So you want your dog to have a fuller coat for the winter time? That's nice.  
Well, you may be disappointed to learn that your dog could very well be better off with a wig like  William Wegman's Penny shown above.  Of course, in her case it's not because she needed to shave off her beautiful locks of hair, it's because she was modeling for National Geographic. (hear about the photo shoot here: William & Penny )

Sadly for many dogs, the truth is that they simply don't have the option to have their fur combed out. Having a groomer doesn't mean you don't have work to do at home.  If your dog hasn't been brushed in months, or brushed properly, than you lower your options for keeping that lovely winter coat. 

Real Quick about why we can't always save a coat: 
When was the last time you tried to brush a knot, or worse, a dread-lock out of your head? In case it's been a while, let me tell you that it hurts. So imagine having messy hair all over!! Ouch. Certainly some knots and tangles can be worked out, even a few matts here and there, but more work = more time = more costly for you.  And if the fur is so bad it causes excess pain to your dog, we won't do it. It's just not fair. 

But we can be tricky and hide shaved out spots. Check out this little pup who was matted pretty darn solid around the chest, armpits, and belly and had to be shaved super short in those spots only: 

But how does one keep up with their dog's long hair to begin with? Well, that's what we're here to try and help you with. Here's a few tips on how to keep that hair longer for the winter: 

But before we start: Don't get stressed out! This is not a contest and we don't judge people or condemn them for their busy lives and lack of proper brushing We understand that life gets in the way. 

Here we go:

1. DON'T BE OVERWHELMED: Don't tell yourself you need to brush the entire dog every night, or all at one time. Break things down for yourself to make it easier.  A  dog  has 4 legs (God willing), 2 ears, 1 tail, a fluffy head, a hairy face, and of course everything in between.  Pick one or two areas on your dog to work on a day.  

2. HAVE THE PROPER TOOLS: Most dog coats will require a slicker brush and a comb (see our previous post about these tools here: "Grooming Tools For You!" ) and you may also be in need of a good de-matter similar to something like this: 

3.  FIND TROUBLE SPOTS: You may not even need to brush every day, but at least keep an eye on the spots that tangle up super fast. Some dogs it's the ears, some their tail, others their legs!  Don't be fooled by a lovely looking coat on the body that will just look silly if the legs have to be shaved. :(

4. ADD A STEP TO YOUR WALKING ROUTINE:  With longer hair, a collar, harness, and sweater can cause major trouble spots.  The hair underneath a sweater, even just a collar, can quickly tangle - it's like having "hat head" but worse.  Keep your brush and comb near your dog's leash, and after you remove your walking equipment, give those spots a quick brush through. 

5. MAKE IT A GOOD TIME: This isn't punishment for you or your dog. It should be a great bonding experience. Many mammals in families or packs often groom each other just to show love. If your dogs hates it, bring some treats to the event and teach them that being brushed is an awesome experience! 

6. BE CAREFUL BATHING: Some people think a bath at home is a good way to keep their dog in good shape. But if you let that wet hair dry naturally,  or wet hair that's already matted, you may be adding to the problem. Be sure that your home baths always include brushing and combing as well. 

7. GET HELP:  If you are a regular customer AND have had an appointment within the past MONTH, we offer free eye scoop/trim so your dog will look just a bit fresher and neater in between groomings. We can even help with a quick trim on the "back end" for sanitary reasons should that be required. 

8. GET MORE HELP: If you have succeeded in achieving your long coat but it's just looking shabby, make an appointment for a grooming. Just because you're going to a groomer doesn't mean you have to be getting a short haircut!!  I don't  use my hairdresser for just drastic haircuts!  I need her on a pretty regular basis to help me keep my hair long and healthy. The same thing goes for your dogs' hair.   A Full Grooming is a bath, nails, ears cleaned, hair brushed out, and the haircut of YOUR CHOICE. If you've done your work at home, we will gladly shape up your dog and leave as much hair as you'd like. Check out Buddy here after his holiday trim up. He's trying to grow in a longer coat so he didn't really get any length taken off, just brushed out and shaped up all over: 

So the more work you do at home, the more options you have for your dog's grooming. Do you HAVE to keep long hair for winter. Nope. That's why there's dog sweaters!  (which we hope to talk about next!) But if you've been  struggling with achieving a long coat for your dog, we hope this winter is the year you succeed.  

As always, feel free to ask us any questions; we're here to help!

cheers, 

-ingrid

This is my girl Scarlett Grey. When she's in the shop she likes to pretend she's a grooming dog. Clearly she doesn't require anything other than a bath, nails and ear cleaning. Even then, there's not much to do.  I hardly have to cut her  nails at all.  So she is a great example to help me explain what it is we mean when we tell you "We could only tip the nails." 

What exactly do we mean by this? Well, quite literally, we could only take the very tip of the nail off.  If we were to go any farther, the nail would bleed. This is because dogs have veins in their nails.  Unfortunately, some dogs' veins are very very long, so while their nails seem like they need cut,  we can only do so much. We can only go to the quick.   At  a glance, it sure looks like Scarlett has some crazy long nails that are in need of trimming!

On closer inspection, we can see that her veins are far too long and we would risk making her bleed, which for the majority of dogs, is not fun!  At Digger Dogs, we try to avoid putting our dogs through any stress and try not to give them anything less than an awesome experience. So we will not risk trimming nails too short if we think the quicks are too long. 

