New groomer... how'd she do?

cat whiskers are a different structure(blood vessel and nerve) than dogs and they do use their whiskers for detection of walls and such in the dark. If a cat is bumping into walls in the light the cat has other issues.:wink2:

But dogs do not use their whiskers that way. I have cut the whiskers on my dogs as various times for showing and I can tell you it makes not one bit of difference to them. It is just a projection of modified hair.
 
Justicemom said:
cat whiskers are a different structure(blood vessel and nerve) than dogs and they do use their whiskers for detection of walls and such in the dark. If a cat is bumping into walls in the light the cat has other issues.:wink2:

But dogs do not use their whiskers that way. I have cut the whiskers on my dogs as various times for showing and I can tell you it makes not one bit of difference to them. It is just a projection of modified hair.
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:lol:

Justicemom is right; dogs don't use their whiskers in the way that cats do. And yes, they are cut off for the show ring, which is probably why I like to whisker whack haha. I think they look like mice with whiskers, which I guess can be cute, but I think they look better without them :yes:

Another thing you can look for is a local Sheltie or Collie breeder who would be willing to groom your dog. Although this will be even harder to find!
 
I think she did fine. I actually kind of like getting a bit of a trim on the tummy, although I agree it's a little aggressive. I think it keeps them cooler during the summer and cuts down on the amount of dirty they can pick up on muddy days. It took us a few tries with Buffy's groomer too but I think they have the idea now. We tell them to do the poop chute and trim the butt a bit without going too crazy, and not to cut the hair anywhere else. I think there are pics of her first haircut in my profile, she got a little slashed. The biggest thing is they need to do shelties like shelties, not like poodles, goldens, or bichons. Might help if you brought in some pictures -- I think it's worth working with this groomer to get it right.

Lerwick looks good. :yes:
 
Butts can and should be trimmed but NEVER with a razor (except for the poop chute). Thinning shears (on the undercoat only) is perfectly acceptable and recommended for really thick pants.


Razors anywhere else on the body of a Sheltie are absolutely not on.
Evening out the belly hair as well is fine, but you really don't want it cut that short.

That being said....I do use a ladies bikini razor to trim around the feet. I usually start with scissoring but do a final clean up with the razor. I'm just not good enough with scissors yet to get that trim look without the razor as backup.

Even if you never plan to groom yourself, I would still recommend that you get the Illustrated Guide to Sheltie Grooming. If you educate yourself, you can educate your groomer as to what your expectations are.
 
My dogs have such teeny, thin little whiskers, unlike a cat, so I can't imagine they are all that useful. Marque's longest whiskers are no more than an inch and a half long. He's going to hit something before those suckers give him any good information.
 
I also do Trapp's whiskers,he looks mousy with them.They are very dark & seem heavy. It makes no differance to him.But to me,he looks way better without them

Jasper's whiskers are very light,(white mostly) or a very light grey. And much lighter in weight.And not very long at all. So I really don't bother his. But his facial expression is much differant than Trapp's.
 
I've trimmed C and LB's whiskers also. But I have to wonder if it is slightly painful to cut them because they blink a lot while I'm doing it, it's like they're wincing. Anyone else notice this?
 
DanteBella85 said:
I've trimmed C and LB's whiskers also. But I have to wonder if it is slightly painful to cut them because they blink a lot while I'm doing it, it's like they're wincing. Anyone else notice this?
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I think Trapp did this as well in the begininng,but now not at all. I thought really at first it was because he was'nt used to seeing the scissor so close to his eyes.

It was kinda like he was following it. I now can do his whiskers,and he doesn't even close his eye.And a gentle hold of his muzzle,he is good. He knows what I am doing,and I get it done quickly.
Really he is such a lush on the grooming table.If I would let him lay down he would fall asleep.
 
Those whiskers are the way dogs (and other animals with whiskers) figure out if their head will fit in something or not. A puppy I had once had had her whiskers complete cut off by the breeder, and the first thing she did in the yard was push her way through my rosebushes, resulting in an abscess under her ear that was the devil to get healed. It drained for a very long time, despite aggressive treatment by me and the vet. I would never touch those cute whiskers. They are there for a reason! And they are cute. And they tickle my face when I'm getting doggie kisses! (did I mention I love sheltie whiskers? :biggrin2:)
 
I think the reason mine wince is because I trim them with scissors as I don't have a "trimmer", and the scissors pull the whisker ever so slightly when being trimmed. I've googled "why do dogs have whiskers" and they say it really is for the same reason cats do. One of my dog's whiskers are short, the others are long enough to tell him if he could fit through something or not. But it's more than just fitting through tight spaces. For dogs, apparently it helps them sense predators or prey nearby, and help them find their water bowl in the dark without knocking into things or putting its muzzle right into the dish. I will still trim mine, as they do look neater and it's doubtful they will ever need to use them like a wild dog would.

This is probably not the most informative article but the general consensus about dog whiskers is here.

http://whydodogs.com/why-do-dogs-have-whiskers.html
 
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