This post I wrote about why you should not shave a double-coated dog has been viewed more than any other thing I’ve written here, as well as linked from some other sites from people looking for information on shaving their dogs. I’ve also gotten google hits from people searching about this. I hope I was able to deter some people from shaving these dogs.
I wanted to post some before and after shots of dogs I talked people out of shaving. Unfortunately these grooms, while they are a lot of work, don’t tend to show the difference in photos as much as in person. The main difference is in the feel of the coat, and it can be drastic! They come in greasy and smelly and shedding out in handfuls and go home clean and soft and silky. My groom room looks like a disaster after I’m done, but it is so worth it! All that hair everywhere is very satisfying to me!
Here are a couple of dogs I groomed recently whose owners had seriously asked me to shave them because they were shedding so much. They didn’t know there were other options and they took me up on my suggestion to let me give them a “proper” groom. (Some don’t care and want them shaved anyway, and I will do that if they want of course; it is their dog and up to them in the end.)
This golden retriever actually had one of the thickest coats I have ever seen!
He took a lot of work, but look at what a beauty he is now (extra baggage and all!):
This husky’s owner didn’t know what to do when the dog started blowing his coat. The hair was coming off in bunches. This is normal.
He had a ridge of longer hair all down the length of his spine, which I think is pretty cool. If I had shaved it he would have been a completely different color and all that pretty silky hair would have been gone. Instead, he now still has the pretty hair but all the crappy hair underneath is now gone:
Occasionally there are dogs with double coats that can’t be brushed out. As I mentioned in the earlier post, this often happens when the coat has been clipped previously instead of maintained. I had a pomeranian come in whose owner had the dog clipped about once a year and never brushed in between, so the dog was always pelted by the time they brought it to the groomer. In this case, I have no choice but to shave them. I blend the neck and legs and scissor the head. This is what I call a “teddy bear” clip on a pom:
That job you did on the pom might not be the right and proper cut for that breed, but it sure did come out oh so adorable.
I just showed the pom to Bunny along with the other dogs and now she wants to go to school to be a dog groomer, not to mention she wants a Pomeranian with that teddy bear clip. Tomorrow she’ll want a pony.
HA!
Ha, I love her already! Maybe tomorrow I will post a cute pony pic.
Pomeranians sometimes have really cottony coats and it is even fuzzier after it is clipped. (Some are more naturally silky-textured; I’ve groomed both.) It’s not easy to get them BACK into a pomeranian breed clip once they are clipped down like this, but if they are kept in this clip then that’s fine. The do still need to be brushed to get the undercoat out, which this owner wasn’t doing and that’s why it got to be such a mess (before pic.)
Those top two dogs look so much happier after their groom. And beautiful too.
Thanks.
Wow! It’s like you’re a miracle worker!
Ha ha… I wish!
i can see a big difference in the photos.
Your job seems fun, challenging and rewarding.
They look fabulous.
Thanks! My job is those things. (And messy!)
If I ever got a Pom I would have him get the teddy bear cut. That is so cute. You do great work. You obviously love what you do. Extreme Makeover on Dogs done by the fab Birdpress. Maybe there’s a reality show in there somewhere.
I think that show would be much more fun to watch than “Groomer Has It”!
I think you have a fan club! Can I be the president?
I can only imagine the amount of hair on the floor after one of these grooms! What happens to all that hair? Do you just throw it away? Seems like there should be a use for all of it, like Locks of Love for dogs or sumpim!
Not only on the floor! On the walls, the tub, the shelves, me. The dryer blows hair EVERYwhere! Thank god for my trusty shop vac!
OMG, when you were done with the Golden I can totally see how clean and SOFT looking! The Golden (and the Husky) must have felt so much better when he left your shop! It’s good to know some folks will listen and do what’s best for the dog.
And, the bottom picture, that is the cutest shit I’ve seen; I had to just stare at it for a while because it doesn’t even look like the same dog whatsoever! It’d be nice now if that owner would brush it every day …. one can only hope! You do such nice work.
I love looking at your before and after- it’s like reality blogging
Thanks. The haircuts show a more obvious difference, like I said. If they would keep that pom brushed out it would be great! But as soon as it gets more than an inch of hair it starts getting matted and yucky looking.
The Teddy Bear clip is so cute!!
I like him more without all that hair – even if he’s supposed to have it. 
His head is cute, isn’t it? I must tell you though, I didn’t show the dog from the side-view for a reason! Look at his body shape. He is skinny and roach-backed. The hair is what fills him out to look round. Shave it off and his body looks like a scrawny cat!
That is the cutest little Pom cut! Does roach-back mean something bad about his health? I hope not.
Oh my goodness! They are all so precious!
Wow. Now that pomerainian is about the cutest thing I have ever seen.
I have two German Shepherds (double-coated) and heavy shedders. They have beautiful, shiny, coats, though.
We brush them regularly, and bathe them ourselves–We’ve only actually used a professional groomer a couple of times.
What a big difference though.
[...] 22, 2008 by birdpress A while back, here and here, I posted pictures of a pomeranian I had to shave as per owner request as well as due to [...]
I have a Pekingese that we get shaved every couple of months. Is that a double-coated breed that I should be doing something else for, grooming-wise? He is a friendlier and more affectionate dog when his coat is short, especially in the hot Florida summers. The issue is that sometimes after being groomed, he gets temporarily neurotic – seemingly about his behind being more exposed. He won’t get up to go out, and when I carry him out to the grass, she keeps his tail tucked between his legs when he does walk. He’ll also chase and bite at his behind when he does “forget” and stand up – as if something is back there. He’s just a nervous wreck, but it will pass in a few days as he gets used to the short cut. I’d appreciate any thoughts or advice you may have. Thanks!
How short do you clip him? If possible, ask the groomer to keep his hair at least a half-inch long and to get out all the undercoat. Some dogs do seem to act almost embarrassed after they are shaved. It’s like they are stepping out naked. I don’t know if that’s really what goes on in their heads, but I imagine it is a strange feeling once they are so used to having a lot of hair.