 Take a look at my girl's nails and see if you can see the pink inside. 

In her case, I may try to take just the tips off in hopes that it will make the vein recede, but that doesn't always work. Also, with an antsy dog, we may accidentally take more than just the tip!!! Again, it's just not worth it. 

What about a dog with black nails you say? Even trickier! We do our best to gauge the length of the vein based on the shape of the nails, the time between groomings, the age of the dog, etc. 

So what's the alternative if you can't trim your dog's long nails as much as you'd like?  Walk your dog!  It's not a 100% guarantee, but I'd have to guess it's at least 90% for those walking on pavement.  That's why Scarlett's nails look so long in this picture; because it was taken just after all of our horrible heat waves. We were not getting many walks in that horrible weather.  Now that fall is here we'll have a chance to get those nails back in shape!

Remember, every dog is different not only in their physical make up (one dog with long quicks, another with short) but in every way. One dog may not be phased at all when we are trimming their nails, and I've even seen dogs not take notice when we've hit a bit of the vein.  Then there are other dogs who are instantly terrified the second they even SEE the nail cutters.  Both of these responses are normal, and we work with them as needed.

Being careful and minding the sensitivity level of your dog ensures that everyone has a good day and a healthy grooming. It makes for a happy pup, and that's what we like to see! 

As always, if you have any questions about this please feel free to comment below or email us at diggerdogspetgrooming@gmail.com.   

Thanks again for stopping by our blog, and we look forward to seeing you in our shop! 

Cheers! 
-ingrid

Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous heat, Or to take arms against a sea of hair and by opposing - shave them. 

Sorry, Shakespeare nerd here.  But it truly is The Question!  So many people ask us if they should shave their dog. Is it healthy, is it safe, and most common; "Doesn't their hair keep them cool?"  So, here we go:

There are certainly pros and cons to shaving your dog's hair, but first let me state that by "shaving" we do not mean taking a Bic to your dog and making them bald. For those who have never seen the look we are describing, here is a lovely cocker spaniel (Hanna) who has been "completely shaved" (that means, ears, top of head, face - ALL).

So you see, it's really just a super short haircut, not a "surgical shave" one may see in small doses during vet visits.  Is she cooler? You bet!!  Let's do some quick pros/cons.

Pros: short hair means better grooming management, better view of any pests, get to reveal any hidden skin issues, less hair in your home, and a much cooler dog.

Cons: now the mosquitos can get a better chance at that skin! Thin coated dogs should watch for sunburn for the first few weeks after grooming (as any short-haired breed dog should be monitored for sunburn),  and lastly, you may not like the look. 

Now to answer a few common questions:
YES, the hair will grow back, albeit at different speeds for different dogs. 
YES, the hair will grow back with the same look. Sometimes older dogs who have been shaved multiple times per year over the course of their lives have strange growth patterns as the hair returns, but it's not common and most owners simply keep shaving them for comfort reasons. 

Lastly, "doesn't the hair keep my dog cool".  The answer is Yes AND No. 

The full coat of hair is meant to keep a dog cool by way of a "fur insulator" which is meant to keep a pocket of cool air close to their skin. Keep in mind these are man made breeds, not wild animals.  Wild animals with loads of hair don't tend to live in hot regions. If they do, they have options to hide in cool caves, swim in lakes, and migrate to cooler areas. Our pets are not migrating (one hopes) so it's up to us to keep them cool. This means the hair needs maintenance. If those pockets of cool air are filled with matted hair, dead hair, or any other sort of dirt and debris, there goes the "fur insulator".  Yes, if you are vigilant you can brush your hairy partner to keep that coat in full function. If it's not a total mess, we can do that for you as well, but either way, it needs to be maintained throughout the hot, humid season.   Unfortunately, we don't all have the time we wish we had. This is why many owners decide to shave. Shaving the dog will help get air to the skin when the fur has become too thick and even though dogs do not sweat through their skin, shaving a thick coat of unbreathable fur will certainly help!! ESPECIALLY, if the dog is matted. At that point not only do you risk an over heated dog, but sores and such from the matted skin. Brushing is no longer an option, so shaving is indeed your best bet.

The bottom line is time, and preference.  Do you have time to do a percentage of the work at home? Keeping your dog fairly brushed and clean? If so, we can do something like this: 

Salute here was in pretty darn good shape for all that hair! Some tight knots in the back end required going a bit shorter, and some matting behind the ears (VERY normal) had to be shaved, but all in all - this was a very do-able brush-out!   Other breeds are harder to keep up with. Many of us don't have time, or maybe just no time this particular season, or simply LOVE the look, not to mention the clean house one gets from a short-haired dog! (you long-haired breeds know what I mean, it's not just the little hairs everywhere, it's the tumbleweeds blowing around from room to room!)  So here's an elkhound (Damien) who's hair was so thick this year, he was loving his shave-down. 

This breed has probably one of the most drastic changes for a shave-down, Collies and Shelties would be other examples. Dogs with that full mane look always seem totally changed when shaved. Yes, he lost his dark colored fur, yes he looks very different, but it'll all grow back. And when it does, his owner will have a better chance of keeping that coat in check.  Plus- it's kinda hard to make this guy look bad, we think he looks handsome with his new look!! 

Now, for fear of turning into a full-length Shakespeare play, I'll end this humble blog post. I hope we answered your questions, but if you have more, by all means, post them in the comments or shoot us an email! Thanks for stopping by! 

-ingrid