You have brushed, you have combed, you have fretted, but still, there are strange little wispy, fuzzy patches on the dog you are grooming. You know the ones I mean; you have seen them on Golden Retrievers, some Spaniels, Setters, or mixes with similar coats. They are the patches of unusually textured, soft, dull fur that show up on the fronts of the legs, the sides of the thighs, or the ears and maybe cheeks of some of these breeds. These areas of unique coat seem to be more prevalent on pets that have been altered and are sometimes lumped into the term "spay coat,"which denotes changes in an animal's coat after it is surgically altered.
There are several ways you can tackle these fuzzy areas:
- Use a stone. If you have never used one of these, you might find them very useful. Use short, swift strokes on the fluffy coat areas to pull it out, leaving the hard, smooth coat behind. This inexpensive tool is an excellent addition to your tool collection.
- Deshedding tools - A fine-toothed deshedding tool, used with and/or against the grain, can make short work of fuzzy patches.
- Embellish your comb - This trick is well-respected by many experienced groomers. Using a medium or medium-wide toothed comb, weave a regular old rubber band through the teeth, alternating over and under each tooth. Push the band up so it is snug against the spine of the comb. Now, pull that comb through the coat, keeping it relatively flat to the skin. The rubber band will magically pull out a fantastic amount of unwanted fluff. This trick also works well on shedding areas of many pets, as well as the jacket of sporting breeds.
- Thinning shears - If none of the above are possible or don't work for you, grab your favorite thinning shears and trim that annoying fluff off just above the hard coat that grows under it.
In some cases, getting rid of the fuzzies requires a multi-prong approach. For larger, stubborn areas, use your shedding tool first, your rubber-banded comb second, and the stone next. Any remaining fuzz can be swiftly removed with your thinning shears. Pulling the dead coat from the follicles before trimming it will yield the best results and last for the most extended amount of time between appointments.
This process only takes a short amount of time but makes a significant impact on the look of the finished groom. Take pride in taming the fuzzies.