The Learning Curve
I've been trying to learn how to turn my shaggy (but happy being shaggy) little Lizzie into a recognizable Australian Terrier. People stop to ask whether she's a Cairn, a Yorkie, or "look Mom, Toto", everything but the little Aussie that she is. Her incognito status is twofold: Australian Terriers aren't that common a breed, and she hasn't been really professionally groomed since she's been with me (2.5 years). When I first brought her home, she cowered at the sight of a hairbrush. It was obvious to me that grooming had not been a pleasure for her. Instread of forcing the issue, I worked to change her conditioning, making brushing a prerequiste for fun activities - like walks and outings - and offering her a 'good girl' treat everytime she submitted to a quick brushing. Now she wags her tail in anticipation when she sees me bring out her hairbrush.
But, back to grooming. Aussies have a rough overcoat and a thick, soft undercoat. The best way to maintain their coats is to pull -- or strip -- out the dead coat. Clippers shouldn't be used, except on the feet and maybe on backs of her ears to tidy. Aussie's also have a distinctive 'bib' and a 'ruff', and the cutest, tiniest, little cat-like feet, which should be trimmed to show. They are adorable little dogs, and I want her to have "the look".
Lizzie is a master of patience. She knows I adore her, so I have her trust completely, and she has tolerated my attempts to get her trimmed-up very well. I don't have a proper grooming table, so I put her up on an ottoman, spread out pictures from my Aussie calendars and breed books, keep the grooming handbook open and within sight, and give it a go. She stays put, which will give you a feel for the extent of her gentle and tolerant nature. I'm learning to hand-strip, use a stripping knife (I prefer to hand strip) and have also discovered that a haircutting razor gives decent results too. I commandeered my husband's beard trimmer to do her feet!
So, here she is, about 90 percent there. She's not breed-ring perfect, but once I get the coat on her back down a bit more and do a general tidying up, she'll look pretty darn good (at least in my book).
But, back to grooming. Aussies have a rough overcoat and a thick, soft undercoat. The best way to maintain their coats is to pull -- or strip -- out the dead coat. Clippers shouldn't be used, except on the feet and maybe on backs of her ears to tidy. Aussie's also have a distinctive 'bib' and a 'ruff', and the cutest, tiniest, little cat-like feet, which should be trimmed to show. They are adorable little dogs, and I want her to have "the look".
Lizzie is a master of patience. She knows I adore her, so I have her trust completely, and she has tolerated my attempts to get her trimmed-up very well. I don't have a proper grooming table, so I put her up on an ottoman, spread out pictures from my Aussie calendars and breed books, keep the grooming handbook open and within sight, and give it a go. She stays put, which will give you a feel for the extent of her gentle and tolerant nature. I'm learning to hand-strip, use a stripping knife (I prefer to hand strip) and have also discovered that a haircutting razor gives decent results too. I commandeered my husband's beard trimmer to do her feet!
So, here she is, about 90 percent there. She's not breed-ring perfect, but once I get the coat on her back down a bit more and do a general tidying up, she'll look pretty darn good (at least in my book).