The BRIARD is a rutic, working dog and the correct coat texture is usually described as a goat's coat. It lies down flat, falling narurally in long, slightly waving locks with a natural part on the head and some tendency to part on the neck and back.
The BRIARD has a double coat. The outer coat is long and is not inclined to be shed. The undercoat is softer and about 7-11 cm long, it is shed out periodically and tends to cling to the outer coat instead of dropping off...
That's why the number 1 rule to success grooming your BRIARD is regularity.
You should groom your BRIARD at least once a week to protect him from getting serious mats.
The coat does not require trimming, and if any scissor work is done at all, it must never appear that the coat has been trimmed.
It is inexcusable to cut off the forelock or square it off with scissors. Even though the forelock sometimes can become too heavy. It should lightly veil the eyes but not obscure the vision or the shape of the head.
This is a fault which can be corrected by thinning the forelock. To do this, the hair should be combed back from the BRIARDS face and the underneath layers, especially between the eyes,cautiously thinned with thinning shears.
The top layers must NOT be cut but can be combed to reveal more eye.
The hardets time grooming your BRIARD is when your BRIARD reaches 9 - 18 months, thats when the puppy coat which is much softer than the adult coat starting to shed and serious matting can result if regular grooming is not pursued.
Once the adult coat is in it will be much easier to groom your BRIARD
REMEMBER - The BRIARD is a natural dog with a natural coat. |