I started writing this in answer to a post elsewhere, but we're so far off the original topic, I figured I'd put it up here instead. Relevant grooming info under the cut.
Disclaimers: I'm not a pro groomer. My experience is based on a couple of years spent with a pro show groomer, many discussions with show dog handlers, and my own trial-and-error. This info is applicable to grooming many types of double-coated dog, like huskies or malamutes.
I am not affiliated with any of these companies, nor do I get any kickback if you buy their products. These are just what I've learned to trust.
More under the cut:
( Read more... )
Start by giving Chris Christensen Systems (http://www.chrissystems.com/) a call and describing your dog's coat exactly. Their brushes are expensive -- $30+ per brush or comb -- but they're amazing for a reason. The metal pins are all rounded and ground smooth. You can drag one of their brush down the inside of your forearm and not look and feel like you've been attacked by an angry hedgehog, in comparison to the $5 brushes you get at Petsmart.
For Bucky, I use:
- Wood pin brush (http://www.chrissystems.com/tools/wood-pin.aspx): Only ever use a wood pin brush on wet fur. Never use metal or you risk breaking the fur.
- Ice Slip Dematting Brush (http://www.chrissystems.com/tools/specialty-brushes.aspx): After he's 100% dry, I back-comb with this. Back-combing is where you start at the butt and use your free hand to fold the fur in the opposite direction (towards the head). Then you comb what little fur is exposed. Move towards the head a tiny bit at a time (1/4-1/2 inches) to make sure you comb the entire undercoat. This will probably require multiple sessions, bribes for the dog (a peanut butter Kong or a dried hoof filled with frozen ground beef, for example), anti-inflammatories for your wrists, and possibly some Xanax or alcohol (for you, not the dog).
- 7.5 inch #000 fine/coarse comb (http://www.chrissystems.com/tools/combs.aspx): As soon as I find a mat in the undercoat, I use the end pin of the coarse side to tease through the mat. Usually I can coax the mat out this way. Then, after I complete back-combing, I go back over his entire coat with the coarse side, then the fine side, to make sure I didn't miss any mats. Tiny mats grow up to be big mats, and big mats are the real problem, causing hot spots and skin infections, and possibly requiring a shave, which means the coat won't grow back the same.
Shampoo & ConditionerHere's where you're again going to want to talk to Chris Christensen Systems.
Bucky has an extremely downy, fluffy undercoat and long, straight guard hairs. There's no curl to his fur at all. For him, I had been using Espree Oatmeal & Baking Soda shampoo, Espree Remoisturizing conditioner, and Chris Christensen White On White whitening shampoo.
However, it wasn't giving me the results I wanted, so I switched him to their Ice On Ice shampoo (http://www.chrissystems.com/bathe/ice-on-ice-shampoo.aspx). It's a miracle in a bottle. This stuff includes Moroccan Argan Oil, which apparently coats each strand to prevent mats. I didn't believe it until I tried it. I gave him a quick bath (using only the Ice on Ice shampoo and the Espree conditioner) and blow dry, and then blocked out an entire day to comb him out. I was shocked when I found only a handful of tiny mats from the blow drying.
BUT.
What's good for the Bucky is not good for the Xena. As a borzoi, she's going to have a long, silky coat that's anywhere between wavy and curly. The Argan oil will weigh down her fur, so they suggested using either their Spectrum One (usually used for poodles or for borzoi with extreme curls) or their Spectrum Ten (for borzoi with a gentler curl/wave) shampoo/conditioner.
For both of them, I use Espree Foaming Facial Cleanser on their faces (https://smile.amazon.com/Espree-Oatmeal-Baking-Facial-Cleanser/dp/B003Z0PLOC/) very, very carefully.
Groomer tip: Save the Espree bottle. Sometimes you get one with a defective pump, so it's always nice to have one with a pump that you know works.
Dematting/detangling, dirt-resistance, and long-term conditioningMy go-to spray for dematting is Chris Christensen's Ice On Ice Ultra (http://www.chrissystems.com/treatments/ice-on-ice-ultra.aspx). Saturate the mat with this, rub it in with your fingers, let it sit for a few minutes (or thirty seconds if you're easily bored), and then work the mat free with the end of your coarse comb.
I also do a general full-body misting with this stuff, especially on Bucky's feathers -- that's the fluffy fur at his butt and along the backs of his legs and underside of his tail, where the guard coat isn't as thick. It's pretty good for preventing mats from forming later and also good for sealing the fur against dirt penetration, but its real strength is as a leave-in conditioner.
For my dirt-magnet, Hurricane Xena, I'll be using The Stuff (https://smile.amazon.com/d/Dog-Conditioners/Stuff-Dog-Concentrate-Conditioner-Bottle/B0012GK4BG/). No seriously, that's what it's called: The Stuff.
It's a 15:1 concentrate, so you'll want to buy an empty spray bottle to mix it. You'll also want to be VERY careful to clean the floor around where you spray. The Stuff is incredibly slippery, so any overspray can end up killing someone if it's on a hard floor.
You can use it to saturate mats, but it really shines when you do a full-body spray onto a dry coat, then brush it through. When the pup gets dirty, let the dirt dry, then brush it out. Most if not all of the dirt (and theoretically poop) should just fall right out.
Rinseless/dry shampooAgain, my go-to is Chris Christensen's Show-Off (http://www.chrissystems.com/bathe/show-off.aspx). When I took Bucky to the RT Booklovers Convention, I carried a tiny bottle of this for touch-ups. Spray it in, rub to lather, then wipe off. It worked pretty well on his feet. However, since then, Chris Systems has come up with other formulas, so I'd call and talk about your specific dog.
