Grooming The Briard

The Briard is a long haired dog. I am often asked if the shed. My response is always the same: They don't shed- they mat. It's not that she doesn't shed hair, but she tends to hold the hair in the coat and this soft undercoat mats.  I am always shocked how much hair I manage to get out after a grooming session.  It has taken two and a half years later, and minus the puppy coat to finally have a handle on the grooming thing - well sort off.  Their coat is definitely high maintenance and requires daily grooming.  I generally groom until I get a double handful of hair out and call it quits for the day.  I also decide which section I want to focus on, legs, face or body.  I have also found certain tools are a must:

The rake
Mars (or Orvis) Coat King Mat strippers in medium course (2)

       One extra wide
        One narrower
Wire curry

Do not buy a Furminator for a Briard.  It just rips the hair out.  It works well on short haired dogs but not on the long haired breeds - I don't care what the label says.

I also take Nana to a Master dog groomer about every 4-5 weeks.  Briards have black toenails which makes it very hard to see where the quick is.  They also have double dew claws in back, a breed requirement.  She gets a good shampoo and blowout, something I am not prepared or equipped to do at home.   I stay for the entire grooming, including helping with the comb out and have learned a lot which has made my life easier between visits.  In the beginning, when I was trying to find a groomer I didn't stay with Nan and one groomer shaved her face making her look like a weird afghan hound. There were also a number of other unpleasant discoveries.  I have come to the conclusion that I would never drop and pick up my dog from any grooming salon.  If they won't let you stay - find someone else.

And if all else fails - you can body clip the entire dog.  Been there, done that too.

I'm dreading summer and all the burrs that come with it.