Poodles Do It

Posted on Nov 11 in Define Your Terms, Small Dog Grooming, Types of Small Dogsby Jeff K.Print

And that’s why Poodles do it. Maltese do it. Even educated Havanese do it. Let’s do it. Let’s shed some fur. (With apologies to Cole Porter.)

In the previous article, I beat the daylights out of the subject of shedding. Before we bury that dead horse, I have three last words on the subject and then we will move on to something else in the same category. (Note: There will more words after those last three. Sorry.) Here are the three last words: All dogs shed. No, perish the thought! You brought that Poodle home on the premise that it is non-shedding.

Go to the website www.whosyadoggy.com, and there you will find a comprehensive list of dogs that are “Non-shedding.” I’ll say it again. All dogs shed. Websites such as “Who’s Ya Doggy?” should say, “Here is a list of dogs that shed, but you won’t notice when they shed.” Some dogs shed fur that is nearly microscopic, such as the “hairless” varieties. Others shed, but do so at a very slow rate; and, their curly or wavy coat retains the loose hair until it is removed with a brush or comb. Most terriers fall into this category. In total, there are over 50 purebred and popular mixed-breed varieties of dog that are nearly non-shedding. For lack of better words, let’s use the strained term, low-shedding.

Low-shedding dogs are genetically programmed to hold on to their hair for long periods of time. While a few low-shedding breeds simply retain hair once it has reached a fixed length, most low-shedding breeds grow hair continually. The price you pay for the luxury of a dog that sheds un-noticeably is the need to trim that continually growing hair. Left unclipped, a Poodle for example, would literally turn into a ball of fur. A Maltese would eventually trip over its lengthening coat. A Soft-Coated Wheaton Terrier would have a hard time seeing through the increasing mop of fur that grows over its eyes.

There is another mammal that shares a dog’s hair growth cycle: humans. At Kelsey’s Dog House, many of our customers book a grooming appointment for their dog on the same day as their own appointment with a hair stylist. Perhaps we should reconfigure our operation into a dog and human grooming spa.

“Let me confirm your appointment for the 27th, Mrs. Jones. That’ll be a perm for your Yorkie and a shave down for you, correct?”

On second thought, eh, maybe not.

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