Most doggie haircut places don't want to stress the dog too much on her first visit to the groomers, so I can understand why they wanted to shave/buzz her short. Actually, I think that was good of them to tell your little brother that. Getting used to grooming is a gradual and not easy thing, even if you take your dog to a professional groomer. Grooming isn't some awesome magical thing that happens after you drop your pup off - dogs need to learn to be calm during the process, not scared or agitated or angry because of previous negative or painful experiences.
IMO, you may as well go ahead and get her the buzz cut now. If you want her hair to grow long in the future, she will have to learn to enjoy grooming. And if you force her to endure a super-long and uncomfortable detangling of so many matts in her hair now, she will not be getting off to a good start with learning to enjoy being groomed. After her hair is cut short, you should start a very frequent schedule of gradually grooming her more and more yourself each time - several times a week or maybe even once or more a day, depending on how long you actually want her hair to grow. Dogs can learn to enjoy their grooming, but it takes a lot of patience and praise and treats and being gradually introduced to the concept in a very positive way.
Personally, I keep my pup's hair cut very short - we live in a very warm desert climate, and I know that I honestly don't have it in me to groom a dog every day. But if you can make a commitment like that, then it's definitely good to start slowly, and help teach your girl that grooming is an enjoyable activity.
Lauren & Nikko |