Dog Grooming question

[Rip_Some_Lip]

I have a 10 month old Springer and I took her out pheasant hunting yesterday. Her coat is getting long and I picked a ton of burs off of her while hunting. Do you guys that have long haired dogs get them groomed before hunting season? How much does it cost if you do? I had heard that they put them to sleep quite often to do it and my dog would probably have to be put to sleep as hyper as she is. I had thought about a vest also. She is going into the vet tomorrow to get fixed so I am thinking about asking the vet to clip her while she is down....lol. I dont know if they would do it though. What do you guys do? Thanks in advance for the replies.

p.s. She did pretty well yesterday even though we only got up hens. We are heading out again today to get some roosters hopefully.

[CFRay]

I too have a springer, she gets a cut from a groomer in the spring,($35), and then I clip her a few times throughout the summer and into the hunting season to keep it around an inch long. If she gets a burr in deep she will pull it out herself. I have found that if you let the burrs dry for a time they come out easier with a brush.

Some years back we got into a patch of "Pigeongrass". That is some bad stuff that I've since learned to avoid. Her ears were stuck down to her neck and took a lot of brushing to get out.

Good Luck

[KB]

I've always gotten my Springers a "field" cut ($35) two weeks before pheasant opener. They're basically shaved down everywhere. Where we walked this past weekend it was loaded with cockleburs, etc. The few times they were on the dog, just brush them off.

Seems to grow back at just the right rate to follow winter. I personally have it done again in the spring to clean him up for the summer.

[MIKE IN lINO III]

I keep my springer "Field cut" all year long. She's an indoor dog and has no problem with it. I cut her myself and usually takes about an hour.

It's funny, she looks fat prior to cutting and then she looks skinny when all finished.

Mike

[WaveWacker]

I basically give mine a shave prior to summer and then another cut that leaves the hair a little longer in mid Sept. I try to keep the hail on the legs cut down as they tend to gather snow balls in the late season.

[bergie]

I had my Britt cut twice a year, once in the spring so she wouldn't drag so much mud in and the fall for hunting. I tried a vest on her once in So. Dak. but going thru all that heavy cover she got dirt between the vest and her chest and rubbed her raw, once I started having her clipped never had another problem.

[Studer]

When I bring Louie into the woods he brings out a TON and I say a TON of burrs. His ears are so big and he is like a magnet. It is hours of grooming when we are done. He loves it but I think I need to get a field cut if we keep doing it. He is more of a cuddler and not a hunter but I think he would do fine if brought out with some trained dogs.

[jparrucci]

I trim my brittany all the time. It helps do a number of things. First in the summer it helps to keep him cool when I take him on long runs. It also helps to keep him that much cleaner and that much less dirt brought into the house and cars. It also helps him from picking up so many burs. It is relatively easy to do even on a hyper dog like mine. I bought a dog grooming clippers from a pet store for like 30 bucks, and trim him about once a month or so.

[Swamp Scooter]

Cutting does help out but also removes some protection. there is a product I have used for many years that makes their fur so the burs just slip through. It is called ShowSheen. Get it at Fleet in the horse section. A 1 quart bottle lasts almost forever. Put it on after a bath and rub it in. The dogs will be able to go through most anything and if they do get burs you can just slip them out with a brush or your fingers. It is a natural lanolin base so should not have any allergy concerns. DO NOT spray it over hard floors or you will end up falling hard. It lasts about a week or so. Works great and is worth the few bucks.

[cjthomps]

I've always thought that Springers have the longer coat to protect their skin against burrs and the like. When we go hunting, she gets a lot of burrs on her ears and behind her legs. Since they are mostly caught in her hair, they don't really bother her. After hunting, she is so tired that she just lays there and I brush and trim the burrs out of her hair. I guess you could say that she gets a cumulative trim as hunting season goes on. Right now, her ears are uneven from my expert grooming, but hey; this ain't no fashion show.

[French Spaniel]

I trim my own French Spaniels (too cheap to pay) but my wife gets mad at me because she says I "butcher them." One other thing I've tried is a spray that "horse people" use on the horse tails. It makes the hair silky and not course or rough. Then the burrs pull out much easier. It does work.

[SpringerGuy]

I've got 5 springers and the gal that lives with me is a groomer. Our "girls" get shaved 3 times a year. With one time being just before pheasant season starts. I've never had a problem with the dogs getting any kind of injuries while hunting. Shed less too.

Anther thing to try is rubbing baby oil into their ears. Get the hair oily and the weeds can't hang on. One good application lasts for most of the season.

PoleBender

[Rip_Some_Lip]

Thanks for the replies. I got a laugh today out hunting. We were hunting the fresh snow and she had 3 big snowballs hanging in her long hair on her back legs.