Shaving A Keeshond – The Lion’s Cut
Keep in mind that the coat affords protection for the dog as well as acts as a source of pride. For this reason I would not recommend anything other than a “Lion’s Cut” which leaves the mane, tail and foreleg feathering intact. The body coat is shaved no shorter than one inch so as to protect the dog from sunburn or skin cuts.
The breed generally identifies itself with its tail and mane and that is why I would not recommend shaving these off. We tried that once on a male of ours and he was so traumatized by the experience it took him several weeks to recover his sense of self-worth.
If coat texture is important to you, do not shave your Keeshond’s coat as generally the coat that grows back is of a very different texture, much softer.
We have found that the Keeshond coat is very difficult for most clippers to handle effectively. We use the Oster Groom-Master with the Coarse blade, which works very well. My Laube clippers can not handle the job, the blade continually catches in the hair.
If you live in our area of
Southern California and are looking for someone to groom your dog, check out our Grooming Services at Cari-On Kennels, where
Keeshonden are our specialty!