To groom, or not to groom?!?!

[VBDoxieMom]

Hello Everyone! 

I have a question that will probably sound silly to some of you - Max has been with us since last December.  He is a GORGEOUS (Almost Hallie caliber  :) long haired chocolate and tan dapple sweetie.  We've never had long haired doxies before, and I am wondering if I should have him groomed.  He has curly hair on his chest, very long hair on his neck and the backs of his legs (which you can imagine is difficult to keep clean).  Is it appropriate to groom long haired doxies?  He loves to be brushed, and he gets bathed often enough his coat is show-worthy.  I know we are coming up on the cooler months - as cool as can be expected in Virginia, but personally I think he could use a "shape up".  Am I crazy?

Post your vote here - open to all input.

Thanks!  And belly rubs all around!

[JetEd73]

Im under the impression that Max is a house dog? Correct?

The little bit of hair that they cut away for a sanitary cut or a shaping-up isn't going to make much of a difference when he goes outside for a potty break.

[Kathleen]

The best thing you can get for a longhair is a Furminator.  They have one specifically for longhaired dogs and it'll take out a lot of dead hair while leaving the healthy shiny stuff behind.  I really don't suggest shaving him all over-it'll ruin the coat and it never seems to come back the same, but you can take clippers to the neck to clean up that area if you want.   You can also scissor any areas that are wild and out of control.  You can get a pair of inexpensive thinning shears from a Sally Beauty Supply and thin hair on fuzzy legs.  You can also cut the tail hair shorter-quick and easy way to do that is to brush the hair out all the way to the end and then cut straight across while you're holding it at the end.  It'll make a pretty neat fan when you let it go.

[papbouv]

I have a Long Hair Patches she does not have the coat that Miss Halie has but still a long hair I use a stripping knife to comb her I was also told not to have her shaved it will ruin the coat.Good Luck there was a groomer showing how to groom a long hair Magnolia Dachshunds looked for the web site but it is no longer up.I had 2 Bouvier s found out grooming a Long hair Dachshund is about like grooming a Bouvier just a smaller version.

[Dee Dee and Hallie]

Hallie as you know has quite a bit of coat but she has no undercoat so doesn't shed at all to where it's noticable. When I give her a bath I may get 2 or 3 hairs in the drain. She doesn't mat easily either so really wouldn't require brushing much but I brush her because she likes it. The only thing I trim is the hair on the bottoms of her feeties. I don't clean up the top of her paws as I never showed her in the breed ring and I think the long hair on top of her feeties is cute. :) She does pick up little twigs or leaves at times but they are easy to get out and she's not one to leap thru bushes (could chip a nail or frizz her hair) so doesn't pick up that much. She has on occasion, brought in a dingle berry on her pants    but not that often so I don't trim that either.

I agree with the others about shaving him, he would never be quite the same.

Most importantly, where are PICTURES of Mr. Max??? Would love to see him he sounds like a beauty! 

[papbouv]

Forgot Patches picks up every leaf,twig,everything and I keep a brush by the back door.

[Roberta]

Amy is another hairy wonder, I brush well and then use a fine tooth comb and sometimes a hacksaw blade to remove the dead hair not all at once as moo does not do brushing. To us part of the charm is the hair, we live in the bush so most of the outside comes in when they both have been out, but Emma our first was a short hair and did she shed...............
If you do the trim you will probably make a mess of it, unless you know what you are doing, and if you take him to a groomer they will probably take to much, so enjoy him as he is. But we do require pictures.
Roberta

[Barb]

ummmm, all I gots is shorty hairs....but we all would LOVE to see some piccies of your kids !!!!  We need to SEE a current one of Max so we can judge 

[Brekkesmom]

I have Brekke, the longhair chocolate tan, who comes close to Hallie, and 3 red smooths - 2 of whom are dappled.  I get about a cup of hair every time I brush her. Brekke goes to the groomer about once a month for her "spa day".  Her coat is nice and full, but she doesn't have a lot of shine.  She gets a special conditioner that puts some luster on her locks, and they give her a sanitary trim.  Because she has quite a bit of hair on the soles of her feet,  I also have them trim the hair there - but nowhere else.  (The smooths get a shampoo and nail trim about every 2 months, so they have a spa day, too.)

[doxielady5569128]

I only have a smooth coated dachshund, so I don't have any advice on grooming a longhair, but I would love to see what Max looks like!   

[Doxherding Karen]

The much-loved Maggie, late hostess of www.dachshundlove.blogspot.com had a modified cocker cut that really showed off the best of her - the long and short of it all (as her Dad Carson always said.) We really miss her!

Auntie keren