Grooming tips...

Nudibranch

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Just an excited post really, but it's been nearly 12 years since we had a puppy in the house. Having lost the little dog recently, I viewed and put down a deposit on a gorgeous sable/white rough collie. She comes to us on 22nd August. I'm refreshing my memory with a stack of books.

Anyway, much as I love their coats, I'm not a fan of the very bouffant showy look, and much prefer sleeker (American type??) hair. I know they only need a weekly groom but I'm hoping to be able to rake and brush more often to remove some undercoat and achieve a smoother look, and of course have less loose hair around the house. Any grooming tips - technique, tools, sprays, etc??
 

CorvusCorax

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I'm not a collie person, but I put my hands through a dog's coat every day or every other day, only takes a couple of minutes, activates the glands, helps you check for lumps, bumps and parasites and helps improve your bond with the dog.
I use a rake, comb, dandy brush and a mitt for normal grooming, depending on the need. I personally would not use a Furminator.
 

skinnydipper

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I had a Rough Collie, Joe. I found brushes and rakes ineffective. I groomed him daily with a comb that way you get down to skin. If necessary part the hair and do a section at a time. I never used sprays.

I too don’t like the bouffant look.
I would post a photo but hard drive has failed😪 and I don’t have a photo on phone.

If you do a search on this forum for Joe or Joseph you should find his photo - blue merle. That coat was achieved with daily combing. It didn’t take much time.

I think they appreciate being able to feel the breeze through their hair and he never needed to go to a groomer.

It’s easy enough to trim the feathering on and under paws to avoid collecting mud and snow and remember to check for grass seeds between toes as they can be a nuisance - an eye brow comb comes in handy for that.
 
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skinnydipper

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Are rough collies a hand strip breed?
That could explain the sleeker appearance of some.

Definitely not.

Keeping on top of combing out the undercoat - which is like cotton wool - is key. They also have delicate skin which would not stand up to harsh treatment.

See my post on the “belly clip” thread in January. There is a picture of Joe with the breeze ruffling his coat.
 
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skinnydipper

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I am looking forward to seeing photos of your new puppy who I am sure will be delightful. They are an intelligent, sensitive and very loyal breed. I hope you have many happy years together.
 

FinnBobs

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Aw congrats on getting a collie puppy! how is she doing?

Neutering can change the coat in the Rough Collie. My bitch is spayed and she has a very thick but very fine haired candy floss like bouffant coat but my un-castrated dog has a much flatter and straighter coat with thicker more 'dog like' hair which flows downwards nicely. He is a far sleeker looking dog than she is! You can sort of see the difference in the below pics.

Denman brushes are amazing by the way. Jerry's breeder recommended them and they work really well on both coat types :)

Jerry.jpg

Twink.jpg
 

Nudibranch

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Wow, what a difference! Both gorgeous though. I'm planning not to spay for that reason...

She has settled in amazingly well. Didn't cry at night at all and was dry at night from day 1 also. She's so far the perfect pup - sensible, calm, sociable and loves kids. We are meeting as many people as we can now, and she's been introduced to 4 vaccinated adult dogs, which was all very positive. She just takes everything in her stride. Looking forward to second vaccs so we can start going for little walks - she's surprisingly heavy for a 9 week old.

So glad we chose a collie!
 

dogatemysalad

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Aw congrats on getting a collie puppy! how is she doing?

Neutering can change the coat in the Rough Collie. My bitch is spayed and she has a very thick but very fine haired candy floss like bouffant coat but my un-castrated dog has a much flatter and straighter coat with thicker more 'dog like' hair which flows downwards nicely. He is a far sleeker looking dog than she is! You can sort of see the difference in the below pics.

Denman brushes are amazing by the way. Jerry's breeder recommended them and they work really well on both coat types :)

View attachment 35969

View attachment 35970

Your two are stunning. I need some tips from you. My Rough collie isn't as well groomed as yours. I'm tempted to get husband to make me one of those grooming sling thingys so I can do her back legs and neck more thoroughly. Agree about Denman brushes.
The good news is that my girl can get really muddy but once dry, her coat brushes off easily and she looks fine.
 

splashgirl45

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Wow, what a difference! Both gorgeous though. I'm planning not to spay for that reason...

She has settled in amazingly well. Didn't cry at night at all and was dry at night from day 1 also. She's so far the perfect pup - sensible, calm, sociable and loves kids. We are meeting as many people as we can now, and she's been introduced to 4 vaccinated adult dogs, which was all very positive. She just takes everything in her stride. Looking forward to second vaccs so we can start going for little walks - she's surprisingly heavy for a 9 week old.

So glad we chose a collie!


Pics please, she doesnt exist if we dont have piccies.....:)
 

FinnBobs

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Your two are stunning. I need some tips from you. My Rough collie isn't as well groomed as yours. I'm tempted to get husband to make me one of those grooming sling thingys so I can do her back legs and neck more thoroughly. Agree about Denman brushes.
The good news is that my girl can get really muddy but once dry, her coat brushes off easily and she looks fine.

Thanks :) well the thing is I do actually cheat a little by getting them professionally groomed every 8 weeks because my Hubby likes this to be done, it isn't a necessity though. I can get a really good result myself by spraying them first with a conditioner spray then brushing through the hair in sections, lifting it so it lies in the wrong direction then brushing back down all over the body. I don't have a table at the moment so I ask them to lie down to get the underneath parts done. I then finish gently with a slicker brush. They just get a really thorough go over once a week and then a quick go over before we go out to somewhere like the Pub (Hubby again haha) but not before a walk. I find that keeps their coats in order. According to those who show them the only areas you trim are the back of the hind legs, the paws and pads to get rid of the 'slippers' and thin the hair behind their ears with a thinning comb and that's it.

The mud drying and brushing off easy is a very good thing! luckily my grey is the same :D
 

oldie48

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She is just gorgeous! I don't have a rough haired collie but our BT has to hand stripped to keep him tidy. My secret weapon is cheese croutons! He nibbles at a cheese crouton in my left hand whilst my right hands does the stripping. He's not a huge fan of being stripped despite me trying to get him used to it from being a puppy but the crouton keeps his teeth busy and makes it tolerable for him!
 

Moobli

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She’s beautiful! I hope you have great fun together. I walked a couple of rough collies as a child and of course loved Lassie and always had a hankering for one. After having two longcoated shepherds though I won’t be having any more very hairy dogs 😂. A FB friend has two amazing working rough collies who are awesome!
 
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