sorry sorry sorry if there already is a thread for this but i was told brushing your dog often will help with less shedding. does anyone know if this is true? i try to brush ziek often but getting his whole body takes forever so i end up giving up. it also doesn't help that he hates getting brushed by me and my hubby...only likes it when my father-in-law brushes him. =/
brushing = less shedding?
- Thread starter tinyziek
- Start date
I don't thinks it makes them shed any less. They are going to lose the same amount, I would think, but what you do is capture it and thereby reducing how much get spread around.
I just treat MMM like you would a little girl with long hair living with you. Every morning, no ifs, ands, or buts, we go into the bathroom and we brush his hair. Right at the moment (I have a 17 weeks old pup) it takes me all of 5 minutes, with a full adult coat, Cleveland and I spent more like 10 minutes a day.
Then every 4 weeks or so, I did the "full monty." Bath, clipped, trimmed and so forth.
However
there is never a day that goes by that I do not have dog hair on my clothes!
They say the Queen of England always has dog hair on her, so......
I just treat MMM like you would a little girl with long hair living with you. Every morning, no ifs, ands, or buts, we go into the bathroom and we brush his hair. Right at the moment (I have a 17 weeks old pup) it takes me all of 5 minutes, with a full adult coat, Cleveland and I spent more like 10 minutes a day.
Then every 4 weeks or so, I did the "full monty." Bath, clipped, trimmed and so forth.
However
there is never a day that goes by that I do not have dog hair on my clothes!They say the Queen of England always has dog hair on her, so......
BarbV
Forums Celebrity
Brushing just captures the hair into the brush instead of your furniture or clothing. The dog will shed if you groom or not. That being said, neither of my boys are big "shedders" - instead their pants just grow bigger and wider until it's an unruly mass of undercoat.
Its essentially why I stopped using the Furminator much. It was designed for single coated dogs where you can strip from the top. With Shelties, you want to get to the skin.
I normally line brush weekly - bi-weekly if they are not in coat. The key here is "line" brush. Scraping a brush over the top coat is not going to do the job. You need to flip pup on his side, and starting at the spine, with a pin brush, brush the hair upwards in a line down his back and rump, starting at skin level. Work down the line.
Then move down about 1/4" and repeat until you've done one side down to the belly. Flip dog over and repeat.
It sounds onerous, but if you stay on top of it, I can line brush each dog in about 15 minutes each. It's the other grooming that takes the extra time - ears and feet.
I hate starting to groom but once I've started we all love it. It's actually very therapeutic!
Its essentially why I stopped using the Furminator much. It was designed for single coated dogs where you can strip from the top. With Shelties, you want to get to the skin.
I normally line brush weekly - bi-weekly if they are not in coat. The key here is "line" brush. Scraping a brush over the top coat is not going to do the job. You need to flip pup on his side, and starting at the spine, with a pin brush, brush the hair upwards in a line down his back and rump, starting at skin level. Work down the line.
Then move down about 1/4" and repeat until you've done one side down to the belly. Flip dog over and repeat.
It sounds onerous, but if you stay on top of it, I can line brush each dog in about 15 minutes each. It's the other grooming that takes the extra time - ears and feet.
I hate starting to groom but once I've started we all love it. It's actually very therapeutic!
ruckusluvr
Forums Enthusiast
grooming is my zen.
it takes me less than 5 minutes to brush Ruckus. his fur is long, but really thin. I have to actually brush him daily because it tangles easy.
Lynn takes about 5 minutes to brush too. she is short, but thick. I only have to brush her weekly!
it takes me less than 5 minutes to brush Ruckus. his fur is long, but really thin. I have to actually brush him daily because it tangles easy.
Lynn takes about 5 minutes to brush too. she is short, but thick. I only have to brush her weekly!
BarbV
Forums Celebrity
Barb - Thank you! For some reason I wasn't comprehending the line brush thing (I must be a little slow). You just made it make sense. I've been close but not quite right. Can't wait to tackle that little sheltie of mine.
Not at all! When I first started I was doing it backward! I started at the belly and brushed downwards (even though I did separate the line with my hands...instead of starting at the top of the back, and brushing upwards in a line!)
A couple of great resources:
The Illustrated Guide to Sheltie Grooming by Barb Ross
Sheltie Talk (I've got the old addition, but I think it was supposed to go into reprint this spring)
Silver Trails Grooming Video (available as both online or CD)