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Sheltie Aussie Mix Shedding


pzoo9

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When I adopted my dog from the shelter last summer, she had very little hair. They told me she was a sheltie mix, but we thought she was an Aussie. Since that time she has grown a thick coat (not quite sheltie length etc. but very thick.) and has begun to shed.

I went to line brush her today and removed a wad of fur the size of my whole dog. I have been brushing her weekly since the shedding began, every two weeks before that. I also noticed there appeared to be quite a bit of dander and her skin is dry. Is this normal shedding? Any tips on how to cope? I am not complaining, but I don't want to overbrush/brush burn her either.

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She may need some sunflower oil or something similar added to her diet
and maybe good shampoo with coat conditioner would also help.
I give my shelties vitamin E capsules & that seems to help the coat
Don't use a wire brush (Use a long toothed comb)on her unless she is moulting badly then a wire brush is permissible as you must get all the dead hair out
.Follow this by giving her a lovely bath and comb her through again.
Ickle

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I was thinking the seasonal shedding thing, too. I don't know where you are, but we are heading into Spring quick, fast and in a hurry here, and all the dogs' coats are telling it. They are blowing their winter coats at an amazing rate. Perhaps this sudden blast of hair is just seasonal?

Ickle, I know you are an exhibitor and are way more experienced in Shelties than I am, but EEEEK! I never ever dry brush a double coated (or any) dog before a bath, anymore. I just can't do it. I always let my shampoo/conditioner/hv do a lot of the heavy work in the bath and then mist/brush afterward.

Please don't think I'm second guessing you. This technique is something I learned from other exhibitors here (one being a Collie and Sheltie exhibitor) who insisted that I should never ever dry brush a coat before a bath. Perhaps it's just a cultural difference (I am US based), or maybe you have different products that make this not as practical? I used to ALWAYS do a thorough brushout before the bath until these people told me otherwise.

Sorry to kind of go off topic... any kind of coat care talk makes my brain go into overdrive.

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I live in the South and we traditionally have mild weather. We have missed out on the brutal winter up north. I think she is just having a seasonal shed. I have also started her on Lipiderm a vitamin E product. So that should help. I will just make sure the skin doesn't come through.

As for brushing, I brush then bathe. In theory, the mats swell up and leave a mess to work with when it is time to blowdry. I think it is a personal preference. But with a sheltie coat, wouldn't you need to brush it or comb it weekly/every two weeks to keep it in good condition? They certainly can't get a bath that often. It would soften the coat.

My girl lives inside, but she has to come into contact with the elements sometimes. We have dirt, leaves, sticks and other dog slobber here. Maybe show dogs naturally repel those problems. :D

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[quote name='pzoo9']As for brushing, I brush then bathe. In theory, the mats swell up and leave a mess to work with when it is time to blowdry. I think it is a personal preference. :D[/quote]

Ah, not so! I, too, used to believe this. I just KNEW that bathing a matted coat would cause it to swell and set the mats tighter and all that. It sounds logical and I believed that for years. It's not true! Ok, I'm talking MATS and not a dog that's encased in a shell (hopefully, no one here would let their dog get in that condition and then I hope no one would try to demat that). Seriously, with the use of decent products and conditioners and a good, STRONG hv to help push the matting away from the skin, I am able to remove mats that would have been much more difficult with a dry, dirty coat. As it turns out, dirt and oil are the enemies which will cause mats to "set." A clean, well conditioned coat "gives" a lot more and there is much, much less damage than dry brushing a dirty coat. The more breakage that occurs when dry brushing, the more problems you will have with matting as broken ends tend to intertwine (there is actually a scientific explanation to all this!). Dry, dirty coat is NOT "elastic", but damp, clean coat is, so when you brush/dry a damp, clean coat, there is less breakage as the coat "gives." Therefore, a coat damaged from breakage will mat more quickly than an "intact" one and it becomes a vicious cycle. Seriously! I am a hard old bird to get to change her mind, but holy balls, the difference it makes is astounding. Also, for routine brushing between baths, every exhibitor I've ever talked with from double coated breeds to Poodles all said that you should mist with water or a weak water/conditioner solution while brushing and NEVER brush a dry coat. Mist, brush, mist, brush each section as you're going along. Again, that whole damaging to dry coat thing. I do this with everything from my full coated Lhasa Apsos to my Poodles and it's much less work with much better results than I ever got from just plain dry brushing.

Just a side note... I don't know if you're familiar with the story of the 70 Collies that were rescued in Montana, but some of them were actually encasted. Very few of them were shaved, but the many that had the coat saved were all dematted AFTER the bath. I know some of the groomers involved in that rescue effort and they performed miracles using that technique.

Then again, nothing is written in stone, so, of course, it's (as mentioned) a matter of personal preference, I'm sure. This does seem like revolutionary stuff to some people who have done the same thing for many, many years.

Sorry to go a bit off topic. Just like Hobbit lives and breathes genetics, I am a sucker for the science concerning coat and skin care and even the chemistry aspect of shampoos and conditioners. It actually IS a science when you learn exactly WHY things work the way they do (like, for example, LATHER in shampoo is just to make you THINK you're getting something clean, but suds are actually useless).

Anyway, I'm in the South, too. It appears to be an early Spring, so perhaps it IS just a seasonal thing. 8)



I just realized... I never explained what carding is to K when she asked... :oops:

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Interesting. I have seen on the televised dog shows people spraying and brushing their dogs, particularly the Pekes and other long haired breeds. I always thought it was hairspray. (It probably is sometimes.)

I can tell you have long researched this topic and you theories "hold water." :) It is worth a try. It isn't like my girl is ever going to sport a real sheltie coat anyway. But who knows, maybe my technique could help. I will try it later this week and let you know how it turns out.

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Pzoo, I may have gotten a bit ahead of myself. These techniques work best when using a very strong dryer. Without having a hv dryer available, I would go ahead and do a thorough pre bath brushout using the spritz/brush method and then bath as planned (unless the dog is absolutely filthy which seems unlikely :lol: ). The main thing I want to avoid is brushing a dog while totally dry.

I'm so glad I can be useful sometimes. :oops:

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