I need some Fur help!

Widabeck · Post by **Widabeck** » Fri Jun 08, 2007 11:08 am

Holly isn't my first chow so I knew the grooming needs of them before I got her.

I feel like I'm drowning in Holly fur!
first I have to almost pin her down to brush her. She was really good as a puppy and loved to br brushed. Recently she really fights me on it and I have to have my husband hold her while I do it. I tried giving her treats to sweeten her up a little bit but it's not working!

We have a few dog groomers by us. Do you think I should just bring her to a groomer to save myself the trouble?

Any tips for keeping her hair fluffy? Her hair is pretty flat, I'm jealous of you guys with the "fluffy chows"

Salandra · Post by **Salandra** » Fri Jun 08, 2007 2:39 pm

Hollyfur!

yup!

I used to give up fast on brushing Jaz, she was way bigger than me and I don't have a hubby to hold her.

My vet told me to get a regular plastic brush, a people brush, and just sit with her on the floor while watching TV. It doesn't do anything really, but it got her used to being brushed. Now, for the most part, I can brush her with the rake, except I still have problems with tail and pantaloons. LOTS of praise and 'good girl brush' and a treat after, helps too.

If she is not afraid of people a groomer might work for you. Jaz is afraid of people and I can't take her to one or she would freak out way too much. Probably hurt herself trying to get away from the groomers.

As for fluffy chows, there's different types of fur. Some have that pretty fluffy fur, and some, like Jasmine, have smooth silky fur - except on her pantaloons, hocks, and mane. It's course and wiry.

cheriekynb · Post by **cheriekynb** » Fri Jun 08, 2007 6:33 pm

YUP, Sid and Jazzy are very similar. I try to brush him every day. I brush him all over but I pick a different spot each time and concentrate the most on that. LOL, I use a regular brush too. Sid's worst area?? His "chops".. He doesn't like it and my groomer told me to put one hand under his belly right on his "parts" and hold him up while I'm brushing his butt. MOST of the time, we just sit on the porch so he can look around and then he will let me brush him for hours!!

I take Sid to a groomer about every 6 weeks. It's time for him to go again. THIS time I am staying so Collen (the groomer) can give me MORE tips and so I can see FIRST HAND if he's being naughty!!

Colleen told me to:
first - brush
second - comb

cheriekynb · Post by **cheriekynb** » Fri Jun 08, 2007 6:48 pm

I forgot, there is ONE more "gadget" I bought RIGHT AWAY.. It's a dematting comb. I love that thing! I use it every day just as if it were a regular comb. It's NOT Sid's favorite but it sure does get out even the smallest of mats.
<a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y20/AK ... ting82.jpg" border="0" alt="Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket"></a>

price?? $6 or $7!!

Layla · Post by **Layla** » Fri Jun 08, 2007 7:34 pm

If she's good with people etc you could try the groomer to get her undercoat 'blown out' That would lessen the fur you're seeing every time you brush right now.

I comb Millie out after I've used the pin brush & undercoat rake on her, that poofs her a little more =)

cheriekynb · Post by **cheriekynb** » Fri Jun 08, 2007 8:05 pm

Millie is DEFINITELY more "poofy" then Sid Vicious.

Little Millie Muppet!!

Layla · Post by **Layla** » Fri Jun 08, 2007 8:09 pm

or the chubby poofster as we call her

cheriekynb · Post by **cheriekynb** » Fri Jun 08, 2007 9:33 pm

Salandra · Post by **Salandra** » Fri Jun 08, 2007 10:07 pm

cheriekynb wrote:YUP, Sid and Jazzy are very similar. I try to brush him every day. I brush him all over but I pick a different spot each time and concentrate the most on that. LOL, I use a regular brush too. Sid's worst area?? His "chops".. He doesn't like it and my groomer told me to put one hand under his belly right on his "parts" and hold him up while I'm brushing his butt. MOST of the time, we just sit on the porch so he can look around and then he will let me brush him for hours!!

