# hair cut: are Havs embarrassed by short hair?



## Grans2Casey (Apr 2, 2021)

This week my son had to get a very short haircut for his 18-month-old Hav "*Casey*" as he had let the mats get ahead of him -- I'm talking like 1/2" except for his face and tail. Is it possible that this has upset Casey? I imagine it feels different especially when his long tail hair bounces against his rear end -- he seems to be acting like he thinks something is behind him.

_*We are trying to figure out if Casey is traumatized by this cut or if the groomer actually injured him in some way.*_ Maybe he's feeling vulnerable? He doesn't want to take walks outside, sitting down in the grass and wont budge. Inside he runs from rug to rug -- he won't walk or stay on bare wood or kitchen tile to eat. He sits on the closest rug to his bowls and whimpers. My son has had to hand feed him.

We did put a baby t-shirt on Casey hoping he would feel a little more protected but that hasn't helped. 

Yesterday Casey did forget himself briefly and played fetch for a few minutes in our LR with his usual vim and vigor, but then suddenly lost interest and pasted himself right up next to me again.

Have any thoughts? Casey hasn't had many haircuts and never this short. Wondering if he will get used to this before his hair grows back? I have heard of dogs getting "embarrassed" by a new haircut but they were Goldens.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts and advice.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

I think MOST of the time in cases like this, the dog is reacting to the humans' shocked reaction to the way they look. They don't know what is wrong, but they sense that the PEOPLE are reacting to them differently.

However, it's also possible that if the mats were very tight against the skin, that the groomer may have inadvertently given him a bit of "razor burn" in sensitive areas, especially around is sensitive "private parts". Inspect those areas carefully, and see if you can see any red, irritated areas. If so, the vet may be able to recommend an OTC ointment that can help sooth it. (I know there IS something that was recommended for Kodi after his neuter, but it was 12 years ago, and I no longer remember what it was!!!) 

One way or the other, it is likely to fade after a few days, as the irritation heals, or as you and he both get adjusted to his "new do". Hair grows, and hopefully your son can either keep more on top of his grooming, or will take him for a more moderate puppy cut before he gets a chance to get matted again!


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## Grans2Casey (Apr 2, 2021)

krandall said:


> I think MOST of the time in cases like this, the dog is reacting to the humans' shocked reaction to the way they look. They don't know what is wrong, but they sense that the PEOPLE are reacting to them differently.
> 
> However, it's also possible that if the mats were very tight against the skin, that the groomer may have inadvertently given him a bit of "razor burn" in sensitive areas, especially around is sensitive "private parts". Inspect those areas carefully, and see if you can see any red, irritated areas. If so, the vet may be able to recommend an OTC ointment that can help sooth it. (I know there IS something that was recommended for Kodi after his neuter, but it was 12 years ago, and I no longer remember what it was!!!)
> 
> One way or the other, it is likely to fade after a few days, as the irritation heals, or as you and he both get adjusted to his "new do". Hair grows, and hopefully your son can either keep more on top of his grooming, or will take him for a more moderate puppy cut before he gets a chance to get matted again!


Thank you soooo much. This is terrific advice. We did check ourselves as to not reacting but perhaps we did. We will work even harder at "life is normal."

You are also perceptive -- I didn't mention that he got a bit of razor burn on his scrotum. Maybe that's more uncomfortable than we realized. I've been putting some Campho-Phenique on it. He has a vet apt this Weds, so if he's still acting differently, my son can bring it up. Again, thank you. I feel better.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Grans2Casey said:


> Thank you soooo much. This is terrific advice. We did check ourselves as to not reacting but perhaps we did. We will work even harder at "life is normal."
> 
> You are also perceptive -- I didn't mention that he got a bit of razor burn on his scrotum. Maybe that's more uncomfortable than we realized. I've been putting some Campho-Phenique on it. He has a vet apt this Weds, so if he's still acting differently, my son can bring it up. Again, thank you. I feel better.


Oh, boy! I'd be careful with Campho-Phenique! EITHER of the two active ingredients could be vey irritating to his skin, ESPECIALLY on broken skin! If you are going to put ANYTHING on him without talking to the vet, I might try just a TINY touch of corn starch based, fragrance-free baby powder.


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## mudpuppymama (Mar 24, 2012)

Mia acted funny a few times after being trimmed at the groomers, particularly around her private areas. I suspect razor burn. I now groom Mia myself and take a minuscule amount off the privates.


