Trimming BC's Hair

[nowwown]

Cody has a beautiful, sweeping, full looking tail but is wispy and long haired everywhere else. He also has a lot of butt hair thatis getting very long, about 5-6". I swear the top of his back, near his tail, is long and thick enough to look like a men's toupee with all the swirls.

 

I was thinking about trimming him a bit, to even out the wispiness on his front legs, get rid of the bulk near his butt, even out the hair underneath, etc.

 

Is this a bad thing to do or okay to do? I have NO intention on showing him for conformation or anything. I just want him to look "pretty".

[MrSnappy]

Then trim him if you want to. I think it's a waste of time myself. I brush my dogs who need brushing, to prevent matts, but otherwise I leave them be. I think they are prettier as they are, but if you want to trim your dog go right ahead.

 

RDM

[ItsADogsLyfe]

Is this a bad thing to do or okay to do? I have NO intention on showing him for conformation or anything. I just want him to look "pretty".

 

Not bad at all. There is nothing wrong with trimming up the feathering and making the dog look more balanced. Plus it helps for sanitary reasons to clip the hair directly under the tail. I also trim the long hairs on the feet. Seems alot of people like that feet hair but I personally don't and I like the look of a nicely rounded foot.

[Shetlander]

I was thinking about trimming him a bit, to even out the wispiness on his front legs, get rid of the bulk near his butt, even out the hair underneath, etc.

 

Every once in a while I trim Quinn's tail so it is full and bushy instead of straggly. Also I'll trim back around his butt again once in a while, neaten up his paws when they get shaggy and the hair around his ear when it becomes too Alpha-like. It isn't anywhere near the upkeep of trimming a sheltie (always something to trim), just a little here and there when those things bug me. I don't think there is anything wrong with trimming a bit. He's your dog and you're the one looking at him the most. Might as well like what you see

[Guest LJS1993]

I've never trimmed my dogs before. My aunt trims her chow around the butt region. I always get a good laugh at the way it looks.

[bc4pack]

I have a VERY wooly bitch that I trim up a bit, tidy up under her tail and it helps cut down on mats. Same with her

feet,she tends to mat between her toes and tidying that up helps.

[bc friend]

I never trim Sara but my bc mix gets extremely long feathering that picks up every grass seed, twig, yucky gross thing, she comes across so I do trim her.

[books]

The only thing I ever trim on my guys is the hair on their feet. I find it significantly cuts down on the muddy paw prints. If I actually had grass instead of mud and dirt in our yard, I wouldn't even bother with that.

[borderlicious]

I trim Dakota a lot in the summer months, mostly to help him tolerate the heat. Just last week I shaved his belly and the insides of his rear legs, and trimmed about 3" of hair off of his butt. I do trim up his feet and even out the hair on his forelegs and hocks so he looks purdy, but that's the groomer in me.

 

It's your dog, do what you want. I've had people look at me like I'm crazy for trimming my dog but he's more comfortable that way, and I like it when he's more comfortable.

[Coloradogirl]

I clip Spot under his tail, not the tail itself, but from around his pooper, and feather it out to the side. He has a tendancy to get poop stuck to his butt feathers and then he stinks.

 

Do not make the mistake that I made last summer, I have a little dog that I clip so I thought hmmm what the hell I will clip Spot too........... I clipped some off of his neck and just made a complete mess of him. It has taken all summer through the winter to grow it back so it looks normal. So just a brush for us. I also use a charcol brick on him and the other dogs and it takes all the loose hair off really nicely, then use a fluffer comb (show cattle comb) to brush the long hairs, then spray revive or Pink (you get Pink at walmart at the end of the shampoo/hairspray isle) and it helps release any tangles make them smell good and makes them shiney.

 

Good luck.

[cbm618]

I asked that same question last summer. My dad won and my poor BC, Skipper, got shaved! Poor thing didn't even look like a BC anymore... more like an overgrown chihuahua Anywho, her coat grew back in time for the cold weather and it was perfectly normal. I think I might keep doing it during the summer months cause she does have a really thick coat and gets pretty hot.

[Lunar]

I don't touch Zoe, even though she has long fur on her back legs and tail. She doesn't need any help.

 

Oreo on the other hand... I trimmed her. She matted really easily and yes I should have brushed her more. But it was so frustrating. In an effort to de-tangle her I ended up just trimming all her butt fur pretty short. She looked darn funny, but it got the mats out and helped prevent new ones and she was SO much happier.

 

So if he needs it, do it. I don't think anyone's going to get mad at you for trimming your dog, lol.

[painted_ponies]

I trim Violet's "pants" because after they grow to a certain length they get all red and sunburnt-looking. And then they'll mat. I don't see anything wrong with trimming a dog for esthetic reasons - after all, you have to look at them. Of course, shaving would be a mistake, because you'd lose the protection the coat affords from sun and insects. But I think trimming is just fine. Violet doesn't agree, unfortunately, but at least she's stopped registering her protests by putting her teeth around my wrist.