[ Post a Response | Ripley's Retreat ]
Posted by Greta on 6/24/2008, 8:08 pm, in reply to "Summer cuts...WHY?"
That Nickel's coat is not what a good working Aussie has. It's not functional. It's nothing but a PITA for everyone and I refuse to make either of us put up with it any more. No sane person would breed a coat like this for a dog meant to work in the brush. When he goes out into our field he comes back looking like a soldier camouflaged as an entire tree in "Macbeth." That's after a half hour in a grassy field. I shudder to think what would happen in a rough and ready cattle herding area! If he were born in the wild it's not impossible his coat would have killed him (skin infections from the mats). This coat would not survive natural selection. So, no, I just don't buy "their coats are like that for a reason." The only reason is that breeders choose big fluffy coats for the show ring.
He also hates being groomed, and it's something I've worked on all his life. It makes it very hard to keep him adequately brushed out. By now (he is also nine) his undercoat is SO soft and thick and tightly retained that it mats almost immediately. He's miserable.
Shaving (and I'm not shaving him down to the skin -- there's still plenty of hair there) may not be perfect but it's better than the realistic alternative.
I don't appreciate being called lazy for taking care of my dog's health and comfort the best I can.
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