Hey Woofa’s,

It’s been what I call ‘an old fashioned’ winter this year.

Super cold (for Australia anyway) but unusually wet, we’ve had soooooooooo much rain.  We’re all pretty much waterlogged.

What’s this got to do with our dogs?

Well I have had many people come in and say, I don’t want my dog shaved off, it’s too cold!

And I couldn’t agree more.

As a Dog Groomer I hate having to shave dogs off short during the colder months.

Regardless of whether they spend their time inside or out or both, I’m not a fan of doing it.

However, if the dog has knots all over it, it’s better to get those knots off and put a jumper on the dog than leave the knots.  The knots turn into matting and the matting pulls on the skin and can bruise your dog.

So here are some ways you can avoid the Winter Shave Down!

HOW TO AVOID THE WINTER SHAVE DOWN!

1. Brush your long haired dog and brush it regularly (daily) – as Dog Groomers we can tell who has been brushing and who decided to brush their dog the night before their grooming visit.
2. Brush your long haired dog ALL OVER – just brushing your dog’s tail, or along the back, isn’t enough.  You need to brush your dog ALL OVER, ears, face, chest, legs, belly, underarms, along the body, back legs, tail etc, anywhere your dog has hair, you brush it.
3. Take your dog’s collar/harness off and brush under there as well – at lot of people leave collars on their dog and wonder why they’re all matted under there.  Same with harnesses, when you take your dog out for a walk, the long hair rubs against the collar/harness and causes knots.
4. If your dog wears a jumper/jacket or any form of clothing – take it off and brush your dog all over regularly. Many people think they’re doing right by their dog by putting a jacket on them to keep them warm, and that’s fine.  As long as you remember to remove the jacket and brush your dog.  Again the jacket will rub up against your dog’s hair and cause matting if it’s not brushed.
5. My dog won’t let me brush it – if I had a dollar for every time I’ve heard this in all my years of Dog Grooming?  Your dog is your responsibility, if it doesn’t like being brushed then retrain it so it allows you to.  Or book in more regular with your Groomer or both.
6. If you buy a long haired dog you’re going to have to deal with Grooming your dog.  Many people fall in love with a cute fluffy puppy but very few, if any, realise the amount of work that has to go into maintaining a long haired dog.
7. What type of dog brush do I use?  There are many brushes out there on the market you have to find the right one for your dog’s hair.  Most pet stores allow you to take your dog into the store, so take your dog and ask at the store which brush is best.  Do your research, ask others with your dog’s breed.  I generally use a brush and a comb on the dogs I groom.
8. If you don’t want to do anything grooming related to your dog yourself, book in regularly with a Dog Groomer.

You kind of get the general theme of how to avoid the winter shave down?  BRUSH YOUR DOG!

If you present your Groomer with a matted dog, it’s going to be shaved down because it’s much kinder to your dog.

WHAT IF MY DOG HAS NO KNOTS BUT STILL NEEDS GROOMING?

I have many customers whose dogs do not have knots but they still come regularly for grooming.

They don’t get shaved off, they can have just a maintenance groom where I tidy up around the dog’s face, feet, bottom, toilet areas etc.  We keep the overall coat longer in winter.

Some like to maintain their dog’s coat at a certain level without shaving it off.  IT’s something that has to be discussed with your Groomer.

In summer when it becomes too hot for some, again I discuss with the owner the best option for the dog.

WHAT DOES ALL THIS MEAN?

To avoid the winter shave down, you need to keep your dog’s hair knot free.

Which means brushing it regularly yourself or taking it more regularly to the Dog Groomer.

IN THE COMMENTS BELOW – BILLY WOULD LIKE TO KNOW – IF YOUR DOG LIKES BEING BRUSHED OR NOT?