I have not until now had a spayed girl but since Sophie was speyed ( medical reasons) her coat has become out of control :(

I know this can be a problem with the breed but how do any of you keep this type of coat under control
any tips would be great ?

Golly I know what you mean Inca!!  I have always used single bladed thinners, used against the growth to keep problem Cavalier coats tidy, usually about every 6 weeks or so.  I have no experience myself my have heard of success with a CoatKing.  Maybe someone else will have other ideas.

thanks for the reply Val .should i try the coat king or send her to live with a hurd of sheep .....

love Norman x

Hi Norman! ;) Perhaps my Rough Collies could give her a few lessons!! :o
I'm always wary of 'all-in'one' coat cutters.  I prefer to be in control of exactly what I'm cutting and I'm so old that my skill was learned without modern devices like the Coat King!!  But that doesn't mean that this new skill isn't worth learning, just that I'm not the one to be teaching it!! :(

someone told me to use a chalk block ....... ever heard of this ?

It's good for cleaning and gives fingers a grip if you are going to handstrip?????

What about a stripping block ? Iuse one to get the dead coat off my boys since I don't have enough grip to get the dead coat out in a handstripping fashion

Now come on MM, how would you handle a neutered Cavalier coat??  I've shared what I do in the parlour.

I've found a Coat King quite useful on a couple of patches of fur on my boy where his fur sticks up on end, and just thinning it out a tiny bit encourages it to lie flat (yes I know you're not supposed to cut their coat, but just a tiny cheat....!) But I don't know how it would work on a neutered Cav coat!

LOLOL Give me a chance I've been at Leeds Champ show all day(lol got short listed twice)& am well & trully kn**kered ;)

I would TBH depend on what the spaying has done to the cost & if it has altered the texture. If it is just that the cait is growing excessively I would keep the dead coat stripped out(using a very fine comb & stripping block), trim the feet, ears etc to a reasonable length

If the texture has altered( it affected a beardie I bred this way)& has gone fluffy then thinning the coat to remove the bulk & I would also look at the diet to ensure there are enough oils in the diet

Soome one asked today what I spray on my dogs coats to get them so shiny-answer nothing it comes from within & using natural dog shampoos & conditioners

glad you made it back .......her coat is in great condition just lots of it LOL and face hair ?? well she will be growing a beard soon .

Well done MM.  We can't do what we could 20 years ago, can we??!! ;)  Go on, say speak for yourself Val!!!

I'm sure Inca doesn't mind waiting until you've got your breath back. :)

Val .............have you finished those tiles yet ...? TUT TUT

LOL well you get her a ladyshave ;)

If it is just the length & amount then go with thinning & trimming I know from the beardies how much coat a spayed bitch can grow ;) I you are happy to tidy her up then it's fine is she a solid as they have the most coat & spaying would obviously increase the coat Thank goodness I only have the boys

I got asked that with my dogs a few times, how I get their coats so shiny! I just feed ordinary good quality dog food and brush them every day so the natural oils get right through the coat and the dust is swept out before it can absorb the oil and make the coat look drab. Well done at Leeds, I wanted to go but couldn't justify another day off work!

Hi,

I've found that a Coat King used correctly (in the direction of the coat growth) and the correct size (Hub Int. will help you choose the right one) will take out the under coat leaving the harsher/smoother top coat, cutting the coat comes mainly from not following the direction of the coat ;)  I wouldn't use one on a show dog but on a neutered pet they do make it easier to maintain the 'look' especially where there is a profusion of wooly undercoat.