CsV Coat Care

I'm curious as to the coat care CsVs take. I know they have a double coat, with the summer coat being drastically different in terms of undercoat from the winter one. I'm wondering, how often should a CsV owner brush/comb their dogs, and how often do you bathe them? How is the condition of the coat approached in the show ring?

I have a Siberian Husky that we rescued, and I bathe him about every 5 weeks. I know this isn't really in keeping in tune with the breed standard, as the dogs are supposed to have a more natural coat, but I find it's easier for me to keep up on his shedding this way. He also doesn't have the coat he's supposed to, it's much too soft, but this isn't from the bathing, it's just the way his coat is. I know CsVs have a much more resilient, weatherproof coat. I'm just wondering how much effort on the owner's part there is in maintaining it.

[Grin]

Originally Posted by Vicky

I'm just wondering how much effort on the owner's part there is in maintaining it.

The answer is (in our case and the cases I know) - almost none.
The less you wash CsW the better. Their coat has a fascinating quality to be... "selfcleaning". During 5 months Łowca has been with us, we washed him only once and that was because he came back home smelling so abominably that it was impossible to endure it. (all the more - he sleeps in our bed with us. ). And I can tell you, he looked a little bit strange after he dried up. Surely the CsW coat doesn't like the shampoo...
As to the combing - yes of course, but no exaggeration is necessary

Really whan I see (for example during shows) what is done with some other breeds I'm happy I have a CsW. (Of course not only becase of that ).

[tupacs2legs]

hi
i also have siberians.you really are bathing your husky too often.with most working breeds their coat has oils to weatherproof them ,bathing them will strip their coats of this ,also bathing too often also upsets the skin.twice a year if that, would suffice.also you say your huskys coat is to soft is he neutered? as this can affect the coat.i plan never to bathe my csv if i can avoid it i do brush him though(more for a bonding thing)

[Navarre]

I brush them twice a year, when they change their coat.

I wash them only when they roll on something of a bad taste...

[saschia]

hi, avoid bathing wolfdog with shampoos. My wolfdog loves to swim in water and she can swim also in winter due to her good coat. So to help shedding, just let your dog swim in a clean (= not smelling, but it can be muddy, just normal water in nature) and that is enough, it helps the coat to loosen the dead hair.

What helped me when my dog was very smelly was bathing her not with shampoo but with female hygiene soap (with low pH below 5.0 if possible) - it helped the smell a lot but didn't take out the oils, as I didn't need to use much of it.

[Vaiva]

My dog was last time bathed with shampoo a year ago. A day before yesterday I had a not so rare possibility to take my shoes off, step into a little stream, take my dog together and wash the cow's shit out of her coat (I had to walk many km's from the place we were at the moment to my home - by feet and through all the city ) About three hours after washing cow's shit out of Brukne's coat in stream, a man in a street, interested in that beautiful creature was huging her and very surprised, she has no smell at all
The most important part of the wolfdog's coat care is... vacum cleaning your home about every other day and shaking the sheets well before putting them into the washing mashine

Originally Posted by tupacs2legs

hi
i also have siberians.you really are bathing your husky too often.with most working breeds their coat has oils to weatherproof them ,bathing them will strip their coats of this ,also bathing too often also upsets the skin.twice a year if that, would suffice.also you say your huskys coat is to soft is he neutered? as this can affect the coat.i plan never to bathe my csv if i can avoid it i do brush him though(more for a bonding thing)

I know I "should" be bathing my husky less, but it's the best way I have to help with his shedding. I have nowhere around here that would be an easy way for him to get wet (which I know would help, and help keep him clean) and even if I did, he's a big sissy when it comes to water and wouldn't voluntarily go swimming. I happen to be a dog groomer, so it's really easy for me to take him to work and bathe him there, and then blow him out with the high velocity dryer which pushes out the undercoat that's shedding. I also use a very mild shampoo, that doesn't dry out skin or fur at all, and actually helps replace the oils that he's loosing by his bath. Also, he is neutered, but he wasn't neutered until late (I think he was about 3). Seeing other neutered huskies, though, I know it's just that he doesn't have the coat he should have. Obviously, there is a huge problem in the US with people breeding dogs they shouldn't, and our husky does not at all fit with the breed standard, and his coat is part of that. However, we just rescued him as a family pet, not as a breeding dog, so we don't care at all

Thanks for all the tips on the CsV coat, everyone! Hopefully by the time I'm in a position to get a CsV, I'll have an easy way to get my dogs wet without actually using shampoo, that would be my goal. It does seem like an easier coat to keep than my husky's, too, which is nice. It's great that their coats have been kept so natural!