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## Grans2Casey (Apr 2, 2021)

krandall said:


> Oh, boy! I'd be careful with Campho-Phenique! EITHER of the two active ingredients could be vey irritating to his skin, ESPECIALLY on broken skin! If you are going to put ANYTHING on him without talking to the vet, I might try just a TINY touch of corn starch based, fragrance-free baby powder.


Yikes, thank you. I used it because he's licking and I didn't think it would hurt him to ingest a bit since it's for mouth sores. I had also thought of Aqua Phor, which is very soothing but wasn't sure if he licked it, that it would be healthy. Think I better let my son talk to the vet.


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## Grans2Casey (Apr 2, 2021)

mudpuppymama said:


> Mia acted funny a few times after being trimmed at the groomers, particularly around her private areas. I suspect razor burn. I now groom Mia myself and take a minuscule amount off the privates.


I think we have learned our lesson and my son is going to buy the equipment to do the trimming himself. Plus that way I will have the fur for my garden. It's the only thing I can put around my flowers to keep the rabbits from munching them down to a stalk! LOL. Thank you for responding.


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## Melissa Brill (Feb 22, 2017)

Grans2Casey said:


> I think we have learned our lesson and my son is going to buy the equipment to do the trimming himself. Plus that way I will have the fur for my garden. It's the only thing I can put around my flowers to keep the rabbits from munching them down to a stalk! LOL. Thank you for responding.


When we lived in Kampala I groomed Perry myself and always put the fur around the edge of the yard to try to keep snakes out (there were some poisonous ones and I didn't want them near Perry)


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## mudpuppymama (Mar 24, 2012)

Grans2Casey said:


> I think we have learned our lesson and my son is going to buy the equipment to do the trimming himself. Plus that way I will have the fur for my garden. It's the only thing I can put around my flowers to keep the rabbits from munching them down to a stalk! LOL. Thank you for responding.


Grooming myself has been a good decision for me. Good idea putting the fur around the garden! I have a deer problem vs. rabbits. Assume it should work for deer too. Although I recently decided to let Mia grow out. So all I have is butt and paw pad hair!!!! That may not be enough to deter anything!


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## Melissa Brill (Feb 22, 2017)

I don't mind grooming Perry myself and will definitely do it when we're outside the US. I might go back to it if we were in the US permanently (and had my grooming table and the rest of the supplies unpacked) - but I have to admit to really liking going to the groomers and having someone else do it - especially his nails . It helps that I like his groomer in the US (and that she works for my cousin so we get a very nice family discount so the cost is very very manageable).

As for whether it's the length or a razor burn - I'd vote razor burn. Perry has had parts shaved (for surgeries - so no razor burn from the vets) but from the groomer he's never been shaved BUT has been in a very short puppy cut (the smallest guide length) which is one step above shaving and he's never had any problem at all with being that length. I'm sure it's helped that I requested it and knew he was getting it (All normal here), but he's fine with it as well.


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## Sheri (Oct 11, 2008)

Just for the anecdotal info, I used to have a neighbor with a pekinese that got him cut real short every year, and every single time the dog hid under a bed for a couple WEEKS before he'd come out and participate in family life.


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## Grans2Casey (Apr 2, 2021)

Sheri said:


> Just for the anecdotal info, I used to have a neighbor with a pekinese that got him cut real short every year, and every single time the dog hid under a bed for a couple WEEKS before he'd come out and participate in family life.


Oh, no!


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## mudpuppymama (Mar 24, 2012)

For me, the main advantages of home grooming are convenience and avoidance of unnecessary vaccines. Mia needs her nails trimmed weekly and paw pads done at least every two weeks. I have not checked in a long time but my neighbor was trying to find a groomer recently who did not require her dog to be updated on vaccines and it was difficult. She said they all required bordatella. She finally found a mobile groomer who is ok without having the bordatella vaccine. I also have to admit I am a control freak when it comes to my dogs.