I take Sid to a groomer about every 6 weeks. It's time for him to go again. THIS time I am staying so Collen (the groomer) can give me MORE tips and so I can see FIRST HAND if he's being naughty!!

Colleen told me to:
first - brush
second - comb

Ug. I can't even get Jaz to stand still to hold her under the belly! I think I need to get one of those slings that are used to hold horses up when they have a leg injury? Hold her off the ground so she can't run or move around much, and go at it!

I forgot about the comb. Have one but never used it. Maybe I should, especially behind her ears. HA! One more thing to have to hold her still for

cheriekynb · Post by **cheriekynb** » Sat Jun 09, 2007 5:03 pm

Salandra wrote: Ug. I can't even get Jaz to stand still to hold her under the belly! I think I need to get one of those slings that are used to hold horses up when they have a leg injury? Hold her off the ground so she can't run or move around much, and go at it!

I forgot about the comb. Have one but never used it. Maybe I should, especially behind her ears. HA! One more thing to have to hold her still for

SALANDRA!! A sling! What a good idea! LOL.. YAY, it's time to SWING!

sit_by_the_beach · Post by **sit_by_the_beach** » Tue Jun 12, 2007 2:06 pm

Last week we had a heatwave and it's still hot this week. Mikki is dropping her wintercoat. I brush her every day. I use a slicker for the pants and chest and a rake where the fur is soft. The rake doesn't work as well as a furminator, but does a better job than the slicker brush. I could take her to the groomers, but I'd have to drop her off at the groomers once a week. The fur flies off like tumbleweed.

rake

cheriekynb · Post by **cheriekynb** » Tue Jun 12, 2007 5:11 pm

WOW, that's a LOT of fur!! I can't get my "rake" to work. I know USER error!!

sit_by_the_beach · Post by **sit_by_the_beach** » Tue Jun 12, 2007 6:16 pm

Do cold climate chows have a thicker undercoat than chows that live in a more temperate climate? So far I collected two grocery bags of fuzzy tumbleweed kinda fur.....and there will be more.

Karin

Widabeck · Post by **Widabeck** » Wed Jun 13, 2007 7:16 am

Ok that's EXACTLY what holly looks like for the whole 2 hours I brush her. It's insane!!!

Yeah I usually get over a grocery bag full of fur. It's constant and driving my husband crazy!

sit_by_the_beach · Post by **sit_by_the_beach** » Wed Jun 13, 2007 7:51 am

My previous chow Luna, was a large female 60 pound chow. Her undercoat and topcoat were thicker, coarse. The undercoat would just sit there for me to pull out. She didn't have this tumbleweed, fly away fur like Mikki. Exept for the chest and bum area, Mikki's fur is silky, which in itself is kinda nice, she's one silky fluff ball. But the grooming for the next two weeks is a chore. I don't mind, part of the fun owning a dog.

Karin

Widabeck · Post by **Widabeck** » Wed Jun 13, 2007 7:55 am

two weeks?!?!?!?

I've been having this hair problem for the last month and a half!

It's like it's never ending. I've brushed so much hair out of her I can't believe she still has anything to shed! Her coat looks pretty rough right now because she's lost so much fur!

sit_by_the_beach · Post by **sit_by_the_beach** » Wed Jun 13, 2007 7:59 am

Your summer arrives earlier. Here, the cold weather is earlier too. By mid Sept. she'll have a full undercoat already.
Karin

Widabeck · Post by **Widabeck** » Wed Jun 13, 2007 8:02 am

I'm just going nuts will all this fur! It never ends!

None of my other chows I had ever were this bad in the summer. I'm praying it's only because she's losing puppy fur too.

Salandra · Post by **Salandra** » Wed Jun 13, 2007 11:56 am

I don't know if its losing the puppy fur too. I went through that last year with Jaz, puppy fur and blowing the winter coat. Nope. Once she started this summer, it's about the same. She has 3 different kinds of fur.

