Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier Forum:
shaved

we have a 9-month-old wheaten puppy. after a combination of events--vacation, neutering--he developed some bad mats on chest, head and paws. our groomer went the full monty and shaved him completely. any advice on what to do next? were giving the little guy lots of positive reinforcement about his new "summer look." were applying sunsreen for his four daily walks and/or playing in the backyard. how quickly will the hair grow back, and will the texture be different? i had heard you should "never shave a wheaten." drake the cat

There is shaving and there is shaving, did your groomer take him down real close to the skin or did she leave at least a quarter to half inch of hair. If he is shaved all the way down, sking protection for a little while is a good thing, after the hair starts coming out he should be okay. The hair will grow back and he should have a decent looking coat within 6 weeks and a nice full coat in another 6. While he is growing out be very careful to keep up the grooming, check every few days for the start of mats and keep even the short hair brushed and combed or mats will form. They seem to form even faster in the short hair especially on the hips and legs. He will be beautiful again.

Thanks for the response. He was shaved pretty much down to the nub. Were counting the days for the hair to grow and will keep a close eye on it for mats. This shaving experience just makes us love our pretty dog even more.

Oour "Shelby" had to be shaved this summer too. I combed her all the time but once a mat started they just grew and grew. None of us liked the new look at all at first, she looked like a lamb but its been two months and she looks beautiful. Her hair is soft, kinda wavy and fluffy. Dont know if we will have her go long again. We do like the puppu cut better than the wheaten cut so we keep her face full. Arent wheatens the best? we want to add of our family soon. Shelby will be one at the end of this month.

Wheatens are wonderful, a deal of work on the coats but definitely worth every minute of it. Remember that if a mat has started and you give your baby a bath it will set the mat harder, so remember to get those mats out before the bath. It is considerably easier to keep a pet in a little shorter cut, but it is best if you can find a groomer that will either scissor cut or use clippers with combs and not take them all the way down to the skin.