Grooming Herding Group Breeds (page 2 of 2)

A Border Collie, an Australian Shepherd, a Rough Collie and a Corgi, weather-resistant coats built to sit outdoors

What these breeds have in common

The Herding Group holds the breeds that move livestock: Border Collies, Australian Shepherds, Rough and Smooth Collies, German Shepherds, Pembroke and Cardigan Welsh Corgis, Shetland Sheepdogs, Old English Sheepdogs and the Belgian breeds.

Unlike the Hound Group, this one is genuinely predictive. These dogs were bred to work outdoors in weather for long hours, and almost all of them carry a double coat built for exactly that: a dense insulating undercoat with a weather-resistant top coat over it.

They are not clipped, they blow coat twice a year, and the mats form in the same three places on nearly every one of them.

What this group means for grooming

Weather-resistant double coats built to sit outdoors. Never clipped down, and the undercoat behind the ears mats first.

What actually decides the grooming

The coat type, not the group. It sets the tools, the interval and the price, and two dogs in this group can need completely different appointments.

Never clipped, and the reason is not tradition

A herding coat is doing a job that has nothing to do with length. The undercoat traps air and insulates in both directions, and the guard hairs above it shed rain and block sun. A dog carrying that coat is better regulated in August than a shaved one is.

A clipper cannot distinguish the two layers. It removes the guard hairs completely, leaves most of the insulating undercoat against the skin, and hands you the worst of both: no sun protection, no water resistance, and the heat trapping layer still in place. On many of these breeds the guard hairs then regrow slowly, unevenly or not at all, and the coat that fills in is woolly and mats far more readily than the original.

The Old English Sheepdog is the exception that proves the rule, and only in practice rather than in principle: its coat is so profuse that many owners keep it in a short pet trim, accept the change in texture, and consider that a fair trade. That is a deliberate decision with a known cost, not a summer haircut.

What to ask for instead when a dog is genuinely struggling in the heat is on the double coat page, and it is a real answer rather than a refusal.

The undercoat behind the ears mats first, every time

Ask any groomer where a Border Collie or a Sheltie mats and you will get the same answer in the same order.

Behind and under the ears comes first, always. The hair there is finer than the body coat, the ear moves constantly, and a collar or harness strap works against it. On a Rough Collie or a Sheltie the ruff behind the ear is dense enough that a mat can be the size of a golf ball before anything shows from above.

Then the trousers on the backs of the thighs, which rub against each other with every stride. Then the tail, particularly on the heavily feathered breeds. Then the armpits, then the chest ruff.

Check by pushing the coat backward and looking at the skin rather than by running a brush over the top. A brush passes cleanly over a coat that is felted underneath, which is why owners who brush daily are still surprised. If a comb will not reach skin, or the coat feels solid rather than springy when pressed, a mat is forming.

Five minutes a week on those five spots with an undercoat rake and a comb is worth more than an hour of general brushing.

A working coat living in a centrally heated house

These coats evolved on dogs that lived outdoors and experienced a real change of season. A herding dog in a modern house does not, and it shows up in the coat.

Constant indoor temperature and artificial light blur the signals that trigger a coat blow, so instead of two decisive sheds a year, many house-living herding dogs shed moderately all year round and never fully clear the old undercoat. That retained undercoat is what mats, and it is why a dog that never seems to blow coat can still be carrying a felted layer.

The practical answer is a proper deshedding appointment on a schedule rather than waiting for a visible blow: a bath, a conditioner, and a high velocity dryer to drive the loosened undercoat out. Two to four times a year suits most of these dogs, more if you would rather not vacuum daily.

The other consequence is worth mentioning because it gets blamed on grooming. Heavy year-round shedding, thinning coat or bald patches outside the usual pattern are a veterinary conversation, not a grooming one. Thyroid problems, allergies and parasites all show in the coat first, and German Shepherds and Collies see their share.