Shaving your short haired dog! PLEASE don't do it! (our opinion)

Sigh! We decided to write this as summers are here and bulk of the calls we receive include the ones below:

"mujhe labra ki cutting karini hai"   - I want to get my labrador for a hair cut

"aap pug ka haaircut karte hai" - Do you cut a  pugs  hair

"mujhe st bernard (pronunced st beeeernard) ke bal katne hai , usko bahut garmi lagte hai - I want to cut my St bernards hair as he feels very hot. (We know its 43 degrees out there, were sweating too)

"mere labra ke bal bahut shedz karte hai : My labrador sheds allot? 

We try to explain these dog owners the reason for not cutting their hair as we feel its totally wrong and leads to more skin infections, skin issues, bug bites and skin cancer through exposure though the sun for these dogs.

 WHYYY! do people do it, few of them we come across just seem to have the wrong information and feel that cutting off hair will keep the hair and heat away! Yes the intention are correct as they do care for their dogs but our jobs as groomers is not to fleece people and take their money (because we totally can make more money if we take labradors haircuts ) but to provide them with our opinions so they can make an informed choice. Its SIMPLE: dogs do not sweat like people do to cool themselves,  they pant and they coat does not effect their ability to pant


Few of them when we try to give them our professional advice just don't listen and are super rude and cut the phone! Fair enough if you think you know better and if you think it suits your dog. But after we researched online and having 3 short haired dogs ourselves our strong opinion is totally against cutting of hair in these breeds. It is basically not required and your making it worse for the dog than better. Few vets and few grooming places in Delhi do not even give the pet owners the correct information and simply tell them to shave it off as obviously they make more money. It is very frustrating as vets and groomers should act in the best interest of the dogs but surprise they DONT! (money is obviously what makes the words go around)

Reasons why people want to shave them off:

- HEAT
- HAIR SHEDDING


HOW DOES HAIR HELP THEM:
-Protects them from the heat by acting as a natural insulator (both from harsh cold and heat)
-Protects from the the harsh rays of the sun so more sunburns (would you go to the beach without sunblock)
-Protects them from bug bites, dirt, debris & other natural elements
-They are more prone to skin cancer, heat exhaustion
-If you cut off the hair the shedding won't stop but they will just shed sharper, smaller hair


Breeds in which it is not required to cut off hair at all according to us:
-Labradors
-Pugs
-Beagles
-Boxers
-Dalmatians & other shorter haired coats

Breeds in which we recommend for the summer you have to get a good -UNDERCOAT REMOVAL/DE-SHEDDING treatment and possibly a slight trim on the back (hocks), under the belly (belly patch -so that when they sit on the floor they organs can cool down faster), under the neck and basically just to neaten them up and make their visual appearance tighter.

-German Shepherds
-Golden Retrievers
-Huskies (can do with only a good de-shedding treatment)
-St Bernards & more

In the above dogs what needs to be done is that the undercoat needs to be removed, this dead hair is trapped under and makes them feel hotter. Please do your research before you take such a step and don't hate us for speaking the truth!

Still need proof READ THIS and make an informed choice before heading to the groomers, we are here to help your dogs!

http://petgroomingthegoodthebadthefurry.blogspot.in/2012/03/shaving-shepard.html

http://www.woodhavenlabs.com/grooming.html

http://www.examiner.com/article/to-shave-or-not-to-shave-your-dog-for-summer

http://www.dogforums.com/dog-grooming-forum/27479-groomers-do-you-clip.html

http://allaboutlabradors.blogspot.in/2008/06/shaving-my-labrador-retriever.html

Know your brushes

We often come across people who do not know what sort of brushes exist for their dogs. Pugs are seen often using wide tooth combs, furminators on great danes & many more. While the intentions are correct there is very limited information that dog owners are aware of when it comes to using brushes. We have compiled below a list of brushes to the best of our knowledge , what they look like and what sort of dog breeds they be used on so your dogs hair is always looking lustrous, silky and soft!

Buy online on RedPawsShop.com - http://www.redpawsshop.com/brushes

-SLICKER BRUSH

This brush is most appropriate for longer haired dogs such as poodles, shihtzus & other mixed terrier breeds. This comes in various sizes and the brush looks sort of like needles! Hence it is very important to be careful of not to put too much pressure while brushing as this may lead to brush burns on the dog. The most effective way is to make little scoops out while brushing. It is very important to learn that if this brush is used on poodles, apsos, shih-tzu and other longer haired dogs then care be taken to brush out the hair from the roots out. It will not help simply to brush on the outside as this will just brush the top coat and won't brush the hair insiside whichh is the most problematic as it leads to the formation of matts in the coat.