A borzoi breeder I know also suggested Cowboy Magic Greenspot Remover (https://cowboymagic.com/products/cowboy-magic-greenspot-remover/). It's formulated for horses, but it also works on people and dogs as a rinseless bath. She uses it on her older borzoi who can't pee right and sometimes end up soiling their inner legs/bellies.
Other toolsHere's where you can spend as much or as little as you like, and where things get complicated.
Recirculating bath system:
Because I'm dealing with a double-coated dog the size of a small horse, I don't want to use a squeeze bottle to apply shampoo to his whole coat, then rub it in by hand. Bathing him properly (two shampoos, possibly whitening shampoo, and conditioner) takes HOURS to do this way. You can buy a recirculating bath system from a grooming supplier for $450 or so, or you can build your own. Pick up a cheap sump pump from amazon, buy a remote power switch, and then go to your local Grainger or other hardware store and ask about couplers and hoses.
You need the remote power switch (or foot-operated power switch, though those are more expensive) because sump pumps are "always-on" machines. Normally they're wired so a float turns them on when it reaches a certain level. You want to be able to control it with a button or switch.
To use it, plug your bathtub and fill it with about an inch of water. Add concentrated shampoo (you'll get a feel for how much you need). Put in the sump pump/hose. When you turn on the pump, it'll suck in the water and shampoo and blast it out through the hose at higher pressure.
This will be strong enough to get through the guard hairs, into the undercoat, and all the way down to the skin. Don't use this on your dog's face/ears, obviously, and be careful near your dog's genitals/butt.
It means I can soap or condition Bucky in about a minute or two, rather than the ten it would take to do him by hand. It actually takes longer to drain the tub, get rid of the foam, rinse him off completely (see below), and then rinse the sump pump/hose with clean water so I can reset to do the next round of shampoo or conditioner.
Also, you'll want to add either a cut piece of window screen to the bottom of the sump pump or put the pump in a cheesecloth bag to trap fur. You'd be amazed how much fur you get when you do a high-pressure bath this way.
Side note: What's "comfortably warm" for you is "way the fuck too hot" for a dog. You want to bathe your dog with cool to lukewarm water. Your dog will have a preference. Learn to read their body language to figure it out. Strangely enough, Bucky doesn't like cold baths, though he likes sleeping in snow or freezing rain.
Handheld shower head and extended-length hose:
Rinsing is where the horrible work happens. Any soap residue at all left on a dog's skin can attract dirt or create mats. That's how you get hot spots and infections. So when you rinse, you need to get all the way down to the skin... but rinsing depends in part on water pressure.
The best I can do is city water pressure. I use a good handheld shower head with the spray dial set to a single "massage" jet setting, rather than the dispersed "rain" type spray (which does absolutely nothing and is only useful for gently rinsing the face). I also have a ten-foot shower hose so I can reach under and behind Bucky.
I put the shower head right up against his body and go over him inch-by-inch, which is as much of a pain in the ass for both of us as you'd imagine. This is actually the most time-consuming part of the bath.
The best way to know you've rinsed 100% of the shampoo or conditioner off a dog is to put the dog on a black rubber mat. If the water running off him has no visible suds or bubbles anywhere, you're good to go on to the next step.
(Side note: In a perfect world, I'd have a second tub beside the first, so I could fill tub #2 with clean water. Then I could use the sump pump to rinse him off while he was standing in the first bath. It wouldn't recirculate, but it would provide great water pressure. I just don't have a bathtub with two tubs.)
Tub strainer:
This one's mandatory unless you're a plumber. Just pick up one of those cheap strainers that goes into the tub drain. You might have to unscrew your existing drain plug if it's one of those pop-up types.
Never, ever bathe a double-coated dog without a tub strainer, or you're looking at a $500 emergency weekend plumbing call. Trust me on this one, too.
Dryer:
NEVER use a human hair dryer on your dog unless 1. it's got a COOL button and 2. you're just spot drying a tiny spot, and at that point, you're better off blotting with a towel.
(Side note: NEVER rub with a towel. That's how you create mats. Always blot.)
For a double-coated dog, you have three choices:
1. Go cheap and prepare to buy a new dryer every year or so.
2. Go to a do-it-yourself place like PetValu or PetClub, where they provide the cheap dryer.
3. Invest a few hundred bucks in a dual-motor high-velocity cool-air dryer.
In the case of 1 or 2, you'll never get all the way down to the skin. Cheap, single-motor dryers just don't have the power to dry all the way down. A dual-coated dog will look dry in no time, but their undercoat can stay damp for days.
I went with the Chris Christensen 2EXTREME dryer (http://www.chrissystems.com/dryers/2xtreme.aspx) and yes, it's ridiculously expensive. It was my one treat with the (disgustingly small) settlement from my divorce and worth every penny. At full speed, with the cone nozzle, I can blow Bucky's top coat dry in no time. Then I switch to the flat diffuser nozzle and spend the next hour or so fighting with him as he feels dramatically sorry for himself and flings himself upside-down on the floor, then curls up into a ball like the world's most pathetic pillbug.
There's some more information, slightly outdated but with pictures, on my Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/writerjbrock/posts/781324185412192
I could swear I had a video of the recirculating system in use, but I can't find it on FB or Twitter. Very frustrating!
Edit: I FOUND IT! https://www.facebook.com/writerjbrock/media_set?set=a.845660882311855&type=3 includes videos of the recirculating system and some very good photos of what a wet undercoat/dry topcoat looks like under a high velocity dryer. You can see how the undercoat is clumped and thready when wet, even though the coat feels like it's dry.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
