Practice is the Key?
Sunday, September 26, 2010 at 3:24PM 
I have been practicing cutting hair on Abigail - on the right. She has naturally wavy hair that was ruined by her last pups. Good moms whose hair is long doesn't keep it in good condition as they bake under the lamps - well not literally but the pups must stay warm and dry hair gets brittle and the pups yank on mom's hair 6 ways to Sunday. So, I am one who believes in daily grooming. But still with pups the hair doesn't stay in great condition but it should be knot free.
Oh, I try and they are knot free but it would be easier if I just kept them short but I believe the Havanese breed is in its beauty in a longer coat. That's just me. So, I try. But I do try to cut off the dry ends to start anew while trying to keep long. Cutting the ends promotes less breakage and therefore you will get more length. I am not a hairdresser. Nor am I a professional groomer. I am just like you but I probably have bathed and groomed more than you can imagine so I have learned a thing or two or three. I am OCD about the dawgs well being and that includes knots. I rather cringe when I see a knot upclose against the skin. ROFL Try pulling your hair and keeping it in that position and see how your skin feels.
How silly this all is when I can't even get to a hairdresser to cut my own. Well, I hate to say it but the dawgs count more than me by far. They would get my last meal. Does that make me a nutcase? Some days I wonder but honestly, I am passionate about the dawgs. They make me smile. They make me realize that there is more to life than ourselves.
All it takes is a lick, a kiss and my heart melts. So knots are out even when I am ill I still do it and I feel like ^%&* at the moment. Yeah, you are supposed to laugh. But I also realize that its okay to be not so OCD about it so short coats and/or a regular groomer on a regular basis is a 'good' thing and practicing cutting ends to do it yourself - well we shall see where that goes but Abigail didn't come out bad. She's not amazing but you only 'get' this grooming business by doing and learning as you go. I will get there. You will too, if you want to.
I feel confident that I can make a coat feel better or select the right shampoo/conditioner for a given coat and they do vary and I can get a coat looking better but that's 100's and 100's of baths before I felt confident to know what was best for a given coat. I also love the blow dry and brush as you dry method and some do not but if you want a smooth shiny coat - well you can't get smooth just letting it air dry. Does it matter? NO! It all depends on what YOU want. If it's a short coat and less grooming time - well go for it! If it's sitting watching a TV show and brushing your dog out, well do what works for YOU and your dog.
If your courageous and want to try cutting their hair - well do it. You can always get the clippers out to even them out or take them to a groomer to straighten out your handi-work but if you don't try, you will rely on others to do it for you and I say, if you have the cash, well having someone else do it is EASIER!!! But do it on a regular basis as any good groomer will shave a dog down vs. dematting a majorly matted dawg. Why? Well it hurts to pull knots out and what you end up with is a dog that hates grooming.
What happens if you go away and you come home to your sweetie having knots everywhere? Do you shave her down? Do you gently pull the knots out overtime? Do you slicker the coat? Oh my do not slicker a coat as damage knots like crazy.
I once had someone bring a severely matted dog to me as a last ditch effort to save the coat. I said I may be able to or I may not be able to but let's try this.... I oiled the coat and brushed it from the outside of the knots in slowly. It took a lot of time and I pulled knots apart. I also saturated the brush with oil. The coat was saturated with oil. That made the coat pull apart easier but it was no picnic still on the tight knots. This person washed her dog with knots in it - a big no no as it only makes the knots tighter.
Did I manage to get the dog dematted? Yep but it took me 6 hours - way too long for a dog. Did the dog hurt when taking the knots out? Every once in a while I got a tight one so it was uncomfortable but I managed to distract and not hurt the dog. But again 6 hours is too long. After all the knots were out, I had to use a clarifier 4 times to take the excess oil off the coat. Then I washed and deep conditioned the coat. But dematting makes me want to cry as it is tedious and I feel bad for the dog whether it is the pain of taking the knots out or the time it takes - is it fair for the dog? Plus if this is going to happen over and over again, isn't it better to just cut the dog down? It was a process for me to 'get' that but yes, I feel it is better to cut the dog down for the dog's sake and for the human's sake.
If you like long hair, you should brush once a day with a minor amount of days skipped and wash the coat every 2 weeks. A clean coat knots less. During the blowing coat stage, I wash once a week. Sounds excessive but it reduces the knots - believe me. Will it dry out the coat washing too much? YEP so it is best to use a high quality moisture enriching shampoo and conditioner and to use a good quality grooming spray every time you brush.
Does this sound overwhelming? It shouldn't. I find 5 minutes of brushing a day is better than an hour a week. Reality is you keep the coat better with a minimal amount of consistent care than trying to play recovery at weeks end.
Some coats are easy to take care of, others not. The ones that aren't or if you don't have time for it - well short is best. Don't feel guilty for not having time. If it's a chore than your dawg will feel it is so and playing a game of retrieve with limited time is more time productive than grooming and perceiving it as a chore.
Just my 2 cents. Let me know how you feel about this grooming business.
Reader Comments (3)
When will the blowing coat stage usually end?
The thing about the blowing coat stage is difficult to give an exact time. It depends on undercoat growth. Just like humans, hair grows at various degrees in the same time period so they say usually 3 to 6 months but I have seen a blowing coat stage last as long as 9 to 10 months. What this stage is actually about is the undercoat is coming in and you do lose more hair than usual due to this stage for various reasons but knots play a huge part in it. You can duplicate a blowing coat stage by cutting the coat different lengths. If you ever shaved the tummmy and then let it grow out, you will see mats between the new growth at the tummy line and the old coat. It will go away when the new growth gets halfway down the coat length of the old hair. Does that make sense?
That is also why you never thin a coat out by giving it a shag type look. When it starts growing in, you will have a nightmare on hand. The key is leaving the hair similar in length.
The reason why clean coat mats less is the cuticle is clean and glides but when dirt adheres to the cuticle, it sticks together. Keeping the coat clean will reduce the work you have dramatically during this stage. Also, being thorough by using a comb to find any knots you may not have found with a brush, and eliminating them, you will reduce the possibility of having a knot grow that you may not be able to get out without damaging a coat.
Now to complicate things, a damaged coat (brittle) or broken can duplicate the blowing coat stage as you will have hair of various lengths due to damage and a coarse, open cuticle tends to knot vs a healthy closed cuticle. If you find your coat is damaged, then have it cut like you would your own hair by evening it up and cutting off the damaged ends. Damaged ends will break and create different lengths also giving you grief.
The point is even if you like a long coat, and you are not showing, getting the ends cut off gives a healthier appearance and knots less.
Those of us that breed have a different issue where nutrients are pulled from the hair along with puppy damage to lend a dry coat. Some dry out more than others but it also depends on the type of hair your dawg has. If it starts out healthy but on the dry side, after pups you will see a brittle coat. If it is oily, you will see a damaged coat from pups but not a brittle texture. It shows you that dawgs have different types of hair from texture to degree of oils. It's why when asked how often should I wash their coat, it actually depends on the environment and the texture of the hair.
That's probably more than you wanted to know but hopefully it helps.
thanks for all the details!