I would not pluck the fur inside a chis ear, you can trim the inside hairs to be able to clean the ears better. As an x-groomer, I don't believe in plucking the hair inside of any dogs ears. Contrary to the old belief that it prevents infections, it doesn't, if anything it causes infections due to the excess powder that is put into the ears which clogs the pores from the plucked hair. Personally I feel that all of that powder they use never comes completely out of the ears and leads to early hearing loss too. And I feel plucking is cruel too.
You can trim the fur on the paws and on the pads, and around the butt if you want. If she has a real long rear skirt, you can trim that to the hocks (rear knees). No need to stress her out by sending her to a groomer, the chis are very easy to groom. Most LH chis only need a trimming every 4-5 weeks depending on how fast their fur goes. First, always brush and comb out your chi, Before you bathe her. Once you have rinsed the shampoo off of her several times, you can use a conditioner, to help keep the fur silky for a longer length of time and it prevents mats and knots. You can use any human grade conditioner. Put about a teaspoon in a small spritz bottle, then fill it up with water and shake, shake, shake, until it is all mixed and looks like cloudy water. Only give a couple of short sprays on body, her tail, and neck behind the ears, and chest, and under her belly. Rub it through out her body real good and then rinse, rinse, rinse! A groomer always rinses a dog 3x after the shampoo and 3x after the conditioner. Now you can blow dry her without any tugging on the fur and her fur will stand up nice and soft and fluffy. When you blow dry, keep the dryer far away from their body and constantly move the dryer back and forth (to prevent hot spots) while your other hand lightly brushes the fur in reverse so the warm air can dry the undercoat first. The proper way to groom any long fur dog is to use a fine tooth comb. First, brush the fur, using a boars soft brush, in the direction of the way the fur grows, then brush in reverse. You want to learn how to line-comb. That means that you start with the rear leg, Using your left hand, starting at the bottom of the leg, hold a small amount of fur upwards, and then using a fine tooth comb, like a metal flea comb, comb the section that is under your left hand, in a downward motion. Next release some more fur and comb that downward, keep going until you reach the top of the thigh. Now start at the bottom on their side, next to the leg and comb that the same way. You are coming the dog out line by line all around its body. It de-sheds the dog, and finds any snarls and dirt particles that are in the undercoat. Have fun! Peggy & The Girls -------Original Message------- From: joannleonard115 Date: 4/11/2012 11:33:55 AM To: [email protected] Subject: [Chihuahuas] Grooming for long haired Chi Hello all, Can anyone provide me with tips/suggestions for grooming my long haired Chi? He gets a bath about every three weeks, and brushed daily. He has no matts, and his hair is silky and soft. I'm just unsure if I should be trimming, for instance, the hair in and around his ears. Or how about the fur that gets long around his paws. I live in Michigan, and am having a hard time finding a groomer. Also, I think I would prefer to take care of him myself, unless I absolutely cannot. Thank you for any advice you may have, JoAnn Picasso- Chi Lyra- Chi Rev- Blue Healer
