Briard grooming by Calysta
Bathing
Personally, I decide on the coat type for the individual dog. The correct
coat is double. but not like a sheltie or collie. Most briards can and do go
for a least a month or more(some at least 8 weeks) without bathing. The coat
should not feel soft to the touch. This is acording to the standard. I try
not to bathe one if it has any amount of matting as it is almost impossible
to get it out after a bath and in 13 years, I have yet to find a product that
is of any help in this area.
Shampoo
I use Tropiclean on all my dogs and NO creme rinse. I do not
fluff them dry. It's a real waste of time and the coat will be wavy before
the day is out is the coat is correct. Cindra texturing shampoo is another
good choice, but I try not to switch shampoos anymore often than every 6
months. The only time I use a conditioner and fluff dry is for a dog show
and then I use Fluff Out to give the dog the appearance of a lot of coat and
it doesn't strip out texture. Remember that the coat texture is "goat-like"
and they don't mean angora.
Brush Out
At best, once a week. In the case of pet briards, if the owner doesn't touch
the dog you can get away with once a month and you will have some matting to
deal with. As long as it hasn't been wet by weather, it should come out
fairly easy with a mattbreaker. You can use a matt rake, but it really puts
holes in the coat.
I use a scalpmaster pin brush, a psi long tooth pin brush, a grooma rake, and
a resco long tooth comb. There are times with a stubborn matt that I may use
a slicker, but for the most part the slicker just strips out undercoat. The
biggest problem is getting all the way down to the skin and I use hair clips
and section the hair. This method works well on all long coated breeds.
Trimming
Everyone agrees on foot trimming and you should use the foot as your guide
for size. The proper shape is oval and it should not give the dog the
appearance of cocker feet nor should it not raise too far above the floor.
The only other trimming, and this is owner preference, is diamond shape
between the eyes to thin the veil in front of the eyes. The size is
determined by the set of the dog's eyes and the inner corners of the eyes,
determines the size of the diamond. I use thinning shears or scissors
depending on how much tolerance the dog has left at this point. The biggest
argument in the breed right now is whether or not to cut this diamond. The
standard says "natural", but many of these dogs will run into walls if this
diamond is not cut because the coat is so thick. The fall(or veil) in front
of the eyes should not be trimmed. Most briards will come unglued and keep
pawing their heads if the veil is trimmed back to a visor (unless the dog has
had it trimmed from puppyhood.
Shavedown
Only in extreme cases. I would rather see a dog with holes shaved out than
watch one shiver in the winter or worry about sunburn. When it is necessary,
I try to use a 4F as much as possible and progress down if necessary in the
really tight matts. I always leave heads and tails in tack, but will shave
the underjaw leaving the outer edges of the beard. I still *do not* trim the
head or tail. It does look bad, but the coat should not be trimmed at all to
begin with.
If you still have any questions, just ask. I don't think I left anything out
because I wrote a book!
These methods also work well on the Skye Terrier.
"Calysta G. Queener" EMail...Calyco414@AOL.COM