Hair Of The Dog – Double Trouble

The national treasure and poet Pam Ayres cited her neighbour once in an interview: “In our house”, said the neighbour, “dog hair is a condiment”.

Mine too. It’s also a substitute carpet and doubles as insulation. I had a Siberian Husky, so Travis’ shedding does not phase me. When Vadim stood up, there was another ghost dog left on the floor – and  that was five minutes after I’d spent half an hour brushing him.

<sigh>Still</sigh>, it might have been nice to have had a dog that hadn’t inherited two copies of a long hair and a shedding gene. He seems to have two copies of a tangling gene too. One of the signs that he’s definitely growing up is that he’s now shedding guard hairs as well as puppy fluff and undercoat. I am most definitely struggling up the incline that is the steep learning curve of grooming for the show ring, not to mention keeping the coat looking a little less as if my dog has been dragged through a hedge backwards as we schlep on public transport to shows. For once, rain in an outdoor ring would be to our advantage by levelling the playing field or at least flattening my dog’s coat. If he didn’t have such a propensity for eating meat, you might be forgiven for thinking that he’d thrown back to a stegosaurus.

Selective breeding has created a huge variety of coats, some better for the dog than others. Even where dogs don’t have the best of coats from a welfare point of view, they are better for the dog than anything that we can provide. What there is a rôle for dog coats when it is hot and if a dog needs support through age or infirmity, most people put coats on their dog for their own convenience or vanity. Even worse, they take the dog’s natural coat off down to the skin, thus exposing the dog to sun damage and injury.

At the very least, coats need to be kept clean and groomed. The frequency will depend on the dog. I brush Travis every day because of the fineness of the hair as it prevents tangling. It is also a good opportunity to check him over for ticks, seeds, minor injuries etc. Handling not only deepens the bond, it will be appreciated by your vet and groomer as your dog becomes more and more comfortable with being touched. I feel that one never really knows a dog until the secrets of it coat have been revealed and no one says that you can’t have a cuddle along the way.

Next week: Bully For Him – Travis’ XL Girlfriend

Meanwhile, why not check out R+Dog Training Happy Vet Visits and Happy Grooming Sessions courses for help with getting your dog used to being handled and groomed and the Puppy Social Walk and Adult Social Dog Walk in Chiswick House grounds for help with your puppy, adolescent or adult dog.