In addition, I have worked very hard for my dogs to love grooming and not taking any chances of something lessening that love! I know there are some very good groomers though and I can understand why home grooming is not for everyone.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Melissa Brill said:


> As for whether it's the length or a razor burn - I'd vote razor burn. Perry has had parts shaved (for surgeries - so no razor burn from the vets)


Although, the ONLY razor burn Kodi has ever had WAS from the vet... or rather the tech, when he was neutered... They went rather crazy shaving him for his neuter, shaving his entire sheath (TOTALLY unnecessary!) and WAY too close! It looked like he had a sunburn! He was licking like CRAZY, and it had NOTHING to do with his stitches, but the crazy-irritated skin on his poor sheathe!!! I took him back to the vet, who took one look, and although his remarks to me were rather mild, I suspect the tech got a rather stern talking to about the necessity of Brazilian trims for baby puppies! LOL!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

mudpuppymama said:


> For me, the main advantages of home grooming are convenience and avoidance of unnecessary vaccines. Mia needs her nails trimmed weekly and paw pads done at least every two weeks. I have not checked in a long time but my neighbor was trying to find a groomer recently who did not require her dog to be updated on vaccines and it was difficult. She said they all required bordatella. She finally found a mobile groomer who is ok without having the bordatella vaccine. I also have to admit I am a control freak when it comes to my dogs.
> 
> In addition, I have worked very hard for my dogs to love grooming and not taking any chances of something lessening that love! I know there are some very good groomers though and I can understand why home grooming is not for everyone.


I agree. If I had not found a friend who is also a show/sports trainer and ALSO a groomer who was willing to groom them in her home while I waited, I would still be doing them myself! I even trust her enough to leave them there when I need to at this point. (and that is STRONG praise from me, as anyone knows who knows what a control freak _I_ am about groomers! And I won't use ANYONE who will make me do any vaccines I don't do anyway!


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## Grans2Casey (Apr 2, 2021)

krandall said:


> I agree. If I had not found a friend who is also a show/sports trainer and ALSO a groomer who was willing to groom them in her home while I waited, I would still be doing them myself! I even trust her enough to leave them there when I need to at this point. (and that is STRONG praise from me, as anyone knows who knows what a control freak _I_ am about groomers! And I won't use ANYONE who will make me do any vaccines I don't do anyway!


This is what's so upsetting. We are worried that Casey's been traumatized by this groomer. He was so well socialized -- no problem at vet, lot's of personality, friendly toward everyone, runs to the front door when bell rings, etc. Hope he comes out of this -- he won't even let me look in his mouth and that was never a problem. I did get him to do two tricks today -- roll-over and dance. But generally he seems to have lost his spirit. Just wants to lie in his crate or his bed, or climb in my lap.


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## mudpuppymama (Mar 24, 2012)

Grans2Casey said:


> This is what's so upsetting. We are worried that Casey's been traumatized by this groomer. He was so well socialized -- no problem at vet, lot's of personality, friendly toward everyone, runs to the front door when bell rings, etc. Hope he comes out of this -- he won't even let me look in his mouth and that was never a problem. I did get him to do two tricks today -- roll-over and dance. But generally he seems to have lost his spirit. Just wants to lie in his crate or his bed, or climb in my lap.


I am so sorry to hear that Casey is so distressed. I don’t think he will be permanently traumatized by one bad experience. I would just make sure his next grooming experience is short and sweet and full of treats! Both my dogs were traumatized by their early grooming experiences and they had no permanent damage! It did take patience and lots of treats to get them to love grooming but they do great now. I would also try to comb and brush Casey regularly to keep him mat free. That is one thing I did wrong. I know I did not brush and comb Mia properly and she would get matted. Then the groomer probably had to get rough with her.


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## mudpuppymama (Mar 24, 2012)

krandall said:


> I agree. If I had not found a friend who is also a show/sports trainer and ALSO a groomer who was willing to groom them in her home while I waited, I would still be doing them myself! I even trust her enough to leave them there when I need to at this point. (and that is STRONG praise from me, as anyone knows who knows what a control freak _I_ am about groomers! And I won't use ANYONE who will make me do any vaccines I don't do anyway!


The Bordetella vaccine is what really gets me since it doesn’t really prevent it. It is such a farce. We have three dogs in our neighborhood who had the vaccine and came down with Bordatella. Two are adult dogs who got it while boarding. The third is a five month old standard poodle who got it at his first grooming session at a groomer who requires it. Urgh… The owner of the standard poodle puppy typically grooms her dogs herself but she is getting older and didn’t think she could handle it any longer, especially such a big dog with huge grooming requirements. Now she is rethinking that.


