Undercoat Question for Willow

 Let the groomer know. Maybe she needs some extra attention, to the undercoat, that the previous groomer gave. I have heard the same thing, from clients, coming from other groomers. I give them some extra line combing and force drying, and they don't have that issue, any more.

Thanks Jennie, I'm going to mention those two things to her and see if that takes care of it.  I just brushed her all out myself and it looked like I had sheared a sheep in here.  I had to get out the vacuum. 

its always hard with new clients and undercoat. sometimes people call me and say, "well the last groomer didnt get all the undercoat out", and i never really know what to say. not all of the undercoat is to be removed, just the hair that is obviously coming out. after a good, correctly done shedless, i find that most dogs stay clump-free for about a month. and while not all the undercoat should be removed, it should definetly not be coming out in clumps as you described.

my guess would be that they probably dont dry the dog correctly. yes, brushing is good, but a high velocity dryer does the same job in  about 15 minutes. i do probably 5-10 minutes of brushing on my double coaters tops. i hand dry them 90-100%, keep a comb and rake handy to loosen up the clumpy undercoat, and it all blows away with the dryer. this takes less time than brushing, and is much much better for the dog (no long grooming session, and no brush irritation).

maybe call them and ask to speak to the person who did your dog and ask them what their procedure is for a shedless. if they dont kind of describe what i just said i did, then i would maybe find a new groomer. tell the groomer what problems you had, and maybe try again and see if there is a change, but i have found that most groomer figure out their way of doing things and dont really change it. but it is possible that a less experianced person did thedog and simply did not know about undercoat. but use your own judgement on that when you talk to them. youll bne able to tell based on what they say if is was groomer mistake, or simply just the way they groom. its sad, but there are many groomersin my area that i do not ever refer doublecoaters to, b/c i know they simply do not take the time to get that undercoat out. they are good groomers though, and i refer people to them for haircuts, just not for any shedless treatment.

 You can dry a CHOW in 15 minutes? You need to teach me your secret! It takes me half an hour to do a Sheltie, then I spray on some conditioner, and line comb under the fluff dryer, to finish them. That only takes 5-10, depending on the amount and condition of the coat.

But, yeah, just let them know that you want all the loose coat removed. 

lol, not completely dry and finished, no. but the majority of my brushing and blowing on the main body to remove the undercoat does take about 15 minutes. my fluff dryer at my current job is old and kind of crummy, so i only use it when i need to. i really only use the high velocity dryer, a rake and a comb. its a little difficult with dogs who are hard to manage but i make do. even when i had a great fluff dryer at my old job, i hardly use it on double coaters. And this is on dogs who are pretty well maintained, like willow appears to be. i do a samoyed who doesnt get done at home (and is hardly brushed), and is only done professionally by me when he is boarded (only every 4 months or so). He takes me about 2-3 huors.

 I think I need a new force dryer, is the issue. My back is KILLING me, from the silly Pug I did, today. *sigh* I don't fluff dry, much, either. Mostly just around the feet and ears, and a smidge on the body to warm up the silicone spray.

Well, guys, after 3-4 long brushing sessions I think I finally have most of the loose undercoat out. I think I probably could of filled 2-3 of those plastic grocery bags. 

Can I ask another question?  How do I know if I'm over brushing?  Is there a way to tell if I'm doing too much.  

Her coat already has some damage from being sick last year.  The Prednisone made a lot of it on her legs and sides fall out and then the topcoat never grew back in some places. 

She has a Webmaster harness.  Do you guys think that wearing that is continuing to damage her coat.  Especially, since the sides are where she has the most damage. 

Thanks. 

Today I bought her Pet Head styling products and a new brush.  I cut her nails today too.  We had a girlie day. 

Lori

it is really hard to tell if you are over brushing, especially on doublecoaters (which is one of the reasons i switched up my technique, so i was doing less and less of it). usually the sure way to tell if you are over brushing is redness, but double coaters dont always get red skin. sometimes over brushing on them means the coat gets damaged 8which is im sure what you are referring too). in this case, go by the dog. if the dog starts getting irritated, when she is normally wellbehaved, then maybe you are overdoing it. you can also be on the safe side and just keep the grooming sessions at shorter quick ones, then longer fewer ones. if you are in the position to, investing in a force dryer is a great idea for people with double coaters. like i said it blows most of the unneeded undercoat away with little to no brushing. if you are starting to take off more gaurd hairs than undercoat, then you are done brushing.

 the pred will definetely have an affect on her coat in general.

the harness could be to blame for the shoulder wear, but id hae to see her to make a judgement on that. does she always wear the halter? if she only wheres it when she goes out, then i dont think it would be the problem, unless you take her out a lot and have it on a lot.

 The harness could DEFINITELY be to blame. I know a lady that does harnesses lined in satin, for coated dogs. The Ruffware one is.... heavy, and rough, LOL. Emma doesn't ever look like she is having wear from her collars/harnesses, but Ena DEFINITELY does. Soft, lightweight stuff works better. Satin is great, as is very soft cotton.

Well, if I use my carpets as my guide.  I've gotten most of the undercoat out.  I was waking up to big tufts of fur and fur balls all over the carpets.  But, today it's not much of anything. 

She does go out and she also wears her harness around the house a lot.  So, I think I'm going to look into something softer inside for her.  I don't think it will really help all that much but I'll try. 

Anyone have any harness brand suggestions? 

Thanks!

 K9 Closet, hands down. Not cheap, but worth the money. I haven't found anything else, that works for Ena.

Though, if she's wearing it a good bit (I know, she has to wear something), it may or may not help to put something different on her. 

Jennie, you weren't kidding!  They have beautiful patterns.  It's gonna take me forever to decide.  Thanks!

Another question--Does anyone know where I can get the get stuff with the sparkles in it?  I've found the gel with the temporary color but I just want the one that shimmers.  I've seen it on show dogs. 

 Petedge has Sparkle Spray (their brand), that I use on dogs I groom (you do have to make a large order, from them). They also have a "just sparkles" pet color. If there is a dog show around, almost every shampoo vender has a sparkle spray (I'd pick the silvery, over the gold, for Willow).

Thanks, Jennie.  Yeah, I definately want the silver.  I want to give it to the groomer to use on her.  I think it would look so nice, she's like a brillo pad blue/gray color and then with the silver.  I think it'd look nice.