Doggie ponytails

The picture from this thread (http://www.dog-forums.com/threads/food-time-is-sacred.1279/#post-10546) reminded me of a relative of mine who also puts ponytails in her dogs' hair. She likes how "cute" they look, but I tend to think it looks ridiculous instead. They're not babies!

Where do you stand? A lot of people don't like dying dogs or putting them in clothes, but do you think it's fine to add hairbands and whatnot?

 

My husband saw a dog at the mall recently that had a shirt on. He said "How would you feel if you were already wearing a fur coat and someone put a T-shirt over that?" I'm ok with the shirts if let's say the dog doesn't have a lot of fur and you are in a place that's really cold then maybe it would be for the best. But things that are impractical and may possibly hurt or make the dog uncomfortable is just not a good idea in my opinion. They don't appreciate looking pretty from our point of view. It would be selfish if we dress them up to make ourselves feel happy but it makes them uncomfortable. That of course is just my opinion.

 

Personally, I think that putting ponytails in dogs' hair is cute, it makes them look so adorable . Also, thanks to it they don't have problems with hair falling in their eyes - which is a really good thing. Unfortunately, Homer hates when I try to do something with his hair. He rolls and rolls until his hair becomes messy again

 

Tying up a dog's hair and putting a coat on it has to serve a bigger purpose than just to satisfy the owner's need to have a cute dog. In the case of long-haired breeds like the Shih Tzu, tying up the hair into a top knot is a very common way to keep the hair out of the eyes. The alternative would be to cut the hair over the eyes but that would spoil the look of the Shih Tzu. Adding colored ribbons and other trinkets are extras.

I don't remember my Shih Tzus getting excited over having their hair tied but I definitely remember Candy being excited when I bought her a new collar. It's not true to say that our dogs do not appreciate the pretty things which we buy for them.

 

LOL. Dieing and putting on crazy bows aren't for Chooey. I do make sweaters for the dogs during really cold seasons but that's as much as I can go.

Although have to admit, I am partially guilty of having fun with those rubber bands. That was back a couple of months when I didn't know what to do with her hair. Now, I have it cut short, like all her fur... I think the correct term is puppy cut.

As for my stand on rubber bands and clips, it definitely benefits some breeds. For instance, an Old English Sheepdog. These guys are normally left with the same cut all through out the year. And it just makes sense to put on a rubber band/clip on the hair that covers their eyes.



People who would rather have their Shih Tzus fur grown long (e.g. Breeders and Dog Handlers) also need to have it tied because it can block eye vision and even cause eye problems.

Also, some breeds require coats to keep them warm. Dogs like Italian Greyhounds and Whippets are some of these breeds.

Bottom line, it really depends on the breed.

 

I also think it looks cute for dogs with ponytails but I do not think it was good just for the sake of making the dog cute. If it is for the benefit of the dog like the statements above, it was just fine.

 

If Yorkies don't wear ponytails, they should have their hair shortened - otherwise they won't see anything.
Personally, I love how ponytails look but, like I said before, my Homer hates them too much