The top is a silky flat hair that lays nicely along her back and upper sides. That undercoat comes off in flyaway fluffy sheets.

Then she has the fuzzy poofy fur under on her lower sides, hips and belly. That fur comes off in big clumps, and I can sit and just pull it out although she doesn't like that much and sometimes snaps at me for doing it.

Then she has her chops, rump, and mane, that are stringy and course. IF she lets me brush them the fur comes out in long bushy strings.

I have filled more than 1 grocery bag and she's not done yet! I'd love to be able to take her to a groomer, but she'd eat them.

Salandra · Post by **Salandra** » Wed Jun 13, 2007 12:03 pm

Oh. Peanut is worse. She has short hair, that comes out in big tufts. Her fur flys all over the place and is very hard to control. Pet her and it's like you've ripped all her hair out. The places I've gotten to you can see skin through the hair its so thin! When she lays on the floor and gets up, there's another dog laying there.
She hates being brushed, but will tolerate it better than Jaz does, at least for a while. She minds, stands still when I tell her to. But if I let go of her she runs like the wind and hides from me.

sit_by_the_beach · Post by **sit_by_the_beach** » Wed Jun 13, 2007 1:47 pm

That first summer with Luna was some experience, back in 1997. I brushed and brushed and brushed. I had no idea about chow's fur. Finally when it came down to the bare skin, I took her to the vet. He laughed, only normal for a chow to become almost bald. It all grew back and she always had a beautiful winter coat.

Karin

vicster605 · Post by **vicster605** » Sat Jun 23, 2007 8:32 pm

My first summer with Kearra was this year, and Karin, you are so right an experience

Kearra has finally lost her baby coat and you can almost see thru her hair. Nothing left but long black kinda course silky shiney hair. I thought for sure one more rake full and POOF she would be gone

And she was soooo itchy

So when they grow back their winter coat do they just grow back the undercoat???
Should be great fun, with 2 next year

cheriekynb · Post by **cheriekynb** » Sat Jun 23, 2007 9:13 pm

Oh NOW I don't feel so bad! I thought it was just me causing Sid's fur to get so thin!! Today while I was brushing him it was coming out in a flurry of fur! This really fine like baby hair stuff. He's getting so much easier to brush though.

sit_by_the_beach · Post by **sit_by_the_beach** » Sun Jun 24, 2007 7:27 am

I sprayed Mikki's fur (what's left of it) using a spray water bottle. I found it frustrating that I was covered with this dandilion fly away fur. Mikki hates the spray bottle. Her belly is shaven due to the spay surgery. She's a skinny chow now. The fur around her collar has a reddish tinge. Her now trimmed pantaloons and chest are gray. The black beauty is now multi coloured. This is my first black chow. My previous chow was a reddish blonde.

I know come early October, all her fur will be back. I bought her in Oct. 2006.

Karin

cheriekynb · Post by **cheriekynb** » Sun Jun 24, 2007 9:50 am

sit_by_the_beach wrote:I sprayed Mikki's fur (what's left of it) using a spray water bottle. I found it frustrating that I was covered with this dandilion fly away fur. Mikki hates the spray bottle. Her belly is shaven due to the spay surgery. She's a skinny chow now. The fur around her collar has a reddish tinge. Her now trimmed pantaloons and chest are gray. The black beauty is now multi coloured. This is my first black chow. My previous chow was a reddish blonde.

I know come early October, all her fur will be back. I bought her in Oct. 2006.

Karin

Karin, that's a great idea! And that's EXACTLY how Sid's is, what a great description! DANDELION fly away fur!!! Sid is my first black Chow too! I have always been told that Black Chows were more aggressive

whatever! Lucy, my Cinn Chow was more aggressive then Sid!!
Sid's chest has this rusty red tone to it too! WHERE'S THE CLAROL?? HAHAHA, just kidding!!