SCARED of Zachary's First Haircut
 

***SORRY FOR DOUBLE POST***MEANT TO START NEW THREAD (Senior Moment)***

Well, I have been looking forward to June 29th when Zachary will get his first haircut. I had to wait over 3 weeks for an appointment with what I understand is the best groomer in NW Houston but I love my little guy and want the best for him.

Now, as the day is rapidly approaching, I am SCARED TO DEATH!! :eek: First, I have to say I am comfortable about where I am taking him. Lots of first hand recommendations plus my vet's receptionist saying it is a great place and a lot of their clients take their dogs there with excellent results.

I am most scared of leaving my Zachary even if it is just for a few hours. He has never been away from us since we got him. :( I have faithfully bathed, brushed, shaved ears, blown dry and kept him mat free to make the professional grooming easier for him. But he is my BABY and I KNOW he will be scared.

I also know that once they cut off all that black puppy fur, he will be mainly blue. The cute little shaggy puppy look will be GONE and he will not look the same ever again. I plan to keep his face like it is now but shorter. His beard and mustashe mat so easily, it has to be shorter.

He also has a ton of clothes that he cannot wear. Even an hour or so and his fur is so matted I can't get a comb through it. I want him to wear clothes.

I am not sure what a "cotton coat" is but Zachary's fur parts down the middle of his back and is straight and silky. Due to the mats he had when we got him, some of his fur is very thin due to us having to trim a lot to get rid of them. I think I will just tell the groomer to try and get his body hair even so it all grows back the same but I think that will require going from about 1 1/2"-2" of his longest fur going down to about 1" or less.

WHAT TO DO!!!!!!!!! I know the fur will grow back and I HATE having to comb out those horrid mats every day. This is the FIRST dog I have had that had to be groomed (I did my Hairless Chinese Crested myself).

Oh boy.....this is not easy is it.

Louise :confused:

Louise, you're an ol scaredy cat ! :D :D

But who am I to talk, I'm not sure if it's my laziness, or, the way we do it here, that gets me to keep my two guys pretty shortly cut, year round.

I KNOW how nice long silky hair can be, and my guys can do that, but I take mine out along the Bayou close to the house, and let them hunt and catch themselves a little raw (frogs and an occasional snake).

My two are really little water bugs, and will jump in to the Bayou after a frog in a heartbeat. IF I didn't keep them trimmed short, I'd be pulling out as much of my hair, as I had to cut off them because of the mats. At least they have some to cut.

Actually, I keep them short because of the heat. As you know, we're running up toward and occasionally over 100° now a days, and my two are out in the back yard (voluntarily) quite frequently (I have a Doggy Door).

As far as the separation, don't worry, from what I read in your Post, that Dog will NEVER forget you ;)

Oh by the way, please come back and say how the Grooming worked out, I'm actually looking for a change for my two. If you don't want to say any names out in public post like this, please PM me.

Be brave, bite your lip, and endure the few hours away from your little dear as best you can. :thumbup: :D

Awww, 1st grooming
 

I get all my Yorkies a "puppy cut." My Mom let her Yorkies' hair grow long but it's too much work for me. I was very afraid to let my first baby go to the groomers. I didn't want to leave him either. But I did. Turned out he behaved beautifully, once I left. Also, place was highly recommended as yours was, and when we walked in the door, the lady started talking to Lucky and he went right to her. That made it easier too. Good luck! The first one is the most difficult. I hope it goes well and that you are worried for nothing.

I have researched on the Internet a TON of groomers on the NW side of town and this is the only one that has NOTHING negative about it. I guess having to wait 3 weeks is a good sign since all the others I inquired about could get me in the same week, right?!?!?!?!

Separation anxiety. Never dreamed I would be going through it with a DOG!! Wasn't like that with my kids, was actually a relief when they started school if you know what I mean.

I will definately let you know what happens. My vet's receptionist said you can't even tell it is the same dog sometimes after they visit there! I am mainly concerned about comfort and safety. I have heard too many horror stories about some of the grooming places.

Louise

I have been doing "home grooming" since we got Zachary, bathing, shaving ears, combing, blowing him dry, cleaning his ears, etc. since we got him not only to keep him looking good but to get him used to grooming itself. I read so often in the forums that their dogs are terrified of the groomer and I suspect a lot of the time it is because they have never been exposed to that type of thing.

I will go puppy cut I am sure. I just hate the thought of his little puppy self looking different, no more baby Zachary....sniff....sniff....

Louise

Tomorrow is the BIG day.....trying to relax here. At least, I am comfortable with where I am taking him.

Louise

Louise,

Let us know how it goes and post a picture, if you can. I have my fingers crossed he doesn't mind much. You were smart to get him used to being bathed and combed.

Pic of Zachary's New Haircut
 

Here's my baby with his new haircut. I got to use his little t-shirt last night to sleep in and no mats this AM. My DH was glad I got to use something I bought instead of just putting it in his little clothes bag.

I love his cut and will most likely keep it short .

Louise :animal-pa:animal-pa:animal-pa:animal-pa

Aww, so cute
 

He looks so cute with his new haircut. I hope he tolerated it well. I bet you and he will like having it short. Thanks for the picture.

soooo cute. I keep both of my boys hair short especially during the summer months. they both seem so much happier.

I was just wondering what shampoo and conditioner you use on Zachary. You describe a silky coat but they don't usually mat that easily. Maybe what you are using is not conditioning enough for him?

Strangest thing, since I got him groomed, his hair is no longer straight but is more cotton like. I SWARE it was straight as a stick before he was groomed or it was on his back anyhow.

Can their coat texture change like that?

Louise

It is possible that they cut off the remaining puppy coat and you are now dealing with his adult coat. Sometimes the puppy coat can be very fine while the adult coat is a bit thicker. I do see some curl in his new pictures so you are probably right that he may have a cotton coat. He looks adorable anyway. From what I have heard about cotton coats you are going to need a really good conditioner and a conditioning spray to keep him from matting easily.

They did cut off a lot of his coat for sure. I didn't realize the texture of their hair could change! I expected his black hair to be gone but the texture surprised me.

I have 3 different brands of shampoo/conditioner/combing sprays.....the Yorkie Splash and Shine, Isle of Dogs and Chris Christensen (sorry if my spelling is wrong) and found the latter, a four step treatment to work best but that may not be the case now. I have huge bottles of each one so I am set regardless.

Louise

Oh, that's right! I remember you did get the starter kit of the CC products at first. Gracie does fine with the YSS products but I really want to try the CC products just because I have heard such great things about them.
Gracie's fur didn't change that much from her puppy coat. The hair shaft it's self is a bit thicker and stronger but she has a silky coat. It sounds like you are all set to deal with Zachary's coat now. With the puppy coat gone you will only be dealing with one kind of fur and you have some of the best products.:)