Is it possible/reasonable to make it through coat change without just cutting the hair?

[creation_aplogetics]

@hoping I’ve read about that but have had a hard time finding guides/how-to’s online. I do think that if it comes to that, we will just cut him shorter. I think that’s more than he’s going to want to sit through (he loves being brushed but he gets wiggly even just for his top knot bun that we keep him in.

 

[as77]

@creation_aplogetics I'd go down to a 5/8 comb attachment at least (personally I'd prefer a 2 comb). He's at that age that he'll be developing an adult/under coat and the longer it is the harder it will be to care for all around. Easier on your dog, your groomer, and you if it's shorter.

 

[creation_aplogetics]

@as77 Yeah it’s like the change started overnight. He won’t be going to doggy daycare for the near future (with the respiratory illness that’s going around) and that was definitely contributing to more tangles…but I think the changing coat is the root of the problem.

I mostly just didn’t want to show up to his bath appointment next week and be like “oh yeah by the way he actually needs a full haircut” so I’ll text her today and let her know what we’re dealing with.

 

[hazelelponi]

@creation_aplogetics Is it possible to get through coat change without a shave down? Yes. Is it hard? Also yes.

My poodle mix had a relatively easy coat change and we still had to make some changes to the grooming routine. We did not need to shave her, but it did mean identifying the most likely matting points and preemptively taking them shorter. For my girl that was behind the ears, armpits, and where the thigh meets the belly. Took those down to about a 1/2" as well as her entire ear leather since that fur was so fine.

I saw your comment about chatting with your groomer, and that's honestly the best way to get through it. I'd book more frequent appointments for the next few months and be prepared to make changes to the grooming style each time if needed. That might mean compromise, I took my girl down to about 1" from her usual 2-3" length.

For daily maintenance, up the brushing to morning and night if possible. Focus on the high friction areas, make sure to line brush, use lots of detangling spray/serum if you don't already have it. Cowboy magic was a lifesaver for me. It did mean increasing the frequency of baths by a little bit, but it also meant the coat had a bit more "slip" to it and any tangles were easier to remove with diligent brushing/combing.

 

[creation_aplogetics]

@hazelelponi I freaking love cowboy magic!

We line brush daily (when he was younger I could get away with missing a day or two, but now it’s nightly) and I can still get a metal comb all the way through each time, so we aren’t at risk of having to do an actual shave. About a month ago I started noticing that there were more tangles after 24hrs than there used to be, so I just want to get ahead of it.

We mostly just couldn’t decide whether it would be better to just take it down to an inch and let it grow back out from there or if it’s at all reasonable to think we can buckle down and make it through to the other side. After reading some of these comments and talking to our groomer, we are going to start with some small adjustments and go from there.

Also, how do you go about keeping yours at 2-3” now? Do you just do a clip down to 1” periodically and let it grow back out or does she get hand scissored to maintain that length?

 

[hazelelponi]

@creation_aplogetics We take her down to 5/8" - 1" in the summer. Otherwise we alternate between a few methods, usually a 1.5" or 2" guard comb and clipper vac, then evened out with hand scissoring. I guess it's more accurate to say she's usually 1.5 - 3" depending what our groomer feels like doing that day haha.

2-3" is all hand scissoring. She's on a 6 week schedule alternating a bath/tidy and full groom, so gets her full length taken down a bit/evened out every 12 weeks or so.

 

[creation_aplogetics]

@hazelelponi I think that’s what we are ultimately starting to try to figure out. What the best “routine” for cuts and lengths is going to be for him. So far he has just gotten baths + tidy every 3 weeks and I think it’s time to start incorporating some actual haircuts in, regardless of what length we decide on.

 

[hazelelponi]

@creation_aplogetics Oh gosh! Yes definitely start getting those full grooms in. That should help with the matting as well. Think of our own hair, when the ends get damaged they can start to tangle up. Which you probably know a lot more than me being an actual hairstylist yourself! But it's always easier to maintain the coat in the weeks after a full groom, I find.

 

[creation_aplogetics]

@hazelelponi For sure! For awhile it seemed like it just wasn’t even growing (even our groomer commented on it) but now looking at pictures from a month or two ago, it’s like he grew like a chia pet.

 

[rukado]

@creation_aplogetics If you like cowboy magic, you should try out Chris Christianson Ice on Ice spray! It has SERIOUSLY saved so many coats from a shavedown at my salon. Yesterday, I quickly and easily brushed solid mats out of a schnoodle's feet using that product. I bet it would help immensely with the occasional mats you're finding.

 

[rukado]

@creation_aplogetics Just mentioned this in another thread, but def get yourself some CC Ice on Ice dematting spray! I have only wonderful things to say about it. Everyone in my salon has used some of mine to save a slightly matted coat at this point. It is fragrance free, so sometimes I like to do a quick spritz of cowboy magic super bodyshine spray on the back for a nice subtle smell and shine.

 

[creation_aplogetics]

@rukado That may actually be good because my husband hates the smell of the Cowboy Magic for some reason. Everything we have encountered so far comes out relatively easily, but I want to make sure the individual strands of hair aren’t getting roughed up/broken in the process bc I know that will lead to a matting nightmare. Also, we are two days daycare-free and it has made SUCH a difference!

 

[rukado]

@creation_aplogetics Oh yea, not doing daycare will def keep making a difference! I used to be a handler, and I can say there was a LOT of craziness that went on in daycare lol. Practically impossible to keep the dogs from drinking out of the same bowls, so it would also be such an easy way to transmit the URI. Good luck with ice on ice! It's seriously insane how much it helps. It's great to use as a leave-in conditioner for general brushing as well, not just dematting. I'd say use it maybe once a week because I think it may have some type of silicone in it. That can build up on each individual hair and ultimately cause damage. A good spray for more frequent use would be Best Shot, it has no silicone and is great to use as a leave-in conditioner

 

[creation_aplogetics]

@rukado Yeah we’ve got two other senior dogs so we really can’t risk bringing that respiratory illness into the house.

IThanks for the recommendations!