Dogsey

Dogs that have coats that are impossible to maintain without unnatural things such as clipping always takes me back to how badly humans have screwed up so many dogs. I don't think ridiculously fluffy or overgrown breeds such as show Chows, show Pekingese who can more or less trip over their coats, or slanted back show Shepherds, or any of those faulty dogs deserve to win. But they do.

Dog shows are often about looks, many breeds have been butchered so that they can barely (or not at all) perform what they were bred for. Many dogs were bred for no real reason to begin with, and many others were bred for reasons that are obsolete now.

Shows are for people who enjoy them.

It was Jackie who said that NOT ME!! I clearly said NONE OF MY GOLDENS OR LABRADORS WERE EVER TRIMMED!!!

Jeez ... YOU PEOPLE

Like you and Jackie I too have a dog whose coat doesn't stop growing. Like your schnautzer Ben matts very easily. He doesn't like being groomed though, so it is an absolute ordeal for him to be de-snaggled, but de-snaggled he has to be.

How GHASTLY giving a husky a lion cut ... some people should not be allowed to own such a gorgeous breed of dog!

There was nothing flippant about my response, Jackie.

I am doubting now that you actually DO know the PWD I am talking about in Devon - are you sure you are not pulling my plonker?

Good post Myra.

I would include my Ben btw, despite the fact he has a bit of extra wolf in him, in your description of an un-natural coat. Hal had a natural wolf coat, Woody had a natural wolf coat, but Tai to a lesser extent and Ben to a whole extent have an un-natural coat such that it badly matts. For a dog who hates to be groomed, that is a bit of a problem, but we manage!

[quote]I am doubting now that you actually DO know the PWD I am talking about in Devon - are you sure you are not pulling[/quote ]

Why ?

Nigredo is a double coated breed. His coat is very, very thick and dense. Despite him being a Labrador cross, it does a very bad job at wicking away water. However, he doesn't shed a lot, which is strange. A mild trim in the summer made him feel a ton better, despite everyone telling me that it would only make him hotter. So funny how people know your dogs better than you do.

I groom him a lot, but admittedly it's done mostly for cosmetic purposes since his coat grows every which direction and I like it to lay down as much as possible. As for the haircuts like you see on the poodles, bald in some places, fluffy in others (looks almost like mange or a skin condition imo)... do as you wish, but to me they are so silly looking.

YES, I know they are not silly to the people who like them, and I didn't say everyone thinks they are, so please don't go off on that...

Like you and Jackie I too have a dog whose coat doesn't stop growing

No you have a dog that has a double coat, with an undercoat that blows ....

The type of coat we are talking about is completely different...

I think she was comparing it as it can mat if not groomed. I don't think Nigredo's coat would mat, I mean he barely sheds. He's said to be lab and great Pyrenees for the most part, but there is likely some light or non shedding mutt in him that I can't see. Jade sheds in clumps a few times a year, but her hair still won't mat, I don't think. Suppose a dog with a very thick coat could mat, even if it sheds.

Jackie, please don't tell me what my dog has ... have you ever met him? No. Do I live with him 24/7? Yes. Ipso facto, I know Ben better than you do.

He does NOT blow his coat ... like a husky or a mal does. He has a tough top coat - not as wiry as a Schnautzer, an Airdale, a PWD etc. etc. - more like very strong human hair, with a soft undercoat. It is the undercoat that mats and goes into knots and tangles if left to its own devices. I remove this gently and precariously with a rake or a wire comb. It is this fine, fluffy undercoat that he constantly sheds all over my house!

His undercoat does NOT blow.

Why is it that when I am misquoted, as I have just been by someone who clearly cannot read, I NEVER RECEIVE AN APOLOGY!! It is intensely irritating, because I am the very first person to own up, apologise and admit that I was wrong if I was.

Once again, just for the record, I did not say that I trimmed my labs or goldens - I actually said JUST THE OPPOSITE!

It is such a shame that people seem unable to read and comprehend ... and also unable to apologise, simply because it is me. God, you people are all so predictable.