[saschia]

Why don't you just not use shampoo when bathing him? And I wouldn't use the hair-dryer too. After drying out naturally the undercoat creates kind of "lumps" or "puffs" which can be taken out by hand or by brushing very easily. Try it for couple of weeks and give your dog some sunflower oil in food, you might see a change.

Since it's not my shop, I don't want to blast dirty dog water everywhere! The dryer I use doesn't use heat or anything, it's only a hose with a nozzle on the end that forces air through it, so it dries the coat fast, and blasts out water and hair. Believe me, I know about those tufts of fur you're talking about, this way is MUCH easier and keeps Buddy much more comfortable!

Also, he shouldn't need the sunflower oil, his coat does produce the oils he needs, he gets everything from the food he eats. He actually does have a lovely shine to his coat, and it's very healthy, it just doesn't grow as it should for the breed standard.

[soniakanavle]

Yeah, I only have to wash my CsV when he finds and immediately rolls in a dead fish, cow poop, mug bog etc. (Which is annoyingly often haha.)
Besides those times he's amazingly always squeaky clean and gorgeous!!
The one and only grooming tool I would ever recommend and since I own a CsV, German Shepherd and used to have Huskys, is a FURminator oh my god there's nothing on Earth better for getting that under coat out trust me!
You can buy one at any pet shop or groomer here in the US but also over the internet.
Happy grooming everyone!!

[saschia]

Furminator, the fur terminator ? Nice name

[GalomyOak]

Originally Posted by soniakanavle

Yeah, I only have to wash my CsV when he finds and immediately rolls in a dead fish, cow poop, mug bog etc. (Which is annoyingly often haha.)
Besides those times he's amazingly always squeaky clean and gorgeous!!
The one and only grooming tool I would ever recommend and since I own a CsV, German Shepherd and used to have Huskys, is a FURminator oh my god there's nothing on Earth better for getting that under coat out trust me!
You can buy one at any pet shop or groomer here in the US but also over the internet.
Happy grooming everyone!!

Yes, yes, yes! There really is nothing like the Furminator!!!

[Nebulosa]

Really!





A dream, even cats

[Tuky]

I also have husky and CsV, only they bathe when it is strictly necessary. Both plajes are very clean ysolo they need the brushed one a week and in epoch of change every day a little.

I have not proved the Furminator, proprietors of nordics dogs have said to me that it cuts the hair a little, especially ... is it so good? ... how have they the hair left?

I use first this: http://www.tiendanimal.es/dogit-salo...o-pi-2217.html
and later this: http://www.tiendanimal.es/combo-cepi...o-pi-1397.html

... in a hairstyle thoroughly I can stick more than half an hour or an hour in epoch of change

the best thing is that later not release scarcely peeled in the whole alone year in 2 epochs that my house looks like the American west with the balls of hair

I've never trusted the Furminator on dogs with hair any longer than a lab. The problem with the Furminator, is that it's a clipper blade on a stick:

http://grooming.petedge.com/Andis-Ul...CategoryId=396

Using a blade to strip out hair like that is actually a grooming technique that the Furminator company decided to make money off of, because it's obviously easier to use that than an actual clipper blade. However, they market its use on breeds that really run the risk of coat damage. You CAN use it on a double coated breed like a CsV or husky, but since it actually is a blade, it's very easy to damage the guard hairs instead of just the undercoat if you're not careful with the direction you use it, and if you use it on the longer portions of the hair and not just the shorter ones. Also, using it doesn't just get out the undercoat that your dog's naturally shed, it's also cutting the undercoat, slicing it out of your dog's fur. So yeah, you can keep getting more & more coat out, but eventually I've heard of people using it so much, they leave bald spots!

I personally like a good, hard slicker brush ( http://grooming.petedge.com/Millers-...CategoryId=276 ), a metal comb and/or undercoat rake ( http://grooming.petedge.com/Master-G...CategoryId=479 ), and a flea comb to REALLY get as much hair out as you can ( http://grooming.petedge.com/Master-G...CategoryId=479 ).

