Regardless of coat length, dogs shed constantly.? The longer the coat, the more the undercoat collects and then the fur looks mangey, not to mention the fact that the dogs skin can?t breath properly.? It?s so easy to take a few minutes every other day to just groom out or off the dead hair.? I always do this outside because then the fur blows away without ever traumatizing my vacuum cleaner and so that the birds have the chance to build their nests with it.?
For short haired dogs like Dalmations and Boxers this is equally important.? The curry brush which only costs about $6.00 is the best grooming tool the owner of a short coated dog will ever need and you would be amazed at the amount of fur that you can ?shed? off of your pet.? A slicker brush can finish the job beautifully and then you have a cleaner, better smelling pet!!?
For Labs, Shepherds,? Goldens, Huskys and any dog with an undercoat the FURminator is the best invention on the planet.? I Furminated my neighbors yellow lab and it looked like a pollen explosion because I got so much hair off of her and the wind blew it all over the yard and 20 feet in the air.? Chloe was thrilled to have the attention and I got to indulge my ?brushaholicness? so everybody won!!? I should add that the curry brush is great on labs as well.? You can also use it when you give them a bath as a scrubbing tool to get them cleaner.?
Bae has a longer coat so for her I have a couple of tools.? I have a mat rake, a slicker brush, a comb and a Furminator.? I keep them in a cute little bag and I try to groom her a little bit at least every other day because she is a fur producing machine and getting behind means more work later.? I take the bag with me to the park sometimes because brushing her out in the middle of a field breaks up our walks and when she?s over the top shedding I could brush her all day and never stop getting hair off of her.?
If your dog is a fluff-n-stuff who needs to get their hair ?done? at the salon you can still comb them out between groomings.? You may want to ask your groomer for the best kind of tool and for tips on combing out your dog especially if it is a poodle or a bichon or a terrier.?? When your dog visits the groomer the experience will be so much better if he/she is walking in without a lot of mats or tangles.?Most of us brush our hair daily and the same standard should be applied to pets.? It takes hardly any time and you will notice a difference.? Plus, it can be a kind of bonding experience with your pets.? I always suggested this to my dog adopters as a way for them to begin creating a bond with their new dogs.?
Emily on September 7th 2007 in Dog Grooming
You only need three ingredients to fix what the skunk broke in how your dog smells.
- Dawn Dish Washing Liquid ( the best for cutting grease )
Place the *offending* dog in the bathtub while you make a paste of the baking soda and the dish washing liquid. Then, add enough peroxide to bring the solution to a shampoo like consistency. The trick is to paste the potion on the parts of the dog that were hit by the skunk and rub them well before you rinse them off.? Since most dogs get sprayed in the face area you will need to be careful not to get the mixture in your dogs eyes.
And now for the funny story and lets face it, what is funnier than somebody else’s dog getting sprayed by a skunk. ?My Aunt Ruthie called me a few weeks ago sounding oddly anxious and I asked her if I could call her back and she belted out “No, this is an emergency, Spencer has been sprayed by a skunk!” Now, Ruthie is a very organized and unflappable individual who hardly ever has anything happen outside of her plans so this *newly scented dog* thing was way outside of her very beautifully planned existence…..but she’s tough. My Uncle Grahm on the other hand always kind of expects things to “happen” and he always thinks he has the best plan for confronting the slings and arrows of life and dog ownership.
This was a terrifying experience for both of them. My Uncle was preparing to wage war and my Aunt was taking copious notes and preparing to follow the directions. The entire project was doomed from the beginning but fortunately Spencer is a wonderful and patient and loving dog who bore with them through it all.
I called in to check on them because I couldn’t stand not knowing how things were going and at the beginning it sounded like all was on track. Ruthie was working on the recipe and Grahm had Spence in the tub. And then Ruthie told me that Grahm had saturated Spencer in the Dawn and she was having trouble making the potion and as I was trying to understand how this was going so wrong so fast she put the peroxide and baking soda on Spence only and when I asked her why she didn’t follow the directions she?yelled out half hysterically that “your uncle has covered Spencer in bubbles and I don’t want to put any more on him!!”
Needless to say I got off the phone so there would be on less voice in this drama And the fantastic news is that somehow they managed to get all the skunk off of their little prince and my Uncle commented on how clean the bathtub was after their little adventure.
Emily on September 6th 2007 in Dog Grooming
The FURminator is only the one of the best dog grooming tool you will ever buy and it pays for itself each time you ‘Furminate’ your dog outside. Currently, it’s saving vacuum cleaners all over the country as well as indulging “brushaholics” like myself by making our pets gorgeous.
Having your dog FURminated sounds like you’re putting them through some sort of Willy Wonka machine but it’s the complete opposite. Angie Porter, a dog groomer, and her husband David invented the FURminator because Angie wanted to have a tool that would pre-shed her four legged clients coats without cutting the hair of the dog. It’s actually a very simple tool that looks like a rake comb with very short teeth. Initially Angie used it for her grooming business only but as soon as they began marketing it the FURminator sold wildly. Once you see the difference it makes in your dog and by extension your home you’re hooked!
How funny and what great timing! I just got a call from a friend of mine who bought the FURminator for her Golden, Sadie, and she’s in love. She said that Sadie looks 10 pounds lighter. She made one mistake and tried it out in the kitchen of her home instead of outside. She got so excited she forgot to go outside and her ceiling fan helped frost her house with Sadie’s fur. Note to all, never FURminate inside near a fan!!
It comes in small/medium/large. I would recommend the small or medium for most dogs. My friend Pam (groomer) only uses the small because she says that she can handle it the best when she’s working. I would suggest the large only for dogs like Newfies or Pyrs or other giant breeds.
Emily on September 3rd 2007 in Dog Grooming
