Grooming your Pyr

[pyr4me]

Just curious, I was wondering how often you groom your Pyr? I give Jenny a good brushing a couple of times a week and that seems to work. But I also am thinking ahead to next summer and the heat, and am wondering if you give your Pyr a summer haircut? Do you ever get your Pyr groomed professionally?

[People Whisperer]

I groom Lily twice a week, during the shedding period three times.

Nope, I don't take her to a professional groomer. I do it all and love it! Grooming table helps a lot not to break my back...and wine helps too 

It is not recommended to trim Pyrs hair for summer. Long coat protects them from sunburns and also keeps them cooler. Whether you trim her or not she probably wouldn't want to spent too much time outdoors during hot months. Lily enjoys sleeping all summer next to the air conditioning vent and tries to hold her "business" for as long as she can so she doesn't go in the heat 

[maxsmom]

The hair definitely keeps them warm in the cold and cool in the heat.  We live in Orlando and when I worked a pet fair back in September for Pyr rescue, we took all 3 dogs.  Cody, my TM, Jake, my Pyr and Max, my IW.  Cody spent the entire day laying under the tent, out in the heat and was just fine, no excessive panting, nothing.  Jake was okay for a few hours and then started the panting and non-stop drooling.  Max was dying after about an hour and I sent him home.  They all live in my house in AC constantly, however, Max just can't deal with heat at all.  We have to crank the vehicles and cool them down if we want to take him anywhere in summer.  Jake does much better with heat than Max does.  He still wants to run on our walks no matter what the temp is.  I brush him twice a week and never trim him.

[mountaindogmom]

We just got Jack groomed professionally for the first time a few weeks ago.  He was having some diarrhea issues and so we wanted to get him a "sanitary cut" so we could stop using baby wipes!  YUCK!  Anyway, they trimmed up his butt hair and also shaved his tummy and trimmed the hair on his "private part" so he doesn't haved dried urine issues anymore.  We brush him at least twice a week, and daily when he's blowing coat.  We also use "the furminator" comb about once a month (more during coat blowing) to remove all his extra undercoat.  And we trim his dews every 3 weeks or so.  His main nails don't have to be trimmed because we do so much walking on pavement.

[vikk]

When I adopted my Pyr the rescue group told me not to have Waco's hair shaved or cut for summer. The larger breeds tend to easily get skin cancer. Because we're in hot, muggy Houston, some do trim the coats so that they're shorter. I have a rake type comb that I've been using. Because I find it sort of therapeutic to brush and tend to the dogs, I usually do the major combing on all my dogs on the weekends. Touchups occur during the week. Waco loves it so much that I've been using it as a way for us to get used to each other, so I've been combing him every night for 15-30 minutes.

[DixieSugarBear]

One of the best things you can have to groom a pyr is a force air dryer. Just blow them out every few days and it really cuts the brushing time. Penny Lane my 1 1/2 year old will go get on the her grooming table and bark for me to come blow her out,  ;)I guess it could be the treats she gets when she is up there. Sugar Bear and Dixie have to be told to get up on the table but they like the blower much better than a brush.

Lisa
Whiterose Great Pyrenees

[People Whisperer]

I too love air force dryer BUT there is no way I would use it every week! That thing is so powerful and annoying that I don't feel like pulling it out. I only use it before the shows and I love it...like it...almost hate it, LOL!
P.S. Welcome back Lisa 

[seaherons]

Lisa - I am assuming that you are you using the blower on a dry coat?  Cirra is our first Pyr and justed turned three in December.  She has a nice coat however it always seems different!!!  Just when I think I have figured it out - it changes.  How do you deal with the under coat?  Brush it out completely?  Cirra seemed to be "blowing her coat" in the fall so I used a rake to get out the under coat that would come out.  She is brushed everyday.  It seemed that it has taken awhile for the under coat to come back however has started to now.  She has always had a lot of under coat even with a lot of brushing.  I read in a grooming book that you "should" be able to get a comb through the coat - if so it seems that there that there would not be much under coat.  Anyway we had been thinking about a blow dryer for her baths.  What type do you have and do you like it? 

[People Whisperer]

Lisa - I am assuming that you are you using the blower on a dry coat?  Cirra is our first Pyr and justed turned three in December.  She has a nice coat however it always seems different!!!  Just when I think I have figured it out - it changes.  How do you deal with the under coat?  Brush it out completely?  Cirra seemed to be "blowing her coat" in the fall so I used a rake to get out the under coat that would come out.  She is brushed everyday.  It seemed that it has taken awhile for the under coat to come back however has started to now.  She has always had a lot of under coat even with a lot of brushing.  I read in a grooming book that you "should" be able to get a comb through the coat - if so it seems that there that there would not be much under coat.  Anyway we had been thinking about a blow dryer for her baths.  What type do you have and do you like it? 

I use "Metro Air Force Blaster Dryer"
http://www.dog-training.com/metro.htm

It can be used on wet or dry coat. If you use it on dry coat it will blow plenty of loose hair BUT not the undercoat. I use it after bath because it does cut drying time by a lot.
I do follow that "comb" guideline...if I can't get the comb through the hair I pull my rake out and get some of that undercoat before it starts matting.