Yes.

Is that a horrible thing?

Not to me.

I love brushing my dogs, almost every day. Learning to show my dogs taught me about the importance of daily brushing and regular washing to their health and beauty. Training my dogs with positive reinforcement, to enjoy being on the grooming table, being brushed and having their nails trimmed, has brought so many other benefits. Here are a few.

• My dogs’ coats look fantastic. (Excellent diet helps here too) I spray water mixed with a bit of conditioner on their coats first. I associated ‘being sprayed’ with lots of treats, gradually over time. I am always mindful of their eyes and their heads. If you have ever been advised to use a spray bottle as a punishment for a behaviour, you will have a bit more work to do, rebuilding trust.

• It’s pleasant and it builds trust and love between the two of you.

• The fur gets removed from the dog before it gets spread around your house.

• Grooming prepares the dog for similar ‘table’ like experiences, like vet exams. Vet tables are often slippery metal surfaces so I bring my own bit of non slip matting.

• Brushing takes very little time, once you’ve got the area and equipment set up and you’ve trained your dog to love it.

• I still vacuum. No big deal. I have to (reluctantly) vacuum anyway.

Back to Schipperkes…
Mine shed their whole coats, over two or three weeks, and then take another three weeks to grow it all in again. Ruby starts at the rear and works forward. Her undercoat comes out first, followed by her longer outer coat. Different Schips may do it differently. Intact dogs shed differently from neutered ones. Ruby sheds about twice a year.

If you don’t love grooming as much as you might, you can know that it won’t last forever.

My experience with my Schipperkes, is that even ‘au natural’, (meaning without bathing them) they always smell beautiful. But if they’ve rolled in something noxious smelling, that calls for an emergency bath.

Some people use dog fur to spin wool. Collect your fur and send it to a spinner weaver. 🙂