# My Dog Needs Rogaine -- Any Tips to Stimulate Hair Growth?



## Thracian (Dec 24, 2008)

I think this is officially the weirdest question I've ever posted.

Clayton is the victim of an unfortunate grooming. The short version is that I took him to the groomer on Friday, they showed me several hair-length options, and I picked one that was more than half an inch long. When I picked him up, he had 1/8 inch left. You can see his skin. 










Anyway, there's nothing to be done now (except not return to this groomer), except wait for it to grow back. Luckily, it does grow quickly. However, I was planning to get his picture taken in a week at a fundraiser at my local humane society. I'd like his hair to be a bit longer for that. I know this is a long shot, but does anyone know of an _safe_ herbal supplement or massage technique that can encourage hair growth? 

I don't expect miracles, but I would like for his skin to be covered. Ideas?


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## LilMissSunshine (Nov 1, 2008)

The SAME thing happened to my moms bichon. She wrote that he needed a trim, they lost her note, thought he was a fat boodle and gave him a really short poodle cut. It was horrible! 

As for making it grow faster, i dunno. but maybe add some accesories to him. a cute shirt maybe? a bandana? 

If his hair is that short, the only thing that would concern me is that the flash of the picture might make him look pink lol


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## Binkalette (Dec 16, 2008)

Well, I've read that clean hair grows faster on dogs, but I don't know if it's true, and it's probably too short of a time for it to have any effect.


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## Graco22 (Jul 16, 2007)

Looking at the picture of your dog, I would say they did a 3 or 4 blade on him, which leaves the hair about 1/4 to half inch long, depending on the coat. Your dogs is much longer than 1/8 inch.  His face is 1/8 inch long though. However, its shorter than you anticipated, and the question is how to get it to grow faster. Nothing you can do in a week's time. I don't see skin in the photo, so I dont' think you need to worry about that. Weekly baths, and Halo Dream Coat will help grow coat faster, but nothing is going to work in a week. I think your pup looks very cute myself.

As an added note...I know everyone's first response is to not go back to that groomer, however, miscommunication is the biggest reason clients are unhappy with the groom. Most groomers keep a record of what they do on each pet, and its very easy to ask for "2 steps longer than last time" etc. than it is to go to a new place and hope that you and the groomer are on the same page.


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## Thracian (Dec 24, 2008)

Graco22 said:


> I don't see skin in the photo, so I dont' think you need to worry about that. Weekly baths, and Halo Dream Coat will help grow coat faster, but nothing is going to work in a week. I think your pup looks very cute myself.
> 
> As an added note...I know everyone's first response is to not go back to that groomer, however, miscommunication is the biggest reason clients are unhappy with the groom. Most groomers keep a record of what they do on each pet, and its very easy to ask for "2 steps longer than last time" etc. than it is to go to a new place and hope that you and the groomer are on the same page.


I'm glad Clayton's hair looks longer than it is. I'm just baffled about why it looks so much shorter than the length I selected from the variety of lengths I was shown. It seems shorter than a 3 (this was the length of Cupid's first full groom, so I'm a little familiar with it). In person, you can see the pink undertone of his skin pretty clearly. I'll try not to worry about the photo. Maybe I will follow the advice of a bandana or t-shirt. 

If I showed my next groomer this picture, would it give them a good idea of the length I want?










This was taken the day he was groomed by the BG, and it's a good starting length for him.

If the length was the biggest issue with this groomer, I'd probably try for more communication. But it's more of a comfort level issue that this situation is contributing to. I appreciate the reminder about communication, though. I need to remember that I have a big part of conveying what I want, even if I don't know quite how to express it in grooming terms (blade lengths, etc.).


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## poodleholic (Mar 15, 2007)

Well, I don't see any pink skin in this photo, so I don't think you need to worry about it showing in the photo you're going to have taken a week from now. I know how disappointing it is to not get what you wanted, but, he looks really cute! And, hair grows! LOL


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## Graco22 (Jul 16, 2007)

Bringing in a photo is a wonderful thing to do, and helps immensly when I can't seem to get an idea of what a client wants. Though that particular photo isn't ideal (best ones are of the dog standing, and a picture from the side) I can see the length pretty well on the legs in that photo and get a good idea of length. It looks to me like the coat is 1" to 1 1/2" long there, so you can also ask for a #1 guard comb if its a Laube/plastic brand, or a yellow Stainless Steel Wahl brand. Different blades leave different lengths on different coats. The samples you were shown may have been on coats that were of different types, which is why your own dog looks much different then the samples you saw..However, an experienced groomer should know this, and have adjusted the blades accordingly. A 4 blade on a poodle coat is going to be MUCH shorter than a 4 blade on a yorkie coat for instance. Take heart, it will grow back before you know it, and now you are armed with more info to ensure that his next haircut is what you are wanting.


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