Thats what a slicker looks ike the ones we use in our spa,  it may look like a torture device to you and possibly the dogs feel the same! But this brush should be your longer haired dogs best friend! So its better to start early to get your dog used to being groomed , reward them after with delicious treat (possibly from our store) so that they associate it with happy time!

The harder the needles on the brush the better it is as it will last longer and help comb out the hair better, they should not be easily bendable BUT bear in mind it is very important to brush gently if done too hard it may lead to bad brush burns that will hurt your dogs skin! If you can please also buy anti tangle products, conditioning sprays etc and spray those before brushing so as to not break & damage the hair while brushing. 

USED FOR:

• Shih Tzu
• Poodles
• Bichon Frise
• Lhasa Apso
• Terrier Mixed Breeds
• Pomerian
• Cocker Spaniels - English and American
• Maltese & other medium to long haired dogs

The ones available in store from Groom master are below:

 Small Size: INR 225/-    Medium Size:  INR 299/-      Large Size: INR 375

Shop online on RedPawsShop.com - http://www.redpawsshop.com/slickerbrush

-WIDE TOOTH COMB

This looks like a comb you can use on your own hair but the only difference is that the teeth are closer together so can then comb out silky hair from longer haired dogs. You may be tempted to use a human one on your dog but it is better to get one from a pet shop (Red Paws..lol!) so that it works well on your pet. This brush again needs to be used from the roots outwards so all the knots & undercoat can be removed properly. It is quite annoying to use this brush on your dog as it takes so loooong but it is really beneficially to keep the coat mat free. Be sure also to use detangling sprays and conditioners so that hair comb out better and don't break. The ones we use at the spa are pictured below.

USED FOR:

• Shih Tzu
• Lhasa Apso
• Terrier Mixed Breeds
• Cocker Spaniels - English and American
• Maltese & other medium to long haired dogs

The ones we have in store are pictured below and are in the price range of INR 275 - INR 350.

- FLEA COMB

The name says it all! The teeth are very very close together to remove those nasty fleas that keep hounding your pooch! This is good to use after a flea and tick bath to help remove the dead bugs from the skin and coat.

These are available in store for INR 300

USED FOR:

All dog breeds suffering from the uninvited guests residing in their coats!  

Shop online on RedPawsShop.com - http://www.redpawsshop.com/comb

-RAKE

This brush is great for dogs that tend to have allot of undercoat and need regular brushing to help remove the excess hair. The undercoat will be all the dead hair and it tends to be very soft to touch. The rake that we use in the spa is pictured below, the double row ones are good for bigger dogs that require have allot of undercoat.

Look at Bagheera below after a simple de-shedding with a rake and a de-shedder. Thats allot of hair removed all by brushing only!

USED FOR:

• St Bernards
• Golden Retrievers
• German Sheperds
• Havanese
• Pekinese
• Pomerians
• Poodles and other breeds that produce allot of undercoat! 

These are the ones available in store for INR 300 - INR 350

Shop online on RedPawsShop.com - http://www.redpawsshop.com/rake


-BRISTLE BRUSH

These brushes are generally used in combination with other brushes for your dog. It is a good brush to use on most breeds but it won't really get the job done, if you know what I mean. Its a good brush for Labs, ShihTzus , Pekinese etc but we never really use it in the spa at all.

Theses are available in store for INR 275 onwards

-RUBBER CURRY BRUSHES & KONG ZOOM GROOM 

These types of rubber brushes are great for short haired dogs and it attracts hair like a magnet! If you did not already read our blog post about these amazing brushes read it here: 

http://redpawspetspa.blogspot.in/2014/03/best-brush-for-your-short-haired-dog.html

As we have already written about the Rubber curry in the post above  we won't be going into the details here. But will talk about another great brush for short haired dogs very similar to the rubber curry - The Kong Zoom Groom. This brush works on the same principle like the rubber curry but it is made of better quality material that lasts longer and it rubber spikes penetrate the coat better and efficiently remove more dead hair from your dogs coat.

This is what they look like:

 

                                                     

 Zoom Groom : Available in store for INR 845

Buy online from RedPawsShop.com - http://www.redpawsshop.com/zoomgroom

We use these in the spa and they work great but after a while the spikes start to wear out due to the friction so you will have to replace it after a while. We have been using the one below for almost 8 months so it has been used on allot of dogs but it is still going strong and we still use in the spa. It is a bit expensive but can be used for a long time and makes for a good investment.

USED FOR:

• Labradors
• Pugs
• Short Haired Chihuahua
• Beagles
• Short Haired Desi/Indian dogs
• Dalmatians
• Daschunds
• Jack Russells
• Basset Hounds
• Boxers
• Great Danes
• Mastiffs
• Rottweiler & many more

If you have any other concerns or want to know more then, please do send us a message and we would be happy to help you out!