Hair in the eyes

Yesterday we went out with all the dogs before it heat up. Typically my husband takes Luke and I take the girls. Tilley walks so extremely slow now that no one really gets any exercise; it's basically an outing. Outings are good and the girls are old enough that an outing does them well. But Luke needs to run bigtime. Anyway while we were at the park a couple walked by us with an OES (Old english sheepdog). This is one breed that you don't see around too often and this one had his coat intact. Most OES's that you see around are shaved but this guy was sporting his full coat and he could not see; that is what I want to discuss.

Anyone with a full face coated breed who has been one of my clients knows that I am extremely fussy about hair in eyes. My thing is that if you can't see your dogs eyes; they can't see. I have never understood the concept behind these breeds who have hair in their eyes to standard being able to see through a wall of hair. The fact is that a dog cannot see if they have hair covering their eyes; and such a sad way for any dog to live. The hair over their eyes can also cause constant eye infection occurance and should be kept out of their eyes. But be cautioned: Vets state that a dog who has had a constant covering of the eyes will be extremely sensitive to light if the hair is removed so you should discuss the process first with your own veterinarian.

The best thing to do with any dog who has a full face of hair is to keep the hair clipped short around the eyes from a young age. This will ensure that they do not become light sensitive and give them the whole view of the world around them. I am constantly holding up my poodles heads so that I can look clearly down their muzzle into their eyes. This lets me know if there is any hair impairing their vision and if so it is quickly removed. I have been told many times that a guardians dog can see just fine through all that hair; when the fact is that there is no miracle dog who can see through a solid wall of hair. They simply cannot see.