Incidentally, I've finally waited a good 12 weeks between my Buddy's baths, and his coat does seem better! I know he'll never have a show dog coat or anything, but I've noticed a difference in its weatherproofing. I still don't think I'd wait any longer than that between his baths, since it helps so much with his shedding, but his coat is beautiful now!

[tupacs2legs]

Originally Posted by Vicky

I've never trusted the Furminator on dogs with hair any longer than a lab. The problem with the Furminator, is that it's a clipper blade on a stick:

http://grooming.petedge.com/Andis-Ul...CategoryId=396

Using a blade to strip out hair like that is actually a grooming technique that the Furminator company decided to make money off of, because it's obviously easier to use that than an actual clipper blade. However, they market its use on breeds that really run the risk of coat damage. You CAN use it on a double coated breed like a CsV or husky, but since it actually is a blade, it's very easy to damage the guard hairs instead of just the undercoat if you're not careful with the direction you use it, and if you use it on the longer portions of the hair and not just the shorter ones. Also, using it doesn't just get out the undercoat that your dog's naturally shed, it's also cutting the undercoat, slicing it out of your dog's fur. So yeah, you can keep getting more & more coat out, but eventually I've heard of people using it so much, they leave bald spots!

I personally like a good, hard slicker brush ( http://grooming.petedge.com/Millers-...CategoryId=276 ), a metal comb and/or undercoat rake ( http://grooming.petedge.com/Master-G...CategoryId=479 ), and a flea comb to REALLY get as much hair out as you can ( http://grooming.petedge.com/Master-G...CategoryId=479 ).

Incidentally, I've finally waited a good 12 weeks between my Buddy's baths, and his coat does seem better! I know he'll never have a show dog coat or anything, but I've noticed a difference in its weatherproofing. I still don't think I'd wait any longer than that between his baths, since it helps so much with his shedding, but his coat is beautiful now!

thats good news !about the weatherproofing and bath thing im sure he's handsome whatever

[Bugle]

Originally Posted by Vicky

I know I "should" be bathing my husky less, but it's the best way I have to help with his shedding. I have nowhere around here that would be an easy way for him to get wet (which I know would help, and help keep him clean) and even if I did, he's a big sissy when it comes to water and wouldn't voluntarily go swimming. I happen to be a dog groomer, so it's really easy for me to take him to work and bathe him there, and then blow him out with the high velocity dryer which pushes out the undercoat that's shedding. I also use a very mild shampoo, that doesn't dry out skin or fur at all, and actually helps replace the oils that he's loosing by his bath. Also, he is neutered, but he wasn't neutered until late (I think he was about 3). Seeing other neutered huskies, though, I know it's just that he doesn't have the coat he should have. Obviously, there is a huge problem in the US with people breeding dogs they shouldn't, and our husky does not at all fit with the breed standard, and his coat is part of that. However, we just rescued him as a family pet, not as a breeding dog, so we don't care at all

Thanks for all the tips on the CsV coat, everyone! Hopefully by the time I'm in a position to get a CsV, I'll have an easy way to get my dogs wet without actually using shampoo, that would be my goal. It does seem like an easier coat to keep than my husky's, too, which is nice. It's great that their coats have been kept so natural!

Vicki : do you feed raw? I found with my previous dog that once I switched him on to the BARF diet, his shedding stopped. Your husky does seem to be over-shedding, he should only moult once or twice a year at the most. If you already are feeding him on raw, then ignore this post. If not, you may like to look into it ! Hope this helps.

[tupacs2legs]

i would think carefully before feeding raw to a sibe,they can have VERY sensitive tums

[tupacs2legs]

hi vicki
do you keep your husky in or out? this also makes a difference to how they shed(but im sure you already know that)
i hope you get the csv you long for

Originally Posted by tupacs2legs

hi vicki
do you keep your husky in or out? this also makes a difference to how they shed(but im sure you already know that)
i hope you get the csv you long for

Thanks It won't be for a long while, but I'm very excited to get a CsV!

My dog lives inside, and although he isn't fed raw, he is on a high quality kibble with no fillers. I can tell his shedding isn't diet related, it's only his normal undercoat. I think part of it may be the temperature control we have, it's always cool in the summer, and warm in the winter, so his coat doesn't know what to do!