Dog Grooming Hints

As an owner of border collies for over 30 years one of the best characteristics is their ease of care. Unlike a poodle or afghan hound or bichon – all beautiful dogs – the border collie’s grooming needs are minimal. Minimal does not mean non-existant however.

Basic grooming of any dog is needed and the border collie is no different. Learn to keep toenails in proper condition, flea and tick control and an occasional hard “recreational bone” to keep teeth in good condition.

The border collie, due to a working heritage, has several coats available within the breed. A smooth coat is “wash and wear” – sometimes an undercoat will need extra care to pull out when shedding but most of the time this is the easiest of coats to care for. There’s the medium coat or rough coat and beyond that a long coat, with most of these show dogs that sometimes are almost a sheltie coat. These do take extra grooming but most people are not maintaining show dogs.

Regular brushing to keep the coat in condition is all most border collies need. Whether this is weekly, a couple times per month or more often depends on the dog and activity. Many take a dip in a pool or lake and refresh themselves naturally. Regular brushing keeps the coat clear but get your hands on your dog every day. Regularly check his teeth and ears and keep them clean.

This lets you feel and catch problems before they become major issues. This was illustrated last spring when a smooth 3/4 border collie “felt” strange. She acted normal but when petting her it felt like there was “bubble wrap” under her skin, and as a few hours passed she “crinkled” when petted. A trip to the vet first thing in the morning revealed no cuts as ‘normally’ present according to the vet, but what it was diagnosed as was a bacterial infection that could have been life threatening if unchecked. As it was, she was on antibiotics for 10 days tucked in bites of hot dogs and as far as she knew she was just getting extra treats! Hands on is important and this is just one example of it saving in the long run.

This also lets you notice fleas, skin issues and other problems while they are new and easily treated. Because of the ease of care of these dogs regular brushing and trimming nails are the biggest grooming you will have. Do keep a parasite program in place, natural or otherwise and remember border collies can be sensitive to Ivomectin products. If you’ve ever seen a healthy dog drop and go into a seizure you won’t forget it…watch what you treat your border collie with.

The border collie grooming schedule is best done quickly and frequently and doesn’t take a great deal of time but does need done!

My dog Tyke is a Border Collie. Border Collies have a “double coat” consisting of an outer or “guard” coat and an undercoat. Although they should only be given a bath when needed, it’s necessary to have them groomed regularly to keep their coat shiny, smooth and healthy, especially during their winter and summer shedding periods. And yes, as Tyke has two coats, I need two different rakes to groom him!

I like grooming Tyke, not only because spending that extra quality time together strengthens my bond with him, but also because I may discover developing health problems like a tumor sooner rather than later.

Regular grooming is alas often overlooked as an important and necessary aspect of pet ownership that should not be ignored.

You may decide that it’s better to take your pet to a professional who is sure to do it right. A professional groomer will be sensitive to you and your pet’s needs; they are interested in gaining you and your pet’s trust. But because pet grooming is so important, it’s vital that you teach your dog to tolerate it as soon as you take her home so the experience can remain safe and stress free for her.

On the other hand, you may want to start a grooming business yourself. Pet grooming is an alternative pet business opportunity that is widely popular today, as more and more pet owners spend a lot of money to pamper their pets. Dog grooming experience can be gained through apprenticeship, therefore it is wise to spend at least one year gaining experience from a well respected groomer. Anyone interested in becoming a pet groomer should do online research to find out the right steps to take.

Apparently, a new trend that is highly likely to make you successful is opting for door-to-door, mobile pet grooming. Mobile grooming will succeed anywhere pet grooming is needed: you can install all the equipment that you need inside a van, and you simply drive to people’s homes. They don’t need to spend the time or do the effort to drive back and forth, and you don’t need to pay the rent for an office. A perfect win-win situation.

Rewarding though it is, catering to personable, caring people who desire this service, keep in mind that pet grooming is very physical work and requires patience and a strong desire to learn.

Always remember though, running a pet grooming business successfully is about building trust between you and the pet as well as its owner: that can only happen if you care about pets as much as you care about people.

Blue Healer is a very aggressive herding dog, not a friendly and homely type and hence not amenable for grooming casually at homes in the company of children.

ORIGIN:

The blue healer has its origin from Australia. There Blue Healer was bred as a herding dog. This breed, always active and energetic, was a well suited one for herding purposes.

LINEAGE:

Ancestors of this dog include the smooth and speckled collies, terriers, dalmatians, and Australian dingoes (wild dogs).

HEIGHT AND WEIGHT:

The Blue healer breed generally has a height of 17 to 20 inches and weighs around 30 to 35 pounds.

APPEARANCE:

This breed has a double coat- A smooth outer coat and a dense undercoat. The head of this breed is very strong and well-balanced; their bodies are short and stocky. Being used as herding dogs, this breed has very strong muscles.

LIFE EXPECTANCY:

Blue healer is known to have a life span of 12-15 years on an average.

BEHAVIOR AND EXERCISE:

This breed gets bored easily and may become aggressive. This breed is not a good match for children, unless it grew up with the children when it was a puppy. This dog has a habit of nipping at peoples’ heels because of its herding instincts. Being cattle dogs, this breed needs lots of space and is not comfortable in apartments.

Exercise is very important for Blue healers as they were used as herding dogs. This breed needs lots of space; it can’t be contained in a small space. If proper exercise is not given, this breed starts to do some activities by itself, most of which are destructive.

