Haircut Blues?

[Kathy]

OK, so I know this sounds silly but...  Roxie was groomed yesterday.  She was a hairy mess AND she's not yet shedding her puppy coat AND she had mats AND summer is coming AND if I'm going to pay for grooming I get them cut short and then let them grow and grow and grow.  So Roxie came home clipped very short (not shaved to the skin, but short - about 1/4-1/2").  She knows and likes the groomer, but she's been cowering, shivery, tail down between her legs, not confident, not herself - what's going on?  She was so fluffed out because of all the hair she now looks half her size - is she feeling small?  What do dogs know/perceive about haircuts?  Do dogs have a self image?  Does having a new 'do bum them out?

 

 

[Kathy]

well, i think she looks a little bobble-headed, but she's so cute anyway and i don't get my knickers in a twist over how they look so i don't really care.  but she is very much not herself and i'm trying to figure out what might be going on.  if it's not the cut  - and of course you're right, she's got no sense of what she looks like - do you think she could just feel smaller and more vulnerable?

[Bonnie and Kona]

Just wondering if you checked to see if she was nicked on her sanitary trim. That could cause the behavior you have described.  She is beautiful either way.

[Camilla and Darwin]

I agree, this is what I was thinking. She might have been nicked/burned by the clippers and that is painful. Perhaps that is why she is moving gingerly.

[Lynda Kamrath]

She looks great.  It will grow in all too soon.  I sure wouldn't worry about it.  You may be paying too much attention to the cut and she knows something is up.  Let it be.

[Susan and Sasha]

I think she looks adorable with her new short cut!

It will grow in so fast...she'll be needing a trim before you know it.

I don't think it's the cut that is causing the change in her.

Check her over...to make sure that she doesn't have razor burn anywhere...etc..

If she is still acting this way tomorrow...I would give the groomer a call...just to see if anything happened while she was being groomed. 

If you or your family were surprised with the cut...and she sensed that...sometimes they could pick up on that. 

In the meantime...let her know that you think she looks beautiful...and give her lots of hugs and love!

It's interesting...each pup is different...

I remember years ago...my parents had a mini poodle...and they got her groomed...short!

When she came home...she actually hid under the sofa for a day...until she got used to the cut...and felt more comfortable...after lots of hugs and praise.

Then again...when I had to get Sasha shaved down after the "dreaded coat change",,,it was as though she didn't even know that she got a haircut!!

She acted completely normal...

Interesting

Keep us posted...

[Sharon & Monty]

i think their behavior is from the stress of being groomed. Groomers handle our dogs different than we do., Our groomer said it took her and hour and half to brush Monty out! holy cow, I would have only been able to brush out about 1/4 of him over that time! But this is Monty's third groomer((and I like her a lot) he was not stressed out this time, simply exhausted after 5 hours. so......next time I'm having him brushed out, the next week we will go get him cut. It's a learning experience to be sure. I trim Monty, do his nails, trim eyes, feet etc. but I"ve had to admit I cant keep up. As for self image.......I dunno. When Monty was shaved to the bone he would not look at me for two days....

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Sharon as far as I know you have to brush out before you cut, so I would assume Monty would need to be brushed and combed before he is cut whether you have it done the week before or not.  Perhaps your groomer is different or Ned and Monty have very different coats, but this how it is with Ned.

[Pat and Traveler]

Trav was the same after he got trimmed really short.  He slunk around, head and tail down, acted like all his confidence and pep were gone.  Strange.  But he's very sensitive, and I was shocked by his appearance, so he probably picked up on that, even though I tried really hard to show nothing but love, praise and affection, and complemented him often on his velvety coat. 

[Kyoko]

I think she looks really cute! I always thought that Charlie was a bit cold after the hair cut. She curls up into a ball and goes to sleep once she get cut down pretty short....I put a sweater or shirt on her so she would not be too cold. Also they can be stressed being there at the groomers for few hours....

[Debb, Lucy & Oscar]

Roxie looks adorable! All I can imagine is she's either cold or just 'feels' different after having all that hair cut off and isn't sure how to respond. Also, as someone else mentioned, she could have been nicked or burned in the grooming process. Lucy never acted differently after her too-close shave... although we sure did! LOL! I just checked your page and see you have double doodles. I'm not sure I've ever seen or even heard of a double doodle, but I think its a pretty cool idea. And your 2 'sisters' are very sweet!

[Lynn D.]

I just gave Echo a shave. It's the first time I have groomed him myself. But it was totally necessary! He has just had the worst month. About 2 weeks ago the vet shaved his back left leg, then Echo had to have surgery twice- so they shaved a ring on his frint right leg to start an IV. JUST prior to him going to the Vet, I had begun trimming him down so that I could then give him a bath but found an abscess the size of a small grapefruit. The over the past 2 days he vomited 5 times, twice at night so it dried to his fur. I should not have bathed him as it hasn't been 10 days from his second surgery and he has stiches. But my whole house stinks! I just couldn't take it anymore.

Before:

After:

 

Notice the ears are a different length. That is my signature move. And the hatchet job on his legs was my bad as well. Oh well it will grow back eventually. I know everyone at the Vet's office will be disappointed that I took off the poof on the top of his head. It made him look really smart.

[Kathy]

Thank you one and all for your comments!  I agree that she's just not feeling like herself.  Also, Casey wasn't cut down as much (light trim, as she is shedding her puppy coat) so with Roxie cut so short she now sees that she is MUCH smaller than Casey - that's got to be disconcerting.

 

Happy April Fool's Day - we've got snow!  The happiness of snow banished all thoughts of feeling/looking funny and she's more like her happy self.

 

Also - how do you get your pics incorporated into the message - mine just show up as attachments.

 

Thanks,

Kathy