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## Melissa Brill (Feb 22, 2017)

mudpuppymama said:


> The Bordetella vaccine is what really gets me since it doesn’t really prevent it. It is such a farce. We have three dogs in our neighborhood who had the vaccine and came down with Bordatella. Two are adult dogs who got it while boarding. The third is a five month old standard poodle who got it at his first grooming session at a groomer who requires it. Urgh… The owner of the standard poodle puppy typically grooms her dogs herself but she is getting older and didn’t think she could handle it any longer, especially such a big dog with huge grooming requirements. Now she is rethinking that.


Our groomer only requires rabies vaccine not bordatella.

And the time Perry got kennel cough (from daycare when we were in DC for a few days) - he WAS vaccinated.

If our current groomer quit I would probably dig out our grooming gear (or more realistically, I'd wait til the rest of the family went to the new one to see what they thought before taking Perry  ).

The next grooming though is going to be interesting - I'm waiting til the vet says he's fully healed, but even then, I don't know how confident I'm going to be taking him to be groomed. While our groomer generally doesn't allow people to stay, she let me stay the last time (and I regularly hang out in the doorway while she finishes Perry) so I'm sure she wouldn't have a problem with me staying this time being the first after his surgery. I'd do it myself, but I'm really not sure which boxes his stuff are in - and while I did buy a small trimmer (it was only $10), I am not ready to get new equipment because I don't know where the old stuff is packed.


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## Grans2Casey (Apr 2, 2021)

mudpuppymama said:


> I am so sorry to hear that Casey is so distressed. I don’t think he will be permanently traumatized by one bad experience. I would just make sure his next grooming experience is short and sweet and full of treats! Both my dogs were traumatized by their early grooming experiences and they had no permanent damage! It did take patience and lots of treats to get them to love grooming but they do great now. I would also try to comb and brush Casey regularly to keep him mat free. That is one thing I did wrong. I know I did not brush and comb Mia properly and she would get matted. Then the groomer probably had to get rough with her.


Thank you for this reassurance.  My son says Casey seems a little better today. At least he's not under the bed like the Pekinese!


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## mudpuppymama (Mar 24, 2012)

Grans2Casey said:


> Thank you for this reassurance.  My son says Casey seems a little better today. At least he's not under the bed like the Pekinese!


Glad he is doing better. These guys are pretty tough. Mia has survived for 13 years with a clueless first time dog owner mom! Poor baby.


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## LeleRF (Feb 18, 2021)

Oh gosh I felt for little Casey reading through your posts 😞. I hope he will bounce back soon. I was glad to hear he has a vet appt in the off chance the grooming experience is coincidental with something else that could be going on medically. Please keep us posted!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

mudpuppymama said:


> The Bordetella vaccine is what really gets me since it doesn’t really prevent it. It is such a farce. We have three dogs in our neighborhood who had the vaccine and came down with Bordatella. Two are adult dogs who got it while boarding. The third is a five month old standard poodle who got it at his first grooming session at a groomer who requires it. Urgh… The owner of the standard poodle puppy typically grooms her dogs herself but she is getting older and didn’t think she could handle it any longer, especially such a big dog with huge grooming requirements. Now she is rethinking that.


The thing is, Kennel Cough is a “dog cold”. It is a whole bunch of diseases, NOT just Bordetella. So the vaccine does not protect against MOST of them. They are mild, and self limiting in most cases, unless your dog is very old, VERY young, or has underlying health challenges. Since it needs tone administered AT LEAST every 6 months to be protective against even the few strains it DOES protect against (and some vets will tell you every 4 months is better) That is a LOT of vaccines! Especially considering that my dogs, who are out and about to shows, trials and training facilities SEVERAL TIMES A WEEK for their entire lives, have NEVER gotten it. THINK how many vaccines they would have needed in that time? 

The OTHER thing they don't tell you is that the most common type of Bordatella vaccine, and the one with the least side effects for the dog it is given to, is the nasal spray. HOWEVER the problem with that one is that it is a modified live vaccine, and the dog is actually mildly CONTAGIOUS to dogs with a compromised immune system (for instance, old dogs, young dogs and those with certain cancers) for a period of time after receiving the vaccine!) 

The BEST way to protect your dog from Bordetella is do not let them share water dishes. Do not let them touch noses with other dogs outside your "safe circle" (think Covid precautions! LOL!), and STAY AWAY from dog parks!!!


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