Borzoi help

[suzy6469]

Ok so a friend of mine just called and is bring her 9month old Borzoi in Saturday for her first grooming. I've never had my hands on one before so I got out my notes and have been reading up on them. My question is she wants her shaved down because she's so thick on her back and shedding so much , i know that you are just suppose to bath and brush these dogs out and i hope I can talk her into that. What I want to know is will hand stripping or using the coat king on her back help lay her back coat down.

Of those of you who groom these dogs please help.
Don't want to shave this dog down when right know she's in full coat.

Thanks in advance.

[Poodleluv]

Hope this helps!

If you do not want to clipper her coat here are a few tricks I have found to help make a bedhead neaten up nicely, Sometimes I card out all the dead,and excess coat with the coat kings before the bath. Gently slicker,and use a little coat dressing to flatten the coat while drying. If you have a good big pair of "chunkers" they are great for whisking around evening up strays. and can also be used scissor over comb to layer trim that awkward topline area.to a length and evenness that can be very nice! Good luck. A good Borzoi grooming tip I heard once was to make sure not to let them jump down off a table even quite low,as I have heard of a groomer who had to pay a huge vet bill,these dogs are very deep chested,and the jump down after his groom casued a torsion or bloat.There is a dog on my e-groomer page called Happy who I groomed doing just this method. Although he is no Borzoi,he sure had a lot of crazy,wavy coat to neaten up!

[edderland]

The coat is not supposed to lay down; it is supposed to curl or wave upward, it is blow dryed forward and upward, to stand off and away.
She is in for a lifetime of big shedding; ask her why she selected a borzoi? I have never in 45 years grooming seen one shaved down; they aren't that hard to keep brushed out, regular bath and blowdry and brushed every other day with a pin brush will minimize shedding.
Deidre

[Poodleluv]

The coat is not supposed to lay down; it is supposed to curl or wave upward, it is blow dryed forward and upward, to stand off and away.
She is in for a lifetime of big shedding; ask her why she selected a borzoi? I have never in 45 years grooming seen one shaved down; they aren't that hard to keep brushed out, regular bath and blowdry and brushed every other day with a pin brush will minimize shedding.
Deidre

Since the dog is a pet,maybe she could compromise and just scissor her up a bit if it would make the mom happy. I hope the owner doesn't want it shaved either, it would really change the look of her breed. Sometimes people want very untypical grooms done. Sometimes a compromise will make everyone happy.

[borzoimom]

Edderland is right, the coat is not supposed to lay flat. It is dried in the opposite direction and fluffs up beautifully forward. If her borzoi is neutered, the coat will always be thick, wooly, and shed heavily. These dogs do shed, if she can't take shedding she should have never chosen the breed. Once my last champion was retired, I thought I would clip him shorter to help with keeping the coat under control. I used a 1/2" comb and it looked terrible!!! She will regret having him shaved and it takes a LONG time to grow back.

[suzy6469]

Thanks

I guess I should have included a disclaimer to my first post that my friend is a great pet owner, she knew that this dog would come with a lot of shedding but she is not a groomer and like so many pet owners thinks that shaving a dog equals no shedding. She will go with my recommendations what I was worried about is the fact that I've never groomed a Borzoi before and needed some guidance on how to best help with the shedding and leave Sophie looking her best. All the advice you all have given is great and I look forward to working with this dog.

[flemishr2cool]

the 2 I groom are very sensitive to brushing which I learned is pretty common among borzoi's. I use a rubber brush while they are wet to remove a lot of the shedding hair, and carefully force dry and use a comb over the backend and neck to remove the bulk of the shedding fur there. Grooming every 4 weeks will help keep the shedding at bay as well. I couldn't imagine shaving them, I don't think they would look very attractive shaved, I imagine they would be a little like a greyhound but as they are growing out? probably not a good look. I use a thinners around the ears for a finished look and scissor the rest of the body for a more finished look but otherwise I leave them as is. I think when they are well bathed and dried and brushed out they have luxurious coat and they look so good, they don't look "shaggy" at all. And I can really tell the difference before and after the groom.

[Daffodil7]

Hello. We have two rescue male Borzoi. One has a thinner, softer coat and the other a 'sheep-like' thick curly coat. Our ex-dog groomer did cut the thick coat short and he looked fine. The coat is so thick it tends to get in the way, especially in the summer. We trim the coat, taking off the long, floaty, superfluous hairs. But our groomer has moved and we have sourced one with a 'walk-in' shower like bath. We, also, were worried about our large dog being 'jumped' or, heaven forbid, lifted in and out of a bath. He is 39 kilos and when wet would be almost impossible to handle. We do have trouble with the thicker coat, especially around the back quarters, under the back legs. He seems very sensitive in those areas, and growls softly when we arrive there. We have them both groomed when they look a little 'raggy' and we consider that it is time to give them a deep clean. However, we don't like to wash too often as we feel that dogs coats, like any other animal, have their own protection and natural oils which tends to be stripped by washing. We do brush every couple of days and, because they are raw feeders, and enjoy a meaty bone, we use wipes to clean their front legs where they have held the bones. We do intend, in the warmer summer months, to invest in a walk-in dog bath in the garden and try to wash them ourselves. They are lovely, kind and funny dogs, not to mention their beauty, and we would like to treat them with the respect and attention that they give us. Any good cleaner tips would be welcome. We are always learning.