25, 2014 Xena is wooly, so she gets shaved at least once in the summer. The others thankfully have silky coats, so I just trim bellies, legs and pants as necessary. Especially when like this weekend when we've been watering the garden and they ran through the water and then through the dusty flower beds. Then you get this muddy, matting dogs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D'Elle Posted August 25, 2014 Report Share Posted August 25, 2014 I have seen what can happen to the coat of a border collie who has been shaved, and it is ruinous. I brush them regularly and otherwise leave my border collies' coats alone, except for Jester's l-o-n-g "bloomers". Those, I cut short with scissors, and thin out also with scissors, because otherwise he brings in a load of burrs and twigs on them daily. I also think it just looks tidier. But even there, I would never use the clippers or shave it short; I just trim it up to about 2 or 3" long. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juan Hernandez Posted November 22, 2019 Report Share Posted November 22, 2019 I tried to cut my son B.C. ,but i went to short in some places at the back.the only way to fix it is to cut very short.Is another solution.thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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