# Time of year for grooming LGD's



## lgdnevada (Jul 12, 2011)

It's that time of year here where dogs are blowing coats left and right, and foxtail season is upon us.  For those of you who don't know what foxtails are you can google that nasty weed....the little arrow-shaped seed heads are infamous for getting up into dog's noses', eyes, ears....they get inbetween a dog's paws and just work their way up into a corner and penetrate the foot, then your dog has a big red swollen pussing toe.....  Anyhow, this time of year, try to take a moment to look your dogs over each day, check their feet and ears.  I have a small pail I put scissors, nail clippers, and a variety of brushes and pick combs in, and then I pack around a slicker deshedder comb and nail clippers in my pockets and every day try to give 5 or so of my dogs a going over really good with the brush.  It always amazes me how much hair CONTINUES to come out even after I think I've stripped them down for summer.  I never shave my dogs, but have heard of cases where people did and the hair never grew back in right.  Your dogs will love you for the few minutes spent doing preventative grooming that gets the old dead winter hair out and keeps them cooler, and lets their new winter coats come in better.  Of course not all pooches submit to this beauty parlor stuff and I'm exhausted after wrestling with my Pyrenean Mastiff girl, she is hog fat - and it was like wrestling with a greased pig, getting her dewclaws trimmed and checked for foxtails LOL....  But a little brushing and checking the feet is sure a good idea this time of year at least where I live.  We had a really wet spring.  The foxtails this year are rampant.  I know in California they are horrid in summer too.  Happy grooming everyone!


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## MonsterMalak (Jul 14, 2011)

Brenda,

With our record heat, and multiple days over 100, the coat blowing was 2 months ago,,,,, aughhhh

I like the shorter haired breeds or types of crosses.  they have plenty of hair to protect them in the winter, then shed out to a guard hair only coat in spring.  Although if in the house, you feel like you could reconstruct 2 dogs with the HAIR.  Luckily it is only 2x a year.

I took our Boz on a 3-4 mile walk over 2 hours the other day.  It was a cool 99 degrees when I started, and got cooler to around 95 when I finished.  

I think I suffered more.  Although he panted, he was having fun, and refused to drink when offered.  

For a large breed dog, I feel this was a strong tollerance to the heat.

But he does love laying in front of the fan in the AC.  Well he isnt stupid!


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## DRPepper (Sep 17, 2011)

Sorry to drag this post up from a few months ago, but I just wanted to add something. I worked as a dog groomer for several years, and I'd like to add my two cents to the idea of "shaving" dogs. I am highly against shaving dogs down. as lgdnevada mentioned, their coats may not grow back properly, but that is only one concern. A dog's coat insulates him from the heat as well as the cold, shaving him down will reduce his ability to regulate his body temperature. It would also leave his skin exposed to the sun, and dogs can and will get sunburns.


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## ksj0225 (Sep 17, 2011)

I was also against it but had to with the ticks (see my tick post) don't know what we will next year... I just couldn't keep the ticks off of her... Figured the lesser of two evils was the shave versus lime disease... So did the vet...


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## bluemini (Sep 26, 2011)

DRPepper said:
			
		

> Sorry to drag this post up from a few months ago, but I just wanted to add something. I worked as a dog groomer for several years, and I'd like to add my two cents to the idea of "shaving" dogs. I am highly against shaving dogs down. as lgdnevada mentioned, their coats may not grow back properly, but that is only one concern. A dog's coat insulates him from the heat as well as the cold, shaving him down will reduce his ability to regulate his body temperature. It would also leave his skin exposed to the sun, and dogs can and will get sunburns.


 agreed


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## Roll farms (Sep 26, 2011)

Something to remember if your LGD is a pyr or pyr cross....Check their toenails!  Those double dew claws can become ingrown / infected w/ the quickness.


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## kjo (Nov 10, 2011)

agree with Dr Pepper...shaving not a good thing...8 yrs ago when son brought home this large, hairy, adult Pyr in the hottest weeks of the summer, I thought I'd have a heart attack...she was a mess./tried combing to no avail..shaved her...she broke out in the worst case of heat rash...she was so miserable...since learned that the heavy coat works as insulation in both cold and heat...found the easiest way to groom her after a bath, I blow her out with the shop vac exhaust...not only blows away the loose hair but also removes tangles and clumps...found her to be nearly self grooming...lots of skin irritation issues and found it to be flea allergy...now Frontline every month...
We have no flocks to protect...Emma guards hosta...we have two acres and she sleeps in the woods and keeps the deer at bay... Emma is deaf and going blind though she can still catch their scent but Bambi's boldness is increasing now that Emma isn't 100% in the game...tried to adopt a younger one but no one willing to place one with an invisible fence...It works with Emma and our Lab-Shepard mix but from what I've heard and read most Pyr's are roamers at 
heart


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