Spring has sprung 2014

Spring has sprung, and oh boy do I hate it. Winter was lovely, sure we had record snowfalls and deep freezes but I will take mass amounts of snow over mass amounts of mud any day. It also means it is time to whip my pup's matted coat back into shape. My dog LOVES the snow, there is no question that she is half Bernese Mountain Dog. You don't even have to do anything with her at all for her to be having the best time of her life. I just love the way she prances through the snow with a look of pure bliss. It is all well and good for her in the  winter but it kills me when spring comes around. I have probably said this a million times before (and I probably will again), but Bernedoodles have been dubbed the title "groomer's worst nightmare". I agree with that statement one hundred percent. They mat very easily and that is not a good trait even before adding snow, rain, and mud to the mix. I am going to be totally upfront about this situation, her current state of matting is all my fault. I normally groom Khazi at least 2 hours every single day and she needs it so badly. Missing a day can add extra hours of work to your next grooming session which isn't fun for the dog. I had to go away for work for three months and in that time Khazi became a giant walking matt. Okay that is exaggerating it because I see the rescue dogs makeovers a lot and she is not that bad but it is the worst I have ever seen her other than the matted state she was in when we got her. I did have family members at home who were willing to do some of the grooming unfortunately all they really knew how to do was a brush out. That was extremely kind of them for trying to help but I do see areas that were simply hacked off rather than being combed and dematted properly. I am finally home now and I am dedicating a lot of time to grooming her. He mats are bad but I am extremely dedicated to the subject, I made sure I read/bought every grooming book, blog, and articles aswell as all the youtube videos I could find. I am of course by no means a professional groomer, but I feel my research has given me all the answers I need to do all my dog grooming from home. We took her to pet value once for a sanitary shave and nail clipping and vowed never to go back for those services.

I think home grooming is great, it builds such a great bond and even if you have a dog that hates to be touched in anyway (like Khazi when we first got her) you can get to know your dog and train them to love grooming. Khazi still doesn't totally love grooming but she will always runs back to me after we have finished an area that was causing her grief and gives me tons of kisses. That being said, I have never in my life hurt my dog while grooming. Normally I pick one section of the body I want to work on first, then make my way around going from area to area. I completely believe that you should be working as a team as well as being able to read your dog's body language. I have taught my dog that if she doesn't want me working on a sensitive area any more she can chew on the matted area she wants my to work on next. I just simply say "show me" and she communicates exactly where this issue is.