Grooming Day

My dogs are well taken care of but one thing I never do is take them to be groomed. With a German Shepherd that isn't really a big deal but with my Bernese Mountain dog I always wondered what could be done with all her hair.

She has a massive undercoat that you can barely even part to see her skin. I never know what to do with it and usually in the summer she gets nasty hot spots because she is burning up. We have figured out how to get rid of them before they become an issue but they still scare me.

Then, one of my best friends from high school moved back to Charlotte. I am so glad she is back- plus she provides me with baby time. Her son is quite possibly the cutest little boy I have ever seen. She is also a really good dog groomer and she offered to help me with Leia's first haircut.

It took her about 4 hours to help my crazy dog. I am so happy with the results! First, she did a de-shedding treatment. If you have a dog with an undercoat I highly recommend this rake she used. (This isn't the exact brand but this is what the blades look like)

I'm telling you this thing is like magic. Furminator's do not work with my dog because her hair is insanely thick but this thing- amazing! Just look at our box- oh- hair!

Then she gave her a bath and proceeded to blow dry her hair while brushing her even more. My dog has never been so fluffy in her life. This part took the longest but I learned quite a bit from it. One being that when you wash your dog at home and then just let her air dry her undercoat becomes matted. That is actually what is causing the hot spots since her skin can't breathe. When you blow dry her out as you brush, her undercoat is not stuck to her skin but instead becomes soft and fluffy. Pre haircut fluffy-ness:

All that hair on her butt area is so thick but it was like velvet after she brushed all of it out. Every summer I butcher her hair to make it short so she isn't hot but this year she gets to keep her pretty hair as long as I keep up with brushing her hair with the special rake once a week!! Lastly, was her real haircut and she is so happy!

I can't thank my friend enough! She did an amazing job on a neurotic dog- who, shockingly did pretty well throughout this marathon of a haircut.

One more tip- ever wonder why your dog doesn't smell like wet dog after going to a grooming salon? Doggy cologne is sprayed on them while they are being "blown out". Who woulda known??

Happy Sunday!