What can I do about Harry's looong pants?

[Elle]

HeyChis has been so quiet lately, that I've actually put this up somewhere else as well, in case it doesn't get seen here

Anyway, the issue is this... I love Harry's pants, but they have become a problem. His fur has grown so long that his pants drag along the ground, getting wet and muddy etc. Here's a pic taken a few months ago when they weren't quite as long:



But far worse than that, EVERY single time he poops, as he squats, the poop lands ON his fur. Even when the poop is totally 'dry', it still rolls down and is in contact along his fur pants. And depending on how many dandelions or leaves he's managed to grab when I haven't been looking, his poop is quite often slightly 'sticky' and then I have the wonderful job of having to clean his pants. Neither of us enjoys that!

I've had to get him to use puppy pads indoors again, most of the time, as at least I can deal with the problem straight away. Having to clean him up AFTER he's been running round the house with bits of poop attached to him, is not my idea of using my energy efficiently!

I love his pants, but I think maybe I really need to trim them. Does anyone have any other solutions? (Apart from plaiting them, or creating pigtails!!)

[Sarah]

Oh Elle his coat is beautiful!!!!! Daisy has pants like that!!! If his stools are correct consistency he shouldn't get poo pants but you can sanitary shave! Oh his coat is amazing

[Elle]

Thanks Sarah... I love his coat too, which is why I don't want to have to trim his pants

Even when his poop is exactly right (which is more often than not), it still rolls ON that fur and then he's jumping up on my lap and waving his rear in my face a short time later Not to mention that he has a penchant for tunnelling in my bed at first light, now that the weather is getting cooler! I have to confess to being a bit faeces-phobic... why d'ya think I wanted a Chihuahua (smallest amount of doggie-doo!) in the first place, lol!

What's the story with autumn shedding? If you remember, last year he got Seasonal Canine Illness and shed a lot of his fur when he got sick, so he went through the winter looking a bit naked and didn't get his full coat back til the summer. Did he lose all that fur just because of his health, or will he get a bit naked again soon anyway?

I know his granddad is an Aussie, but getting a thick coat in summer and then losing it for the winter is just plain daft. What is Mother Nature thinking!! ;D

(But if he's about to shed a lot of it again, then I won't worry about the poop-on-the-pants thing for the moment.)

[Kristi]

I would trim, but that's just me. Its the thought that poop has been all oer that gets me too, just like you said!

[Elle]

Yes Kristi It does bug me... ewww! Even when there's nothing visible, I often wipe the fur with a baby wipe afterwards. Maybe I should have got a smooth coat! ;-)

[Sarah]

Mine shed a little in autumn then the winter coat comes in but tbh the weather has been weird this year so I'm not sure how it'll happen

[Elle]

So the shedding is affected by the weather then? I know it 'should' be... but things don't always work as they 'should' do, do they?

I think I'm gonna have to find some pics of a 'poop shoot' that's been done well. If I have to do it, I want as little as possible off, I really don't want to trim that gorgeous fur

[lisajazz]

I love Harry's pants!