Make sure you brush your dogs....

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Originally posted by teenster3
He WILL NOT let me brush him and when I try, I've had to have my husband hold him while both of us are wearing thick, protective gloves and then try. He just goes absolutely crazy.....he has bitten me several times and drawn blood (and forget about the nails). I just don't like to deal with it so, I leave it up to my groomer to do.

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That reminds me of my dog...
Miksy, my Sheltie, isn't TOO bad, but he's gotten a lot more grumpy and sensitive to his skin as he's gotten older (he's 1 month from being 12 now). When I brush him, I have to muzzle him or else he snaps every time the brush catches a little tangle.. It's impossible for me to brush tangles out (even if they're really small) because then he always snaps. He's bitten my parents before too. I shaved him and try to brush him every day now. Not only does he feel better, but he's actually letting me brush him now because the brush isn't getting caught in his fur. :D This is the first time I've ever completely shaved him, and he actually seems to enjoy not having all that extra fur. Plus it's summer time, so he'll have an easier time dealing with the heat this summer.

My God, that's horrible. :eek:

Molly isn't great with brushing either; and just to my luck, she has the most hair. :rolleyes:

I'd never shave her though. I just can't fathom the thought of seeing a shaved Collie. :p Plus, the coat can take quite a while to grow back, and it can grow back abnormally, as in the undercoat growing back faster than the outercoat, producing a different 'texture' to it.

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Originally posted by BCBlondie
Miksy, my Sheltie, isn't TOO bad, but he's gotten a lot more grumpy and sensitive to his skin as he's gotten older

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My RB Cody got a lot more difficult to brush as he got older. His skin was always sensitive, but it seemed to be ultra sensitive as he got to be elderly. He wouldn't bite me, but he would cry out and pull back his lips in a grimace if I hit a little snag. I got a fairly cheap clipper set and just clippered his coat until it was a lot shorter length, he looked more like a 1 year old collie that hadn't grown the length and thickness of an adult yet. It being shorter made it much easier to brush out, while still leaving him unshaved and less vulnerable to sunburn and bug bites. They sometimes would lay right in the sun outside. If you put your hand to the top of their coat, it would feel hot. But if you pushed in and felt their skin, it would still feel cool.

Any mats that developed, I just cut them out, it wasn't worth putting him through trying to brush or comb them out. Might have looked a bit odd/messy but at least he was not put through the pain of trying to untangle it. He always had a finer coat that matted easier than a rough collie should really. Willie's coat was more rough (the way it should be) and didn't tangle and mat too easy.