Saturday, February 2, 2008

Grooming Disaster - part 1

Our poor little shichon puppy had to get all of his fur cut off! Yes, it is middle of January, and despite my pleading and strictly against my suggestions, my wife took him to the groomers and had him completely shaved.

See for yourself:

Monkey before grooming (see the curly Bichon like coat which kept him warm)




Now after the grooming:



Granted he actually looks like he has legs, but he is COLD! Especially since it dropped to 10 degrees Fahrenheit in Chicago a week after all his fur was gone. Just see how comfortable hi is in this video of him (with his fur) frolicking around in the snow.

Now there were reasons for this. Apparently Shichons (and I suppose other small dogs like the Bichons and Shitzus) need special grooming brushes etc, and his fur was 'rasta' like matted. But more on this in Grooming lessons part 2.

10 comments:

Christy and Randy said...

I ended up finding your page as I was looking up information about Shichons. I got an 11 week old shichon about 2 weeks ago and he is wonderful. I enjoyed your grooming pictures. I haven't taken Buddie to get his first hair cut yet but it will be soon. Thanks for sharing about your dog. I have a blogger account also with some pictures and videos of my wonderful puppy!
www.questionorbelieve.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

Your dog is beautiful.
I also have a Shichon. Do you get his ears plucked? My little guy Teddy(bear) always has an ear problem.
He is only 10 months old. Would love to hear from you.

A Kucharski said...

Thank you for the compliment. Yes, we did have ear problems but we did not get them plucked. Stay tuned i will post something about that.

Anonymous said...

on behalf of your groomer, I have to say you have nothing to complain about! From the picture, the cut is great and if you were educated about dogs at all, you would know that a dogs coat is what regulates their body temperature. So as liong as your dog has SOME hair, it isnt cold!

A Kucharski said...

great! Educate us further, how is this so?

Anonymous said...

I know that Shichons require grooming and they have "saggy skin" to keep them warm. Have fun with your dog! I wouldn't worry too much.

Anonymous said...

I have a 2 year old Teddy Bear Shichon. He is the best dog I have ever had. As far as grooming he has never been shaved, never had his ears plucked (I think it's cruel) and he is the fuzziest little guy ever (although my big guy is 24 lbs). They say his size come from the Bichon. So when they tell you he'll max out at 12 lbs. I wouldn't believe it. I wouldn't trade him for anything. He is my lap warmer all year.

Unknown said...

We're bringing home a Shichon on Saturday, she's 10 weeks and chocolate - I can't wait! It's nice to read how everyone is in love with theirs!

Pam D said...

Please, I need help! My new puppy Beau has kept me up two nights in a row and I am soooo tired:( I know he misses his momma but hope to get some feedback, helpful hints about stopping the crying... I will post pics of him soon, he is soooo adorable. I know now that I should have put him in his cage at night instead of letting him have the whole bathroom. I will cage him tonight and see if that helps. I will also let him sleep beside the bed. Any feedback on this is greatly appreciated. He is a 8 week old shichon.
thanks,
Pam D

A Kucharski said...

Well, the only thing to do about a young puppy who won't stop whining is to be patient and wait it out. Yes, it is heartbreaking and very annoying but it WILL pass. They will get used to their new home and you as the owner.

We did not take our puppy to bed, we kept him locked up and yes, it was very hard, but he is a very happy and social dog now.

I hate to sound cold, buy I did invest in some ear plugs.

Good luck, and it will be all right after a while.