CsV Coat Care

I'm curious as to the coat care CsVs take. I know they have a double coat, with the summer coat being drastically different in terms of undercoat from the winter one. I'm wondering, how often should a CsV owner brush/comb their dogs, and how often do you bathe them? How is the condition of the coat approached in the show ring?

I have a Siberian Husky that we rescued, and I bathe him about every 5 weeks. I know this isn't really in keeping in tune with the breed standard, as the dogs are supposed to have a more natural coat, but I find it's easier for me to keep up on his shedding this way. He also doesn't have the coat he's supposed to, it's much too soft, but this isn't from the bathing, it's just the way his coat is. I know CsVs have a much more resilient, weatherproof coat. I'm just wondering how much effort on the owner's part there is in maintaining it.

[Grin]

Originally Posted by Vicky

I'm just wondering how much effort on the owner's part there is in maintaining it.

The answer is (in our case and the cases I know) - almost none.
The less you wash CsW the better. Their coat has a fascinating quality to be... "selfcleaning". During 5 months Łowca has been with us, we washed him only once and that was because he came back home smelling so abominably that it was impossible to endure it. (all the more - he sleeps in our bed with us. ). And I can tell you, he looked a little bit strange after he dried up. Surely the CsW coat doesn't like the shampoo...
As to the combing - yes of course, but no exaggeration is necessary

Really whan I see (for example during shows) what is done with some other breeds I'm happy I have a CsW. (Of course not only becase of that ).

[tupacs2legs]

hi
i also have siberians.you really are bathing your husky too often.with most working breeds their coat has oils to weatherproof them ,bathing them will strip their coats of this ,also bathing too often also upsets the skin.twice a year if that, would suffice.also you say your huskys coat is to soft is he neutered? as this can affect the coat.i plan never to bathe my csv if i can avoid it i do brush him though(more for a bonding thing)

[Navarre]

I brush them twice a year, when they change their coat.

I wash them only when they roll on something of a bad taste...

[saschia]

hi, avoid bathing wolfdog with shampoos. My wolfdog loves to swim in water and she can swim also in winter due to her good coat. So to help shedding, just let your dog swim in a clean (= not smelling, but it can be muddy, just normal water in nature) and that is enough, it helps the coat to loosen the dead hair.

What helped me when my dog was very smelly was bathing her not with shampoo but with female hygiene soap (with low pH below 5.0 if possible) - it helped the smell a lot but didn't take out the oils, as I didn't need to use much of it.

[Vaiva]

My dog was last time bathed with shampoo a year ago. A day before yesterday I had a not so rare possibility to take my shoes off, step into a little stream, take my dog together and wash the cow's shit out of her coat (I had to walk many km's from the place we were at the moment to my home - by feet and through all the city ) About three hours after washing cow's shit out of Brukne's coat in stream, a man in a street, interested in that beautiful creature was huging her and very surprised, she has no smell at all
The most important part of the wolfdog's coat care is... vacum cleaning your home about every other day and shaking the sheets well before putting them into the washing mashine

Originally Posted by tupacs2legs

hi
i also have siberians.you really are bathing your husky too often.with most working breeds their coat has oils to weatherproof them ,bathing them will strip their coats of this ,also bathing too often also upsets the skin.twice a year if that, would suffice.also you say your huskys coat is to soft is he neutered? as this can affect the coat.i plan never to bathe my csv if i can avoid it i do brush him though(more for a bonding thing)

I know I "should" be bathing my husky less, but it's the best way I have to help with his shedding. I have nowhere around here that would be an easy way for him to get wet (which I know would help, and help keep him clean) and even if I did, he's a big sissy when it comes to water and wouldn't voluntarily go swimming. I happen to be a dog groomer, so it's really easy for me to take him to work and bathe him there, and then blow him out with the high velocity dryer which pushes out the undercoat that's shedding. I also use a very mild shampoo, that doesn't dry out skin or fur at all, and actually helps replace the oils that he's loosing by his bath. Also, he is neutered, but he wasn't neutered until late (I think he was about 3). Seeing other neutered huskies, though, I know it's just that he doesn't have the coat he should have. Obviously, there is a huge problem in the US with people breeding dogs they shouldn't, and our husky does not at all fit with the breed standard, and his coat is part of that. However, we just rescued him as a family pet, not as a breeding dog, so we don't care at all

Thanks for all the tips on the CsV coat, everyone! Hopefully by the time I'm in a position to get a CsV, I'll have an easy way to get my dogs wet without actually using shampoo, that would be my goal. It does seem like an easier coat to keep than my husky's, too, which is nice. It's great that their coats have been kept so natural!

[saschia]

Why don't you just not use shampoo when bathing him? And I wouldn't use the hair-dryer too. After drying out naturally the undercoat creates kind of "lumps" or "puffs" which can be taken out by hand or by brushing very easily. Try it for couple of weeks and give your dog some sunflower oil in food, you might see a change.

Since it's not my shop, I don't want to blast dirty dog water everywhere! The dryer I use doesn't use heat or anything, it's only a hose with a nozzle on the end that forces air through it, so it dries the coat fast, and blasts out water and hair. Believe me, I know about those tufts of fur you're talking about, this way is MUCH easier and keeps Buddy much more comfortable!

Also, he shouldn't need the sunflower oil, his coat does produce the oils he needs, he gets everything from the food he eats. He actually does have a lovely shine to his coat, and it's very healthy, it just doesn't grow as it should for the breed standard.

[Bugle]

Originally Posted by Vicky

I know I "should" be bathing my husky less, but it's the best way I have to help with his shedding. I have nowhere around here that would be an easy way for him to get wet (which I know would help, and help keep him clean) and even if I did, he's a big sissy when it comes to water and wouldn't voluntarily go swimming. I happen to be a dog groomer, so it's really easy for me to take him to work and bathe him there, and then blow him out with the high velocity dryer which pushes out the undercoat that's shedding. I also use a very mild shampoo, that doesn't dry out skin or fur at all, and actually helps replace the oils that he's loosing by his bath. Also, he is neutered, but he wasn't neutered until late (I think he was about 3). Seeing other neutered huskies, though, I know it's just that he doesn't have the coat he should have. Obviously, there is a huge problem in the US with people breeding dogs they shouldn't, and our husky does not at all fit with the breed standard, and his coat is part of that. However, we just rescued him as a family pet, not as a breeding dog, so we don't care at all

Thanks for all the tips on the CsV coat, everyone! Hopefully by the time I'm in a position to get a CsV, I'll have an easy way to get my dogs wet without actually using shampoo, that would be my goal. It does seem like an easier coat to keep than my husky's, too, which is nice. It's great that their coats have been kept so natural!

Vicki : do you feed raw? I found with my previous dog that once I switched him on to the BARF diet, his shedding stopped. Your husky does seem to be over-shedding, he should only moult once or twice a year at the most. If you already are feeding him on raw, then ignore this post. If not, you may like to look into it ! Hope this helps.

[tupacs2legs]

i would think carefully before feeding raw to a sibe,they can have VERY sensitive tums