Shearing my dog
Is it possible to shear a dog?
People shear sheep. At least, that is what I've seen on the Discovery Channel. I don't really know how it is done, but I would like to know if this is a process that can apply to a dog. You don't groom sheep, and what needs to be done to my dog can't really be called grooming either. It is a shearing process of some kind, that much is certain.
Buffy and Willow are my 3-year-old Australian Shepherds. Before you ask, yes, Joss Whedon had something to do with their naming ;). I rescued them from the horrible place a back-yard-breeder had dumped them when they were just a few weeks old. You know the term, "Love of my lif
e"...? That pretty much applies to how I feel about my girls. One of the reasons I believe they are not completely pure bred, other than their unsavory beginning, is the differences in their coats. Where Willow's hair is fine and silky, Buffy had an undercoat that could put a Wooly Mammoth to shame ... if they were still around... and this is where my need for shearing comes in.
So, late last night I made up for my less-than-productive weekend by spending over three hours trying to relieve Buffy of her matted winter coat. Let's just say, I felt like the worst mother in the world when I realized how dense her fur had become. Layers and layers of thick undercoat that felt more like wool came off in piles. Then I bathed her and, I swear, another two coats came off of her. I think she lost ten pounds in fur! She actually looks smaller now! I kept staring at her this morning saying, "Well, you really aren't THAT much bigger than your sister, are you?" And here I was putting the poor thing on a diet.
She is the happiest little Aussie you ever saw now. Keeping in line with my wool analogy, she is frolicking through the yard like a spring lamb :) I know I can never let her undercoat get that full again. Staying warm through the winter is good, but no one needs 6 wool coats on at once and that is about what she had! So, back to my original questions...
Is it possible to shear a dog?
Carrie