GROOMING NEEDS:

Though Blue healer has a double coat, its coat is small and therefore this breed does not need much grooming. It is enough if its hair is combed occasionally.

HEALTH PROBLEMS:

The most common health problem that comes to this breed is deafness. So, one has to be careful while adopting this dog by checking its hearing ability.

TRAINING:

Having its lineage from wild dogs, firm training must be provided to Blue healer to make it well behaved. As this breed is basically a herding dog, it is not very friendly. This breed is very aggressive with other pets and strangers. So, Blue healer must be taught of socializing skills. We have to train it to reduce its nipping behavior. This may prove difficult because this behavior runs in its genes.

CONCLUSION:

The blue healer is not a good choice for casual homely pets. This is because, as already discussed, the dog is essentially for use in herding by virtue of its aggressive

The rough collie was originally bred as a working dog and is the right breed to get if you are looking for your first dog as they can be quite demanding. These dogs require a reasonable amount of feeding, exercise and grooming.

Characteristics of the Rough Collie

The rough collie is a very elegant breed that wears an intelligent expression on its narrow chiselled head. Rough collies are available in cream and gold stable, tricolour, blue merle with a touch of black and all of these colours will also have a touch of white through the colour. The rough collie has a smooth elegant look to its movements. The rough collie is classed as a medium sized breed. The female rough collies stand to a height of fifty three centimetres and weighs about twenty five kilograms. The male rough collies stand to a height of sixty centimetres and usually weigh about thirty kilograms.

History of The Rough Collie

The rough collie was originally bred as a herding dog and originates from Scotland in the United Kingdom. This breed was originally used as a sheepdog but it has not been used for this purpose for many years now. The rough collie is a part of the working dog group.

Training of the Rough Collie

The rough collie need to be trained in a positive manner due to them having a very sensitive nature. The rough collie is a very intelligent breed so they tend to be relatively easy to train as they learn very quickly.

Temperament of the Rough Collie

The rough collie was originally bred as a working dog. The rough collie breed can be very demanding so it is not a suitable dog for laid-back owners or first time dog owners. Rough collies are usually very friendly and show absolutely no signs of aggression. Rough collies make wonderful pets and household companions especially for children. The only disadvantages of rough collies are that they have a very sensitive nature and they can sometimes be very vocal.

Care of the Rough Collie

Rough collies require a vast amount of grooming due to them having a long bushy coat. The rough collie requires a reasonable amount of exercise and they require a reasonable amount of feeding but they are relatively easy to feed because they are mainly not fussy eaters.

Rough collies can very commonly be affected by skin problems and they need good quality food and regular grooming in order to keep both their skin and their coat healthy. Another important thing to bear in mind is a regular dental routine in order to keep their teeth in good condition.

ORIGIN:

There are actually two types of collies: Rough collie and smooth collie. Both of them descended from the dogs of Scotland. The Rough Collie breed of dog was developed specially for herding. There is a difference of opinion even in experts in the answer to the question: whether the rough and smooth collie belongs to the same breed.

HEIGHT AND WEIGHT:

Height:

Males- 24-26 inches (61-66cm)

Females- 22-24 inches (56-61cm)

Weight:

Males- 60-75 pounds (27-34kg)

Females- 50-65 pounds (23-29kg)

Appearance:

The Rough Collie is a lovely looking long coated sheep dog. Its head is lean and wedge shaped. This gives it a look of lightness. The top of its head has a flat appearance. The face is beautifully chiseled. It has a black nose with well rounded muzzles tapered to it. Its ears are short and erect. Its eyes are in the beautiful shape of almonds. Its neck is well curved and muscular. Its trim muscular body has a good length than height. It has a strong chest that gives the Rough Collie a confident look.

The Rough Collie is mainly distinguished by its coat pattern. The Rough Collie has an abundant Double coat that extends up to its neck. This needs heavy grooming. The Smooth Collie on the other hand has a one inch coat that doesn’t require much grooming. Both the varieties has hair on the head and legs. There are three colors that Rough Collie exhibits: Blue merle, Pale Sable and Black tricolor (A combination of black, edged in tan and blue merle).

LIFE SPAN EXPECTANCY:

14 to 16 years

TEMPERAMENT:

Rough Collie is a highly intelligent dog that is also very friendly, active, loyal and lovable. Being medium sized, they can live quite comfortably in apartments. The Rough Collie is a fast learner owing to its eagerness in learning. This breed also loves human companionship and may become very frustrated and offensive if left without care, love and affection.

Rough Collie breed responds better to a soft hand than a rough hand. By nature their herding instincts make them brave and fearless. When in need, the Rough Collie will rush to the help of its owner. The Rough Collie can easily adapt themselves with other pets without much fuss. As puppies they might nip at people’s heels because of herding instincts. But this problem could be solved if they are taught not to.

EXERCISE:

As a herding dog, the Rough Collie is used to being active, so a minimum of a daily walk is very necessary for the mental and physical health of the Rough Collies. They will love to be unleashed. So, whenever possible, let them roam around free for some time in a safe area.

GROOMING:

The Rough Collie sheds its hair heavily twice a year. The coat needs to be brushed and trimmed regularly to keep it healthy and free of infections.

Overall, Rough Collie is an excellent choice for a pet, for all sorts of people who has some time to spend with their pet.