# Grooming a Collie



## melrcomp (May 21, 2011)

Hello,
I've been reading the threads today, and I thought I would register and see if anyone had any advice. I have a rough collie. I got her when she was a puppy(an older puppy) and I *think* they shaved her, my vet mistook her for a smooth. Her fur, especially on the back of her legs, is very difficult to comb. It seems five times thicker than a collie I had when I was younger. She got matted back there before and I had to cut most of it out, I just don't want it to happen again. Is there something that I need or need to be doing? I've bought a comb, brush, furminator and a rake. I also bought some pet detangler which seems to be working. But she has curly hair on her back and the hair on the back of her legs looks like it was crimped (that's the best way I can think to describe it) I attached a couple of photos, not sure if that'll help. Any advice is appreciated. Thank you!


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## mom24doggies (Mar 25, 2011)

Looks to me like she's packed with undercoat....that's the "matting" you're encountering. It sounds like you have all the right equipment except for a high velocity dryer. I can't stress how necessary those are for the double-coated breeds with heavy undercoats like collies! Here's what my grooming schedule would look like for a rough coated collie:

A) I would thoroughly line brush her with a slicker brush at least once a week, (more is always better!) more often in the shedding seasons. Once you've thoroughly brushed out all the loose undercoat, go back over her with a wide-toothed comb to make sure you got out all the loose coat/mats. Not only will brushing her regularly make her look better, it will keep her cooler. 

B) I'd bathe/blow dry her once every 4-6 weeks. Use a good quality shampoo (usually a good protein shampoo is sufficient for a dog in normal condition.) and condtioner. Actually, there is a Furminator brand of conditioner that, while a little pricey, works great. It helps loosen all the dead undercoat so that it blows/brushes out easily. After you've bathed/conditioned/rinsed rinsed rinsed (can't stress that enough! Especially if you use the Furminator conditioner...that stuff tends to not want to rinse out. Diluting it helps.) blow dry her thoroughly, making double sure you get out all the loose undercoat. After the blow dry, brush and comb her again. As an optional step, you can also trim up her feet and lightly trim her pants/ruff to make them more rounded, but you don't have to. 

Here is the high velocity dryer I own and used when I was working for Petsmart. It's awesome!!  Metro Air Force Master Blaster Again, it's a little pricey (I got mine off another website that was a little cheaper..I ended up saving about $40, I think.) but it will last you forever! Just make sure you blow dry your girl outside, because everything will end up covered in hair.  

And I wouldn't worry about the curly hair....it's probably just from her coat getting damp and air drying. I've observed that some collies have that naturally, too....it'll straighten out some with blow drying. HTH! And hopefully some other people will chime in with what works for them, too....I'm sure I missed something!


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## Tankstar (Dec 30, 2006)

id seriously take her to a groomer. she looks like she is full of undercoat. A good grooming with a bath and blow out with a HV dryer will help alot. espeacially with the up cominf heat
a furminator is pretty useless on a collie.

a slicker brush, a grey hound comb and undercoat rake are best fits for this breeds.


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## melrcomp (May 21, 2011)

Thank you, I appreciate the help. Those photos are older, so she's not that bad, I just posted them to try and show the back. This one is from last summer, so I got most of the undercoat out. Just didn't know if there was something I could do for the back of her legs. Thank you again. Er.. I don't see a post image, except for the URL.


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## melrcomp (May 21, 2011)

Ah ha! found it. :clap2:


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## Graco22 (Jul 16, 2007)

Her coat does not indicate she has ever been shaved. However, many times owners will request the "pants" area that you speak of be shaved or cut shorter and that could have been done on her. Can't see that coat in the photos. Are you using a grooming/detangling spray when you brush and comb? I like silicone based products for this breed. Show Sheen is my favorite. Light mist, then brush, then comb. A little bit goes a long way. Also helps to be brushing and combing on a CLEAN dog. The coat will come out much easier if she is freshly bathed and blow dried.


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## amberly (Feb 6, 2011)

The rear end in a lot of cases do get matted up without constant regular brushing. This sit on their rump ect. Its also naturally courser on a lot of collies. Like someone else has said the furminator is a useless tool on a rough coated collie. Youd want the rake slicker and greyhound comb. if shes pretty bad maybe you should take her to the groomers. they can also do a good job at tidying up the feet if they are over grown for you. and then it'll make it much easier to maintain after you get a full groom and keep up with it from there. but the rear end on a lot of dogs with an undercoat and somtimes stomachs can be a lot courser than the top half of the body. so i'm sure that is pretty normal. but pretty much everyone gave some good advise. but if you don't want to rough it out you can always have a groomer do it this time and just work on it from there. and after the groom is finished he/she can show you the proper way of brushing ect to make it easier for you. i like showing ppl tips because its nice to know they would hopefully continue the grooming at home.


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